Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

Out and about talking bins with a couple of pig farmers

Last Thursday lunchtime I had a Teams meeting with the leader and the Exec Director of housing about a (very) problem House in Multiple Occupation in the ward. The poor neighbours have been subjected to a variety of problems over several years and I have been trying to help them since last summer. Unfortunately the powers we have to control these HMOs are pretty limited and it has been particularly difficult over the last year with pandemic restrictions on eviction and now an enormous court backlog. Many of us have lived in HMOs at some point in our lives and most are not a problem – just an economical way to live in a costly city but some landlords are very unscrupulous and become very rich, largely on the back of the taxpayer. Frustrating.

In the afternoon we have the Lampton property board. They have restarted acquiring homes to help people out of temporary accommodation and are working with the council to fill up the pipeline of new builds. Herings Hall Close (the old Acton Lodge site) is complete bar a BT issue, the Two Bridges supported accommodation site nears completion and we hope to be on site at the New Road Triangle site in Feltham this year.

Then in the evening, the Watermans Park public meeting with the landscape architect explaining the proposed layout of the park. There were around 20 in attendance including the Friends group and general satisfaction with the proposals. The thing now is to get them done, and we hope to start soon. Just heard this morning that the last ‘vessel’ should be removed early August and we’re hoping the river works can commence in September as they finish off the work inside the ‘Black Citadel’.

On Friday I was free of meetings so I decided to mix business with pleasure with a bike ride around the ward, starting around Whitestile Road and the Windmill Road area. There were complaints about weeds and where they had been affected by floods. I was quite cross about the weeds that had still not been cleared and now had the added delights of various unmentionables which had emerged from the drains being wrapped around some of them.

Some gents from Thames Water were on site hosing down the street from an oversized Tonka toy

But I was furious to see that the weeds had not yet been cleared. After a certain amount of blue air they have been largely done this Tuesday and a deep clean scheduled to deal with what remains in the gutters.

I then headed towards what their local councillors call The Pigsty but what is shown on the maps as Chiswick via Gunnersbury Park, where I spotted a handsome stand of trees and wondered if my Hounslow.greentalk.io app could identify them.

Of course it could, as it can for 123000 trees in the borough’s public spaces. They are black Walnuts, it seems, planted c 1966. Look green to me but there you go.

My much used bike bag was beginning to fall apart so I went to Fudge’s bike shop in Central Chiswick and was a bit flummoxed for parking in the immediate vicinity.

If it carries on like this I may have to start using a car to go to Chiswick because there is plenty of parking space for them.

On Saturday I went out from Ealing Broadway to Maidenhead with the idea of cycling the Thames Path towards Cookham and Marlow. We had not chosen wisely because it was the day of the Macmillan Thames Path Mighty Hike and there was a lot of competition for space. After we’d seen a few – the lowest number I saw was 12 and the highest 5644 – we figured we should make our excuses and cycle somewhere else. I just had a look on the website and it cost £25 to register and a minimum donation of £250 so 5000+ of them must have raised a tidy sum. You can add a bit here if you’re feeling flush

On Sunday I took the deserted cycle lane to Chiswick again to see how the cheese market was going (OK I think, though I’m not much of a cheeser so didn’t go in). It must be very untypical because every time I use the cycle lane nobody uses there seem to be a lot of cyclists.

Later on Sunday the umpteenth of many meetings I have chaired whilst I develop with some friends and colleagues a new charity to be called Consumers for Good (we think). This came out of me trying to buy printer paper and thinking I’d rather buy it from someone who fits my way of looking at life. I wanted a supplier who pays the independently assessed Living Wage (as opposed to the phoney government living wage) and has signed up to the Fair Tax Mark. I couldn’t find one and thought wouldn’t it be nice if I could, or if people could find a supplier who’s nice to animals or particularly green or whatever is their particular priority. We’ve been working on this for a few months on Sundays, have just put in our application to the Charity Commission and will shortly be looking to get some funding together.

On Monday I’m back immersed in Brentford matters with a further discussion with police and residents’ representatives preparatory to the Mighty Bees and the Irish Exiles beginning their seasons in the top flight. The police say that the Bees is easy for them to plan because they know every game will be a sellout, which is good to hear. Apparently they lay on nothing extra for rugby but in truth they don’t expect anything that happens in Brentford to compare with a normal Saturday night in Richmond.

On Tuesday I have a one to one meeting with the newly appointed head of Lampton Residential Services, the outfit also known as Coalo. We talk about various issues that have cropped up with residents and I’m really pleased at his approach. It has been a very difficult year for outfits like this, with their own people getting unwell, customers cancelling because of illness, isolation or caution, social distancing and the inevitable impact both to output and to finances, but more than ever convinced improvement is on the way.

In the evening, Cabinet, and having expected to be presenting nothing, just making smart remarks and asking annoying questions I find I have no less than 4 papers to present. This is due to the absence of Shantanu Rajawat and various others with a variety of dodgy excuses, such as having to self isolate or look after a sick parent. Bah, humbug.

A lot of good things went through Cabinet including the Shop Local scheme (the plan is for every household shortly to be given a £20 voucher to spend in local shops – shops will get their £20 in full within 7 days plus a bit of free promotion so join up!). Good progress on digital strategy, Borough recovery plan, on track financial performance and good general performance indicators. Very pleased that the large Convent Way estate in Heston has voted by more than 80% in favour of regeneration plans, just like Charlton House did in Brentford.

Oh, and a revised Cycleway9. Yes, O anonymous OneChiswick I know you’re watching. Councillor Biddolph made her usual unruly intervention in contravention to the constitution – like her PM, she seems to think rules are for the little people and that she isn’t little – and accused me of bias because I like to ride out sometimes with Hounslow Cycling whereas she isn’t or wasn’t or won’t be a member of OneChiswick which doesn’t have members and never did even though they used to say she was a member. Anyway, needless to say she’s against it, though not quite sure why as the revised proposals address many of the concerns raised by residents and probably by OneChiswick. But then she’s not a member. Apparently. Anyway, down with that sort of thing.

Wednesday morning I’m out in the Pigsty with farmers Mushiso and Todd and various bin-related council officers. We are looking to deploy containers (we call them Grit Bins) to take those purply bags that are used for flats above shops. We have deployed these in various places around the borough and they seem to work as this pic from another part of Chiswick High Road shows. Useful to walk up and down for a bit and get some local views – the farmers seem to like this idea.

Late afternoon we have an update session on the Brentford Master Plan exercise. Very interesting and a lot of consensus in our small but impeccably-formed sub-group. I therefore missed the COVID briefing and haven’t had a chance to catch up with the recording yet.

This morning I’m in Boston Manor Park bright and early (for me) at 9 am for a short piece to camera about our trees and general environment focus. Some people will think it ironic that I’m talking about trees in Boston Manor Park, where quite a lot have been felled but the changes there were recommended by ecologists and are but a drop in the ocean compared with the 5000-odd new trees we are planting in the borough every year.

At midday, a catch up with ‘my’ director about progress to date and ambitious plans for the rest of the year. We do talk weeds, which have been a problem across the borough (and other boroughs) and I insist – pushing at an open door – we take steps to rectify this.

Day’s getting on, behind with emails, visit to the pub booked for tonight, bored readers. If you’re in Mafeking Avenue, I am lifting this particular siege.

Cllr Guy Lambert

July 22, 2021