Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

Help me solve the mystery of the unpleasant smell on Brook Road South

We had the ward panel on Thursday evening, a slightly depleted event without the chair, though the redoubtable Linda Massey stepped into the breach. We did briefly discuss recent tragedies and the mental health concerns that cause anxiety around the ward, and spoke mainly about ‘the usual suspects’ – youth ASB, drugs, graffiti, lack of lights on the Brook Lane North footbridge. I appeal again to anybody who reads this from the Clayponds or Brentford Towers estates – your areas are not represented on the ward panel and it would be great to change that. It’s not onerous – a couple of hours in an evening once a quarter.

Friday was meeting free, which seemed a blessing as I am having trouble keeping up at the moment. It gave me some time to follow up some casework and have a little wander around – so much slower now I am temporarily unbiked. I am also churning through the enormous feedback we have had from around the borough to our leaflet from the Labour party which set out how we got on with our last manifesto commitments (very well!) and asking people what they think our priorities should be next time. This is quite an undertaking and gives some interesting insights, which will influence what we prioritise.

Carrying on with that on Sunday, I completely forgot that I was supposed to be Zooterviewed© by Labour party members from outside the Borough to establish whether I’m fit to serve as a councillor and thus to be put forward for selection for next year’s elections. I am obviously too disorganised to qualify, but I am begging for clemency.

Monday morning was the Green Partnership Board, where we work with a number of external partners with our vision for a green recovery for the borough. It’s always inspiring to attend these and increasingly we see real projects and activities being taken forward which will impact one or more of the objectives.

In the evening we have a meeting of the Labour group, preparing for Borough council which is due to take place tomorrow, Tuesday. There’s quite a long agenda but we get through it relatively easily. Late in the evening we get some shocking news: one of our comrades, Javed Akhunzada has passed away after a sudden illness. Javed was elected for Bedfont ward in 2018 and had proved himself an engaged and diligent councillor, as well as a thoroughly nice man. We are all very shocked and upset, especially for his family.

As a result, Borough council and the Mayor’s reception which would have accompanied it were postponed and my trip to meet old colleagues in London (by tube, as I can’t ride a bike these days) was a little more liquid than it would otherwise have been.

Bright and early on Wednesday I go chez Le Melvinateur and pick him up to chaperone him along the First World War-like trenches of Ealing Road (some utility at ‘work’) to our friendly neighbourhood McDonalds. There’s a new franchisee there and she’s eager to do the right thing, making improvements to the site to spruce it up and cut the noise from the equipment which had been affecting neighbours. It’s very refreshing to have someone from a fast food outfit who is keen to engage.

After an hour or so I have to depart to have a Zooting© with an officer from West London Waste. One of the things in the recent Environment act is something called Extended Producer Responsibility and I’m deputed to lead thinking about how we are going to rise to the challenge of this in West London, though at this stage I’m only starting to get my head around the implications.

In the evening a dual-purpose Zooting© about events being worked up for Gunnersbury Park next year. The first session is with the people behind Dino-Kingdom who are set to come to Gunnersbury in the spring. It’s a relatively uncontroversial use of the park because it’s basically daytime family entertainment and should not have a major impact on neighbours as far as I can see. The reviews of previous shows are mixed, to say the least, but the organisers were able to answer our questions quite well and we should I hope get a number of free tickets for local families and some charity contributions.

The second session is for Secret Cinema, who want to come back in the summer. They were pretty well-organised the last time they came to Gunnersbury and they should be able to iron out any concerns this time. The major issue is that they will have heavy vehicles coming down a metal temporary road near Lionel Road North so we’ll have to minimise the noise and disruption that will inevitably cause.

Thursday morning I have a ‘futures’ meeting with ‘my’ directors where we look at where we should be looking to concentrate improvements over the next few years.

This afternoon I have to go into Hounslow House (by the bus grrr), first to have a ‘real’ meeting with the Cranford Action Group plus various agencies to move forward the fantastic work they are doing around the A312 and surrounding areas, including the banks of the River Crane.

After that it’s planning committee with one huge (and hugely emotive) proposal to redevelop the B&Q site – anybody remember when it used to be Bristol Cars? – and a smaller but also perhaps controversial development of a garage site into homes, also in Chiswick

Now, a little mystery. Somebody who lives at the North end of Brook Road South is getting an unpleasant burning smell (maybe wood, but probably plastic) and fumes during the evenings and nights. We have been trying to identify the source of this for about 6 months, but it’s elusive. I have asked a few people who live nearby for any info but drawn a blank. Any ideas, anybody?

Quite a short one this week, not out and about much. See y’all soon.

Cllr Guy Lambert

December 3, 2021