A Tale of Two Meetings, Potholes and Celebrating Culture |
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Chiswick Riverside councillor Peter Thompson reports back
March 9, 2024 A Tale of Two Meetings Virtually no one – no matter how much it might bruise the ego – listens to our council meetings. This is probably linked to the fact that trust in politicians remains the lowest since records began. A recent Ipsos Mori report tells us that just 34 percent of the British public believe local councillors to be truthful and trusted. This is a worrying statistic for those of us who volunteer our time as elected representatives. At our recent Borough Council meeting Labour Councillors voted through the maximum Council Tax increase allowed without a local referendum of 4.99%. This is the 8th year in a row that our Labour Council has increased the burden of council tax on the residents of Hounslow – that’s an increase of just under £400 at Band D. Our amendment took seriously the financial hardship faced by many residents of Hounslow. We proposed a zero increase in the Council Tax, to cut the cost of politics by abolishing 13 unnecessary Special Responsibility Allowances paid to Councillors, to strengthen the current civil enforcement team by recruiting 40 additional officers to keep us safe, to increase street lighting to create a safer environment, to offer residents a free one free bulky waste collection per year to enable residents to dispose of large items quickly and tackle fly-tipping in our borough and to increase investment in repairing potholes and pavements. All this was fully costed and fully funded. We sat in the council chamber and heard from our Labour colleagues how much they care about our residents; how much they care about our local businesses; and how much they care about the poorest in society - and the lack of support from central government. There was no mention of the fact that Hounslow has received an additional £18 million in extra funding for this year to help us through difficult financial times and to support us in delivering adult and children’s social care. Labour Councillors had a real and tangible opportunity to put their money – or should I say our money - where their mouth is and follow through on their virtue-signalling credentials and make a real difference to people’s lives - yet every year they nod through increases in Council Tax. Councillor Guy Lambert, Cabinet member for Highways, Recycling and Health Integration, took exception to our budget proposal to spend more on fixing potholes across the borough. He proudly stated that have some of the best streets in London! When I am knocking on doors there is debate about the level of Council Tax, improperly parked Lime Bikes, and our LTN. But I can assure Cllr Lambert that anger over potholes is pretty high up on the list of voter concerns. The Chiswick Area Forum meets this Tuesday (12 March) at 7.30pm in Chiswick Town Hall to provide “clear, accountable, community leadership and tackle the unique challenges and needs of (the) area. The forum monitors and reviews services delivered by the Council and other agencies in that area. The theme of this meeting is “Celebrating Culture” and we will be given a presentation by the Hounslow Arts Centre – they do a wonderful pantomime every year and offer a wide variety of events! The Digital Poverty Alliance will also be with us. Not everyone is online and this impacts people in many ways as they are unable to access education, the social security system, job opportunities or get cheaper gas and electricity. Finally the Council will be telling us what it is going to help people use digital tools more effectively. There is also the regular opportunity for members of the public to raise issues of concern in the Open Forum. Hopefully we will see you there. Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Tuesday 13 March 2024 from 6.30pm Chiswick Area Forum Celebrating Culture Monday 18 March 2024 at 7:00pm Cabinet Tuesday 26 March 2024 at 7:30pm Borough Council THEN:
6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB During weekends, residents can still access council services on-line or via emergency numbers: CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the eight Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn). Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery). CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS Chiswick Gunnersbury (was Turnham Green) ward Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446 Cllr Ranjit Gill ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702956 Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887 Chiswick Homefields ward Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017 Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821 Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651 Chiswick Riverside ward Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823 Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810
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