Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

"Block D" requires chair's casting vote to get it approved

So we had our meeting about Brentford Lodge. It seems it’s been unused for a while and – apart from this being a bit wasteful – it attracts anti-social behaviour and the building decays. Apparently the mental health people had plans for it but in the end they could not get secure income from the Clinical Commissioning Group  (that’s the way the NHS works these days) so they’ve come up with another use – a college for carers and those who receive care. This is currently done somewhere in Ealing but the lease is ending. There are a few other things that they can also put in there so the building looks like it will be well used: they will sort it during the winter and occupy around March, so that’s a bit of good news.

After that it was planning, and the controversial one was ‘Block D’ – the council development planned for the south of the High St as part of the Ballymore scheme. The good news is that, if built, this will provide nearly 100 new council homes – yes, proper social rent homes – including many 3 and 4 bed flats. The challenge is that it is a big building where currently Natwest bank and the Post Office (and some other shops) are and I was personally concerned about the design and certain other aspects such as parking, and mindful of the views of such as the Brentford Community Council. It was a close call, with me very conflicted but finally voting against (for redesign, rather than against the principle) but it was passed on the chair’s casting vote. The aerials on top of the Kew Eye tower were so unobtrusive that it would be hard to vote against them, and indeed certain persons who had called this into Planning Committee … OK, certain person… OK, me, took some flak for wasting police time.

Friday morning early I cycled up to Carville Crescent to take a look at the converging hordes of schoolkids, parents and hangers-on who arrive in short order when the school gates open (or a bit before). Whilst the ones who walk or cycle make a bit of a racket (a pleasant racket to my ears) and cause some congestion in the narrow entrance path, the real problem is those who arrive by car. It all happens at walking pace but there are near misses, congestion, a seriously blocked road and quite a number of blocked drives (“I’ll only be a minute”). Not sure how we can fix this but please parents, don’t drive to school. Or if you absolutely must, park a little way away and treat your youngster to a walk through Gunnersbury Park or Carville Hall Park.

In the afternoon a meet with a prospective director for our Credit Union then a spell in the Labour office. I was supposed to be door-knocking in the evening but it was cold and dark and I got into a conversation with a local resident who is in the know about Westminster scandals, whereupon Ruth Cadbury appeared and we talked some more about this. At some point Ruth and I decided it was cold and dark, there were only the two of us, and we both had better things to do with a Friday evening such as sorting emails. What a glamorous life I lead.

Saturday was my monthly surgery up in Clayponds Gardens but not a soul turned up. You might think this is a result but sitting in an empty room in a Community Centre is not my idea of heaven. At least I got to have some deep and meaningful discussions with a couple of 6 year olds with Green Belts in Taekwondo and neither of them threw me.

Monday I had a chat (in a pub, naturally), with someone who’s thinking of standing as a Labour candidate in Chiswick. Probably put him off. In the afternoon up one of the towers to try and help someone who has received one of those incomprehensible letters from the DWP saying they have been overpaid benefit since 2010 seemingly because of a change of address. Sent to the address they have lived in for the last 20 years+. In my experience there is a 98% probability this is a mess up by the DWP but the probability it has caused enormous unnecessary stress to vulnerable people is 100%. We’ll sort it out via the team in the benefits section, who provide us with a consistently good service (see later). In the evening a meet with council CEO Mary Harpley who is thinking ahead to May when there will be a lot of clueless new councillors to induct into their roles. She is asking the clueless ones who started last time how it went. Of course I am even more clueless because I came in at a by-election and missed the normal induction. Anyway, useful meeting preparing for those who will start next May.

Tuesday evening it’s the David Henry Waring Trust over in Bedfont. We meet the people from Metropolitan who will be developing (subject to planning) about 50 retirement flats, most if not all socially rented, in the grounds of the splendid old mansion bequeathed to the parish by one half of Waring and Gillow. This will in turn provide the rental income to maintain the mansion and grounds in the manner to which they are accustomed.

Wednesday I turn up at the Free Church for what I thought was a drop-in session about the Air Quality Action Plan but turned out to be a workshop about that, the Great West Corridor and Conservation areas. A lot of closely packed tables at which I could not find a place, so I chatted to the conservation officers who explained their thinking about the St Paul’s conservation area. After that a Labour party meeting with a talk from one of the guys behind anothereurope.org. An interesting and lively debate.

Thursday I have one of my rare meetings with my scattered family – we meet for lunch in a place more or less equidistant which is the funny little town of Kimbolton, notable for the fact that CAR TRANSPORTERS ARE BANNED as it says in large signs.

In the evening Steve Curran, three ward councillors, a couple of council officers and the collective might of the director and trustees of Watermans. They confirm that it is absolutely their preference – they seem unanimous – to move to the town centre but they are worried about viability if the various potential funders cannot provide the £6M above what the council and developers can afford, that would enable the new centre to attract the very best theatre and dance companies. They are hopeful of achieving this, but not before the proposal goes to planning, perhaps in January. The planners are working hard with Kew Gardens, Royal Palaces, the GLA, developers and other interested parties to try and come up with a scheme which is a good compromise that everyone can live with (including, of course, Watermans and local residents). It’s a very good meeting, where it is clear that we’re all after much the same outcome.

Yes I know this has been long, but a couple of words from our historians, who have dug up some real gems recently. I will post a couple of links on the Brentford Councillors Facebook page but I  have to include this quote from an article about Thames boatmen in WW2:

‘Hardly had it gone off,’ said Alderman Hart, ‘than the bombs started dropping, some quite near. Each time one fell in the river one’s craft swerved. There were ‘planes overhead, so many that we could not count them. All the way to Tower Bridge there fires blazing on wharves on either side and barges burning; at one point we saw part of a pier blown away. We never stopped, but kept steadily on along the centre of the river. We had no helmets, but we had to stay on top all the way to navigate. I held a hand bowl over my head, but nothing touched me, although there was plenty flying about.

Just picturing him sailing through burning warehouses with shrapnel flying all around ‘holding a hand bowl over his head’

Oh, and I said ‘see later’. The lady I described as ‘well over 21’ last week has had her ‘overpayment’ written off. She asked me how I knew she was over 21. I explained it was because she told me her first knee replacement (or was it hip) had taken place more than 21 years ago. Just occasionally this job has its rewards.

Councillor Guy Lambert

September 15, 2017