Attending a Demo in Support of Something Beginning with 'P'

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Cllr Guy Lambert

November 17, 2023

Media Training was useful, I think. I have had similar training years ago but dealing with journalists etc as a councillor is different from doing the same as a company director which was where my experience mainly was. My youthful good looks were obviously more of an asset in front of a camera than they are now but even when I was 25 people were more likely to scorn than swoon. Anyway, it was good and seeing yourself on film is excruciating but you end up thinking it wasn’t as bad as you feared.

The bonus was when I was supposed to be listening to my colleague Ajmer Grewal doing her practice I noticed two rainbows over Hounslow at the same time. Probably very bad of me, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture but I only got one of them, but there are a couple of cranes and a cup made out of recycled chewing gum (really) as a bonus.

On Friday, I had one Teams meeting, on the subject of Health and Social Services Integration. I am beginning to understand what this is all about but it is not an easy one to make progress with. We need to put some effort into working out what the key things we want to achieve for Hounslow – there is an enormous potential of different things – and understand where other councils are on it. There are 7 other councils as well as the NHS as it affects North West London, which is also very complex. Coming out of that I have arranged to meet for a coffee with one of the other councillors involved in this, though we don’t have a date yet.

Friday evening I made a too rare visit to my localest restaurant – Galata Pera tucked away on Ferry Quays, overlooking the marina and river (when not dark ). I’m not particularly a Turkish food aficionado but it’s a nice place with friendly staff and I did really enjoy the food. If you haven’t been there, give it a try. It was very poorly supported for a long time but it was packed on Friday and seems to have a healthy take away business.

Saturday, my calendar said “Remembrance” probably because it was 11/11. But eventually I engaged what brain I have left and realised the Brentford commemoration was on Sunday so Saturday was free through the daytime so I decided I could zoom up to Birmingham to attend the Classic Car Show. Nice day out.

You may or may not know that Hudsons were assembled for a period in Brentford, though the people on the stand said it was Chiswick. Well, it is where we now have the very lovely B&Q store but the pillars on the attached picture from our local treasure Brentford Through My Lens (she’s lying about the lens or is an awful lot older than she looks) shows some pillars on the wall which you can find, in part, outside B&Q – the capping on top of some of the pillars give them away.

Anyway, this Alfa Romeo caught my eye amongst thousands of gorgeous old bangers!

Didn’t take any pictures at the remembrance service, which is disappointing but my excuse is that for the first=time in years I had no duties there – Katherine Dunne was laying the Mayor’s wreath and The Melvinator was in charge of the Labour Party one. I went away from the wreath layers and then realised I couldn’t see much because the memorial was in the way, so no pics. Good turn out as always, and lovely chirps of the National Anthem by Mel.

On the way home I remembered to take a picture of the trench developers had dug over the entrance to Heidelberg from Sump Alley, which is where most of their deliveries are supposed to access the site. A few times recently the High Street has been blocked by large lorries trying to access through a hole in the fence opposite the old Morrrisons. By yesterday I saw the trench had been filled and I’m hoping my moan to planning has resulted in an improvement! Will be chacking.

After the service I was off to the Digital Dock. A woman had walked all the way from Cranford to thank me for a tiny thing I did with TfL to improve a horrible subway beneath the M4 which she uses every day. So nice to get someone saying thanks, especially after an epic journey on foot!

Monday was quiet, with one Teams conversation about Health Integration, and all we had on Tuesday was the formal Cabinet in the evening and some informal meets of the council after that that extended late into the evening.

On Wednesday I had a morning out. Somebody from the Association of Educational Psychologists had been writing to me looking for support of their pay campaign. I was aware in the press recently of the dire problem of school children not attending and I thought EPs might be part of the reason as their profession seems to be in distress. So I cycled up to Hammersmith (gorgeous day) and District Lined to Smith Square – a place I don’t think I’d ever visited before. There was a good turmout of Psychologists and addresses from the great and the good including John McDonnell, who I last saw on the picket outside Gunnersbury Catholic School. He gets around, supporting people looking for a better deal in their work, and he mentioned his other half is an EP.

Nothing happened on Thursday other than a dinner in the evening to generate donations for the Labour Party, in particular Ruth Cadbury’s campaign. More great and good in attendance, including Sadiq Khan and Neil Kinnock. He’s over 80 now, but still knows how to give a speech, and he still spins it out over quite some time – but very easy to listen to him.

Councillor Guy Lambert