Weekly Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

Reflections on the versatility of the hornbeam for the Platinum Jubilee

Guy and Lara campaigning in Brentford West

On Thursday evening we had the Trustee meeting for the Layton Collection. The main event here was a presentation from our main contact at the Museum of London, Kate Sumnall, about the impending move of the Museum from its current home at London Wall to what looks like it’s going to be a spectacular new home in Smithfield.

The grand entrance (below) will no doubt be tidied up but there are vast and rather wonderful spaces within at ground floor and basement level. In one of those curious rebranding exercises which exercise my curiosity it will subsequently become The London Museum which seems to me to be a less informative name (given that there are a number of other museums in London which could claim the same monicker).

It reminds me of the history of the Highways Agency, latterly Highways England, now National Highways. It only serves England so the new name could have been designed to obfuscate. Whatever their name, they remain completely useless at removing graffiti from the M4 structure even when your humble servant writes letters to the Chief Executive, Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary. Still, it is good for your humble servant’s blood pressure to vent in this manner.

Any road up, Tommy Layton’s gear is a big deal in their collection, especially the Roman and pre-Roman eras and it was nice to be reminded of some of the wonderful things ‘we’ have in their gaff, much of which is expected to be on prominent display where deceased cows and chickens have previously been in residence.

We are still a way off providing a permanent home for the collection. It seems that we are unlikely to get what we need from the Heritage Lottery Fund in light of the government’s levelling down agenda, which will direct funds out of London I believe, and not make it any easier for Hounslow or Ealing to find funding to restore the old stables or small mansion in Gunnersbury Park, which we hope might finally provide a home.

On Friday morning, a couple of park visits with our lovely Mayor, Bishnu Gurung. He is ‘planting’ trees to celebrate a certain Platinum Jubilee you may have heard of. It was nice to see our resident park manager in BMP, Vanessa, who’s really getting the park going whilst contractors continue the transformation. Also, the Friends of Watermans Park who’ve had such a prominent role in its improvements which are now nearing completion. Apparently the trees are both Hornbeams: Vanessa waxed lyrical about how lovely they are when they are grown-ups whereas the contractor in Watermans Park remarked that they were good at growing where there’s not much depth of soil. Different perspectives.

In the afternoon, another bit of canvassing in the parts of the new Brentford West ward which we have inherited from Syon – this time Sydney Gardens and other areas near the station. As ever, I pick up bits of casework but good to go to new areas for me and people in Brentford are almost universally good to talk to. Another crack at the manifesto afterwards.

Saturday morning we’re out again, this time in Riverside Way. I think of this as the ‘new’ office blocks that were built when the site I used to look down on from Honeywell House – Fiat UK – was demolished. They are obviously not all that new as they have done service as offices and have now become flats. My co-candidate Lara is from Brazil and a leading light in ‘Migrants for Labour’ and she brought a crew of her chums with her for Saturday so we were able to cover Riverside and also Manor Vale, where I picked up a rather shocking story of structural damage which seems to have been caused by poor development. Not sure I can really help but I’m doing my best.

Lara and I were out again on Tuesday, this time in Albany Road, and Lara never misses the opportunity for a selfie.

Over the rest of the weekend, a trustee meeting for our Good Consumer charity-to-be. One of my partners (actually the one who does 99.9% of the work) is in the process of applying for a small grant to help us move forward on some tech matters.

Monday (and Tuesday) mornings are taken up by interviews for the independent chair of the audit committee for the Lampton companies. This non-executive and strictly independent role is important to ensure the risks inherent in a trading operation are properly recognised and managed. As usual, I’m blown away by the quality of people who want to work with Lampton, though one candidate stands out in an impressive field.

Monday afternoon, a very sober fizzy water in One Over the Ait as I discuss a problem that has arisen in The Hollows with one of the boating residents there. In the evening I’m at Age Concern in Chiswick, where the last selections of candidates for the May elections are taking place and I have been asked to act as doorman to make sure those seeking to vote are entitled to. I’m really delighted that two of my friends, the talented and personable Hanif Khan and my much-loved oppo The Melvinator are both selected, for Chiswicks Gunnersbury and Riverside respectively. The people in Chiswick have begun to tumble to how poorly served they have been by a succession of Conservatives (with the odd exception) and there is a real chance they will elect some proper councillors this time. They certainly won’t go far wrong with either of those two – experienced, talented and dedicated.

Tuesday evening it’s the Brentford update at the Holiday Inn, organised by Brentford Voice. A presentation from the head of planning and the head of regeneration about the vision for Brentford town centre. They had underestimated the interest in this and there must have been 70 or 80 people present (my guess) for a room designed tor more like 20-30, so much folding of partitions and carrying of chairs was in order. I’m delighted (though not surprised) there is so much passion about our town. Plenty of questions and a couple of tongue-looseners in the Magpie afterwards.

If you want the gory detail here is a council YouTube link.

Wednesday was a day off from meetings until an update on potential Ukrainian refugees in the evening. Hounslow has the third highest number of Ukrainian residents so we expect to see our share. We are quite experienced as a borough dealing with refugees, as are other London boroughs. You will have read about what appears to be the traditional shambles in the Home Office and there is a strong sense that, as well as not having a clue what to do about visas, central government doesn’t have a clue what to do with those who do arrive. London Councils – a cross-party organisation – are apparently unanimous in urging the HO to get their act together. All the evidence is that the public is eager to help but they will need support from the authorities and the central government component is not ready. It is emerging, though, and you can find the latest (presumably!) here.

Today is meeting free until Lara and I descend on some unsuspecting corner of Brentford West late afternoon, so I am actually finishing my blog before lunch, which is unusual.

Cllr Guy Lambert

March 17, 2022