Unsatisfactory Answers to Three Questions on Roads and Pavements

Chiswick Riverside councillor Peter Thompson reports back

Cllr Peter Thompson

August 3, 2024

This week the Deputy Prime Minister announced an overhaul of the planning system to apparently fix the foundations and supposedly grow the economy. All councils in England are to be given new, mandatory housing targets to pave the way to deliver 1.5 million more homes. However, it beggars belief that the new Labour government has slashed new home targets in our borough at a time when rents are increasingly unaffordable, and many can have no hope of ever getting onto the property ladder.

The housing crisis is acute in our city, and it’s clear that we need to build more good quality, affordable and sustainable new homes. Last week, Hounslow Labour said they wanted to get Britain building - if they really meant that, they should put our borough before the interests of their own party and ask their government to reverse this decision.

Further discussions and debates at the Borough Council Meeting:

Roads and Pavements
Our recent Borough Council was a curate's egg of a meeting containing a mixture of good and bad!  The Conservative group asked Councillor Shivraj Grewal, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Recycling and Transformation – what a title – three questions relating to his portfolio.

Cllr Allan Joseph asked him why he thought the Council’s recent survey of residents showed pavement and road maintenance had two of the lowest satisfaction ratings of all of the council’s services. Answer: the people are wrong as Hounslow has some of London's best pavements and roads.

Councillor Gabriella Giles asked him when the promised weekly cleanse of all streets in the borough, coordinated with the weekly recycling collection promised two years ago would be delivered. Answer: There will be a report on this at the end of the year. 

Finally, Councillor Jack Emsley asked if he thinks it is OK for a cyclist to pass over a pothole that is 70mm deep given that according to Hounslow Highways’ inspection regime, the intervention level for potholes on residential roads is a depth of 75mm. Answer:  Residential roads are well–lit and quiet so cyclists can swerve to avoid potholes.  You couldn’t make it up.

Things Can Only Get Better?
You cannot blame the Labour Group for wanting to celebrate the General Election results.  So, as expected, we had plenty of propaganda about fourteen years of managed decline, the lack of care public services and that the new government has inherited the worst economic circumstances since the war.  I had not planned to speak on Labour’s motion but felt obliged to say a few words to move us away from the mantra Tories Bad/ Labour Good. I wished the new government well and accepted that the country had rejected the Conservative Party.  However, I also made the point that their claim that the new government has the worst economic circumstances is nakedly political and deeply dishonest.  In response to Labour’s delight that we now have a Labour Council, Mayor and Government I couldn’t help reminding the chamber how we have been here before with Livingstone and Brown and how that ended up! (Answer: A Conservative-led Hounslow Council!)

Safer Ageing in Hounslow
Thankfully the meeting ended in political agreement as both sides were able to support our motion on the abuse of older people.  Every year, over two and a half million people in the UK are affected by the physical, emotional, economic, or sexual abuse and neglect of older women and men. It is estimated that one in six older people are victims of abuse. These people are our mothers, fathers, uncles, aunties, grannies, grandads, friends and neighbours. Abuse occurs in institutional settings, but more often in the home. It can be perpetrated by care staff, relatives, friends and strangers, and can take many forms — sexual abuse, financial abuse, abuse of medication in controlling and sedating patients, physical abuse, neglect and behaviour designed to degrade and humiliate.

Cllr Ranjit Gill and I invited the Cabinet member and Director to explore ways in which we can help older people to protect themselves from, and recover from, all forms of abuse. This included working closely with Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on the abuse and neglect of older people.  Its confidential services provide information and support to an older person or anyone concerned about an older person who is at risk of, experiencing or recovering from any form of abuse or neglect. This includes a free-to-call 24/7 helpline on 0808 808 8141.

Critical repairs to Barnes Bridge
Living next to a train line for over 20 years we have become used to Network Rail or South Western Railway dropping letters through our post-box informing us of the latest set of overnight or weekend track works.  Having large machinery working outside your bedroom window in the early hours isn’t much fun but it we accept that it needs to be done.  Last week work on Barnes Bridge meant that the line between Kew Bridge and Barnes was be closed.  Engineers replaced all 48 wooden wheel timbers, which are the long blocks that support the tracks across the bridge with longer-lasting alternatives. They also strengthened the spans of the bridge, working underneath on scaffold platforms. Following ancient tradition and the Port of London Thames Byelaws, a bale of hay was hung from Barnes Bridge to notify maritime traffic of the reduced height of the bridge, as well as a white light at night!  On top of this 1.4km of conductor rail was renewed between Chiswick and Kew Junction.  Thankfully the Thompson household found the perfect solution to these works - we went on holiday! 

Cllr Peter Thompson

peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk

07977 395810  

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2024/25

Chiswick Area Forum is expected to be on Tuesday 24 September at 7.30pm
The Hogarth Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham Green W4 4JN

The Next Scrutiny Panel is expected to be on Thursday 19 September at 7.00pm Room 610. 6 th Floor, Hounslow House 7 Bath Road TW3 3EB

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 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