Spotting the Kurupt FM Muriel and Weed Wombles

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Cllr Guy Lambert

April 14, 2023

So it was Good Friday, but your local ward councillors don’t sleep. Actually I do sleep from time to time but that doesn’t get in the way of making enormous improvements to the local area. Well, that’s my story and the reality I get reports even on Good Friday. I had a picture of a gentleman (?) who found he had overdone his Easter libations and caught himself short on one of our gorgeous streets in the bright sunlight whilst one of our alert residents caught the episode on camera, and reported it. I will save you from the opportunity to see this event in glowing technicolour. Fortunately he had his back turned on my correspondent.

To be honest, whilst I read a few emails and sent a couple I largely had the day off, whilst I did some research about what my new (old) car will be. I was all set to rent a car from our local dealer, Curries, so I could have a more comprehensive look around at what was on the market, so I walked up to the A4 early on Saturday morning. There were a couple of blokes there but no car and they got me to call a man who explained that although I had a written confirmation that a car would be provided, he observed it was Easter and they were a bit busy and I could, as you might say, take a hike. So I wandered along the A4, Layton Road, Brook Lane North, Brook Road South, Albany Road, a little alley off Albany, taking pictures of something every few paces. 39 pictures, good job I wasn’t using my Kodak Brownie 127, with the price of things these days…

I was grumpy having been thwarted by those people who say they are Nice People To Do Business With: possibly true but not nice people to not do business with 😊 so all these pictures went in a green ink email to our Environment director, TfL, Hounslow Highways etc etc. Next time I take the walk I hope to see marked improvement but a minority of the inhabitants of Brilliant Brentford (and some of our services and partners) have Brilliant ideas about how to make the localenvironment less Brilliant.

Nice chair, according to taste.

The rest of the weekend was empty of work meetings etc, and various visits to car places and their websites. I have now come to a conclusion and sent off a large sum of money (for a skinflint) to one of these internet car dealers, to buy a car I’ve only seen a picture of. The world changes.

Tuesday, the nose was reacquainted with the grindstone, and it started with a Teams meeting with our head of recycling and her boss the Environment Director. We have to agree a new Reduction and Recycling Plan with the Deputy Mayor at the GLA and they have sent a rather glowing report on our recycling service including:

“The GLA particularly welcomes the RRP commitments around:

• The Ultra-Low Waste Neighbourhood (ULWN) Heston Village project
• Further expansion of food waste collections to purpose-built flats and estates, with a food waste collection service to flats above shops being explored.
• The new commercial residual and recycling service (including food waste) that commenced in July 2022.
• The option to collect flexible plastics as part of new fleet”

It is complex developing and changing our recycling and waste service and we’ve worked really hard at it over the last few years, with our recycling rate going from under 30% to about 38% in the latest reports we have (they are always slow coming through, which is frustrating to me). Our target is to get that to 45% by 2024/5 and 50% by 2030 and GLA are carping that that is too ambitious. Well, we take the challenge, in partnership with our excellent service delivery partner Lampton Recycling, our talented and dedicated team, partnership with West London Waste Authority and our residents, many of whom have really taken recycling to their hearts!

In the rest of the day I had a wee cycle trip around the ward, where I saw two new things happening in the ward. I knew that Hounslow Highways had begun to deploy their weed wombles but I hadn’t actually seen them in action until I came upon them going methodically along Hamilton Road. There were more than 2 but some were camera-shy!

Next stop was Braemar Road, at the junction with Ealing Road where I had been alerted there was some unusual painting going on:

The Muriel (I speak fluent Hilda and Stan Ogden) has divided opinion, though I think the consensus is positive (they finished it after I took the picture!). I understand it will only be there for a month. People have Been Doing Something.

On Wednesday the first Teams meeting was with the Lampton company MDs and chair, just giving a quick update. The big news is Recycling have been shortlisted for a national award given by Letsrecycle for their innovation in food recycling for blocks of flats – here’s hoping for a win.

Then we had an update on plans to improve the parking problems around Glenhurst and Orchard Road, which will go for consultation soon. Inevitably, there are a variety of opinions and keeping everybody happy will be very difficult.

On Thursday we had a meeting with residents from Layton Road, together with the transport team and the community safety team. We continue to try and improve things in various ways but everything takes a long time!

In the afternoon I undertook my least favourite trip to Kingston. I decided it was too windy for me to cycle there as I might get blown in the Thames. At least the 65 got through this time: last time I used it I had to give up the journey when even the bus driver had abandoned the bus. Anyway I was down at Boots for some tuning of my hearing aids – ah, being deaf.

Then a quick drink with one of my favourite local volunteers down at the Express, and back to do my blog and (finally) buy a (slightly less ridiculous) car. More next week, when I hope it has actually appeared.

A picture for you oldsters. Not much has changed, but the trees have grown, and I wouldn’t advise wandering around in the road, an E3 might get you.

Councillor Guy Lambert