Unfairly Accusing a Local Legend of Being a Fraud

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Cllr Guy Lambert

March 24, 2023

Friday started with an update about the police, the first of two updates that come out of the Baroness Casey report. This report is kind of difficult for me, because I don’t doubt that the criticism – which is pretty damning – is perfectly justified, But the experience I have, dealing almost exclusively with the local team, is very positive. The only complaint I have in that area is that there is not enough people and they don’t stay for very long. In fact, as of now, we have in Brentford West ¼ of a sergeant, no PCs and a HMSO. The HMSO I know best – and has been a great asset to the ward since I was elected - has gone off to the wilds of Brentford East, though we have a new one who I’m sure will be good. Not surprising, they have a lot of things they (at management level) have to fix and it was good to have two sessions explaining what is expected to happen. This one was about Hounslow and the other one which happened a few days later, was about the whole West London BCU – which covers Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon. As the Chief Inspector observed, the BCU has a lot more residents than many regional police forces, each of which has a Chief Constable (I don’t think he was angling for a promotion).

Next Zoom on Friday was with the people who run Team Keane, who run the rowing service that runs from Ferry Quays. We were quite alarmed when they appeared, without much warning and some people were very upset. As it turned out, they seem to me to be an important asset to the town. They help a lot of local children to start rowing and they are eager to provide a service to everybody and not keep the rowing activities to people with loadsofmoney. They say they are trying to work with local schools and are making a lot of progress but they need some help/advice/support to take things to the next level. I am researching what we can do to help. I rarely hear any concerns about what they are up to and it’s great to see lots of people out on the river all day.

So now we were around to Saturday, and the first litter pick I had organised for a long time. I had enthusiastic support from all the other Brentford councillors and a good smattering of local people, a council officer etc. Our morning session was on the A4. The first time I did a serious litter pick was there and there’s a part of the A4 where I was sure there would be plenty to get on with It was largely hidden in the shrubs but we picked it all out – everything from sweet wrappers, bottles to a broken wash basin, lovely. I’ll forgive Marina on this occasion for straying on to the bike lane.

In the afternoon we were on the Haverfield estate, by Netley Road shops. The pickings were a lot less abundant down there but Lara’s mate was taking the pics so I got to be in them. It was lovely to have local legend Jim joining us for this session. Mind you he accuses me of being a newcomer because I was not in Chiswick before the war, but I found out he was only born in 1939 so I accused him of being a fraud.

Somebody pointed out to me that it was good to see the pillar at The Mall somebody wrecked, no doubt with a bicycle because they are always to blame, repaired, presumably by the council. But it was pointed out to me a better match of bricks would be more pleasing. It would be better still if someone could find a white plate and an acorn thing to stick on the top as well!

An evening dinner in the always reliable La Rosetta, though a hearing dysfunction meant we had to relocate to a quieter table to allow any communication – ah, being an old codger is sometimes a pain in the ears!

So getting to Monday, it was the start of one of those Lampton weeks. Monday was Lampton Housing, which seems still to be going swimmingly, and they are beginning to find some new opportunities to build in the Lampton fashion, rather than leaving everything to private developers.

Tuesday was Community Services, which is a more problematic one: recycling and Greenspace are going very well but we still have work to do to get Coalo working as we want it to.

Two things in the evening. To start with a licensing panel to do with the pasta/chicken/burgers/Eggquisite (whatever that is?). They are looking for a licence to extend their opening hours to 2am, something that has a lot of resistance from locals and from me. It is where there used to be a Chinese takeaway on Ealing Road, one that I frequented from time to time and being law- abiding I had to park round the corner in Albany. The new visitors are mostly motorbikes – always parked on the double yellow lines and frequently on the hatched area for the zebra crossing a few yards up. This car – picture provided by a helpful resident gave me the best picture which offends against double yellows, the crossing, and anyone with a buggy trying to use the footpath. A triple crown and if you’re Irish you might be upset it didn’t break a couple more to make a Grand Slam. What was decided was some kind of compromise. I’m not very happy but we’ll see if their behaviour improves, as I asked!

Then I caught the last few minutes of a councillors' general meeting. This was about reforming the area forums and I missed most of it, but I think we will have a ‘Greater Brentford’ area forum which will make much more sense to me (and I think our chums in Brentford Voice).

Wednesday was busy, with a call with the Lampton Chairman first thing, then moseying down to Kew Bridge to meet the project manager for the Cycleway construction (from Kew Bridge to Watermans) which is starting any day (possibly today, judging by seeing a Gavigan Paving van and a man with a theodolite or whatever it is squinting down the street). The concerns we all have is that this is supposed to last 6 months. It will be done in a way I’m told will not be too disruptive, but I’m waiting for a plan!

Then we had our quarterly formal meeting with Hounslow Highways which always has its grumpy sections, mainly about weeds and leaves. They tell us they have changed the way and timing of the work so time will tell, and I will be watching like a hawk as the weed season progresses (actually, it has already started in February, and they have some teams out already).

In the afternoon, more Lampton, in this case Leisure. They have done a fantastic job attracting more members and encouraging them to spend more there on coffees, snacks etc but they are still up against colossal inflation and it’s hard to see how they can get the ends to meet. , but the team is excellent so they’ll give it a serious effort.

A busy day ends down in what we used to call Max Factor and now call Studio Flox. It was a wonderful collection of waterpeople, many of them very venerable and a real mine of information on the boats that were there recently, and those that were there back to 1900! Here’s a few of them, but the stories are really fascinating.

Thursday morning, the second session of the police story and then a meeting where I began to hand over my rather theoretical work as the treasurer of Hounslow’s Promise. As is usual with my favourite High Street (not here!) bank they find new ways to frustrate. The card reader, only about a year old, shows ‘low battery’ and won’t work (the one I have from my own bank must be 15 years old and never missed a beat). To speed things up I go to B&Q to get some replacement batteries – there are FOUR of them – but when I get in the thing I find it impossible to take out the old ones so I order a new reader. Daft.

Then I hang around and await a shiny new dishwasher, which is now the pride of my kitchen, That’s a definite sign of being sad, if you get excited by a dishwasher. Next week, if you can stand the excitement, I will tell you if it works.

Councillor Guy Lambert