Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

Congratulations are due to his daughter for completing her PGCE

Those of you who think this is getting too long will be pleasantly surprised this week. I’m really short of time so just a brief update. Plus today is my birthday [Happy Birthday!, Ed] and I am officially old (as my charming big sister put it) so a) I should be slowing down a bit and b) what kind of saddo spends his birthday writing a blog (clue: me)

Thursday night was planning committee. We reluctantly approved Cllr Bruce’s extension and despite a spirited argument from the West Chiswick and Gunnerbury Society we were persuaded that changes to an Art Deco industrial building in Power Road and some development in its car park were OK (I personally thought they would improve the area). We rejected an attempt to build more flats into another Art Deco estate – Manor Vale in Brentford. We had a multitude of concerns with it and decided to overrule the planners who had recommended approval, which seemed to be popular with the residents!

Friday I had a good chat with a resident of Hamilton Road about parking, CPZs and enforcement. He’s sent me some material which I’ll do some work on when life quietens down a bit. Saturday was my surgery in Clayponds and not a single soul turned up. Perhaps they thought I had a scalpel.

On Monday I met a couple of local shopkeepers in the morning (I will secretly admit that I haven’t had a moment to do anything about their issues yet – hope they’re not reading!) then in the afternoon my daughter’s graduation ceremony for her PGCE at the Royal Festival Hall, (I’m very proud of her and so pleased she’s working at Green Dragon Primary School) followed by the second part of the Labour Group AGM in the evening. This is a long meeting where we have exhaustive votes for chairs of committees etc.

During the week a few bits of Credit Union business and rather more council activities but nothing to write home about and my main focus has been helping out in the Labour party office (which conveniently has a BT problem – I think it’s the Russians) and out on the stump, mainly in Brentford where we have been knocking doors in various parts of the Haverfield Estate, up and down Ealing Road etc. The reception has generally been very good with people being very appreciative of Ruth and her work as an MP. We have come across quite a lot of voters who are switching from other parties because Ruth has shown how hard she works, how she campaigns for the best for local residents (and cares about all of them) and is willing to back her convictions.

Of course, this election is going to be extremely close and it’s fantastic news today that the Green Party have decided not to contest this seat this time round. Ruth and I met with some of them during the week and it’s clear we can (and have) worked together on various issues. But we will have to work incredibly hard to resist the blue tide and their money so I’m just off out to the Towers to meet some people there. Beats writing a blog on a pleasant evening like this!

Guy Lambert

May 11, 2017