On The Canvass With Zac Goldsmith

Local councillor Sam Hearn's blog about his week

Cllr Sam Hearn who represents the Riverside ward in Chiswick, is chairman of the Chiswick Area Forum. He has written this account of his week as a busy local councillor

Friday 5th February: Attended the commemoration event for my old school friend Peter Taylor at the Merchant Taylors Hall in the heart of the City. As his colleagues from the insurance industry agreed he was ridiculously over qualified to be working in this sector. Farewell Pete. I will always remember you as the demon bowler on the cricket pitch and the master forger of the head master’s signature. The fact that you won the same scholarship to Oxford as Oscar Wilde and George Osborne still makes me laugh.

Saturday 6th February: To Hounslow Station to campaign with Zac and his “happy band”. On to Cranford with Zac for a meet and greet with supporters helping out with the council by-election. Lots of goodwill but will this be reflected in Thursday’s poll?

Sunday 7th February: Time to think a little about next week’s Ward AGM. Has everyone received notifications of the meeting?

Monday 8th February: Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel. Arrive early for a pre-meeting presentation from Officers about the Government’s Prevent strategy for nipping terrorism in the bud. There is so much excellent work by Officers that goes on under the radar. We consider a report on the provision of affordable housing and discuss what LBH is doing to hold back the tide of homelessness. Should we really have to point out to Officers that printing a pie-chart in black and white and not colour is a waste of everyone’s time? Weirdly, self-builders who nationwide account for 7% to 10% of new homes do not exist as far as LBH is concerned.

Members of all political hues become quite heated about the so called “Garages Report” prepared for the now defunct Hounslow Homes. This report has disappeared without trace. The report identified council-owned garages that are empty and or derelict, occupied garages for which rent is not being charged, and garage blocks that are potential sites for new housing.

Tuesday 9th February: With Councillor John Todd and Peter Thompson to reflect on the budget pack being considered this evening by the Hounslow Cabinet. Not sure how what is proposed in the budget protects the vulnerable and the disadvantaged?

Wednesday 10th February: At the Chiswick Pier Trust for a management committee meeting. Some complicated legal issues are happily coming to a successful conclusion. New arrangements for marketing and development of the Trust are agreed. Ideas for funding collaborative projects with other Thames-focused community groups are discussed and tentatively agreed. I cut and run at 8.45pm.

Thursday 11th February: In Cranford all day for the Council By-Election. I spend most of the day loitering with intent at the Church of St Paul’s and the Good Shepherd, one of the three polling stations. Voters trickle in and my colleague Darren Mackie and I make lots of new friends. Sukhdev our candidate ensures that we are kept well provided with food parcels from McDonald’s. Several of my Labour Councillor colleagues make brief appearances and sensibly retreat to the warmth of their vehicles.

The husband of the Liberal candidate turns up (in a large Merc). He is there to support his nephew Mohammed Awais who is distributing leaflets. Mohammed is a charming and strikingly handsome econometrician who is just finishing his doctorate and awaiting his viva.

The Vicar, Libby, and an efficient rota of her noticeably youthful parishioners run a stall outside their church advertising what they have to offer. She copes magnificently and without fuss with a distressed lady who has just become homeless. This underlines the importance of meetings such as Monday’s Housing and Scrutiny Panel . We must leave no stone unturned.

February 12, 2016