Chiswick Area Forum Chair Issues Challenge to Council

Says it should send representative to this week's meeting to defend policies

Cllr Mushiso at a previous area forum meeting. Picture: Yagnesh Nakarja/LBH

March 12, 2023

The chair of the Chiswick Area Forum has said that the Labour administration should send a representative to this week’s meeting to explain council policies.

The challenge from Cllr Ron Mushiso comes after the leader of the council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, declined an invitation to attend the event which takes this Tuesday at Chiswick Town Hall.

This would have been the first council meeting he had been present at since he referred to Chiswick as a “backwater” in a heated budget debate with the Conservatives.

Cllr Mushiso said, ‘It is frustrating that the Leader of the Council is not able to attend. It comes after his own Lead Member of Community Engagement denied residents their democratic right to engage with the Council in February. Furthermore, at his appointment as leader in May 2022, Cllr Rajawat pledged to work with communities on local decisions with greater consultation and engagement. So, it is a shame when these opportunities are presented, he is simply not there. I have asked for an alternative representative from the Labour Administration to explain the council’s triple whammy raid on households in Chiswick; LTNs, Council Tax and ULEZ. I wonder if anyone will venture out to the “backwater” to defend the indefensible?’

Chiswick councillors at a recent area forum. Picture: Yagnesh Nakarja/LBH

There was a Chiswick Area Forum earmarked for February and this meeting was meant to be a way for Chiswick residents to engage with the proposed local budget, and Chair of the Chiswick Area Forum, Cllr Ron Mushiso, had intended to invite back the cabinet member for Traffic and Transport, Cllr Katherine Dunne.

At last week’s budget setting meeting the Conservative presented an amendment to the budget that called for more Area Forums which was voted down by the Labour Group.

Cllr Mushiso says the Area Forum will now be an opportunity reflect on the budget and its implication for Chiswick. The published agenda also suggest a wider conversation with residents’ groups in and around local estates to discuss quality of services and maintenance that is being provided. Residents in and around the Hogarth Estate, Beaconsfield Close and Oxford Court, in Chiswick Gunnersbury are encouraged to attend. In Chiswick Homefields ward, residents in and around Edensor Gardens, Alexandra Gardens and Middlesex Court are also encouraged to make representation as well as council housing residents in Chiswick Riverside ward.

The new format has increased attendance at area forums. Picture: Yagnesh Nakarja/LBH

From 6.30pm to 7.30pm there will be marketplace style stalls set up, where residents can speak with Council officers about individual issues, meet and speak to their specific ward Councillors and hear about local community groups and initiatives. Light refreshments will be available during this section of the meeting. The formal part of the meeting begins at 7.30pm.

There will be an update from the Metropolitan Police on local policing and a presentation from the Council’s Fostering Team. It will include a testimony from a former looked-after person, who talk about their experiences and give insight about importance fostering.

The evening will end with an open forum where residents can raise any issue and make comment on any matters concerning them. Issues to be discussed in this section include traffic and transport, the ULEZ and flood strategy.

Everyone is welcome to attend and come along to this event and registration is not obligatory, but spaces are limited and so you can reserve your place by registering here.

Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Equalities, Councillor Shivraj Grewal, said, “It has been standing room only at our new style area forums over the last year. The revised format seems to have really captured the imagination of our residents and reflects a radical overhaul of the way we engage with our community. I urge anyone who has yet to experience one to get involved and have their say.”