Grove Park Traffic Scheme 'Call-in' Request Denied

Opponents of the schemes say they have harmed the area. Picture: You Tube

May 5, 2023

A request by Conservative councillors for a formal review of traffic measures implemented in Grove Park has been denied.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), Cllr Sayyar Raza, explained his decision by saying that it came after a meeting with the council’s legal team which determined that there was insufficient evidence to grant a review.

The so-called ‘call-in’ process allows councillors to make a request that a cross party sub-committee be formed to assess if proper procedure has been followed when making a decision.

Eight Conservative councillors had signed the submission which requested a call-in of the council’s decision to make several traffic schemes in Chiswick permanent, on the grounds that the decision-making process was flawed due to inadequate consultation, absence of evidence upon which to base the decisions, and a lack of proportionality to the desired outcome.

In the submission, councillors argued that the council’s consultation with residents has been “totally inadequate from the very outset,” and that “alternative ideas and options have been rejected by officers with no good reason being offered.”

A preliminary date for a meeting to hear the call-in had been set for Thursday 4 May. Had the sub-committee met and determined that there were issues with procedure in the decision-making process, this would not necessarily have meant that the measures would need to be reversed but the cabinet member responsible, in this case Cllr Katherine Dunne, would have been required to give a written response to the Cabinet.

Cllr Raza, who represents Hounslow South for Labour, had claimed at an earlier meeting that he had received hundreds of emails supporting the traffic measures in Chiswick. This has prompted some scepticism from opposition councillors and a number of Freedom of Information requests from residents, attempting to verify the claim, which are still pending.

“It is disappointing that Cllr Raza has decided to block this request for a call-in, which we believe has solid grounds due to the inadequate consultation, poor data and lack of proportionality of the Grove Park schemes,” said Peter Thompson, Councillor for Chiswick Riverside and leader of the Conservative Group on Hounslow Council. “The council seems to be arguing that the call-in cannot go ahead as there is no evidence of the absence of proper consultation and data, which is totally paradoxical. We want the Hounslow Labour group to put aside constitutional tricks and have an open discussion with Chiswick residents and councillors about the future of traffic schemes in Grove Park.”

The Hounslow Labour Group responded by saying, "The decision to keep traffic schemes in place on Staveley Road and Burlington Lane was made in line with recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), which has representation from both Labour and Conservative councillors. Despite this, the Tories decided to call in the decision, asking for it to be looked at again by a sub-group of the OSC. The call-in request was signed by eight Conservative councillors including group leader Cllr Peter Thompson. Cllr Thompson attended the Cabinet meeting at which the decision was made where he used his speaking rights to say it 'makes perfect sense' to 'keep things as they are'. "

Cllr Katherine Dunne, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport Strategy, said, “I’m glad the decision by the OSC Chair means the Cabinet decision can go ahead. The council carried out extensive consultation on the two schemes but I wanted to be sure before making a recommendation to Cabinet. That’s why I referred the report to OSC and asked Cabinet to accept the committee’s recommendations to keep the schemes in place. Cllr Thompson said this made perfect sense so I’m disappointed his group initiated a call in for purely political reasons.

“As well as making the two schemes permanent, Cabinet agreed my additional recommendations reflecting community feedback on carers, speed, signage and communications. I would value input from residents and ward councillors on these so urge opposition members to drop their confrontational attitude and work together to make them a success.”