Shining a (Street) Light on the Role of Cabinet Assistant
Chiswick Riverside councillor Amy Croft reports back
At the NCASC conference with Councillors Chaudhury (cabinet member for Children) and Bath (cabinet member for Health)
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March 1, 2025
Now I realise that we are just over a year away from Council elections and, although not yet an expert, I am certainly learning all about the politics of local politics. I realise there is the game of trying to tarnish the reputation of your opposition (especially when your fiefdom has been infiltrated by a member of the opposing party, albeit by public vote), but I would have hoped in local politics, there would be a degree of integrity or at the least, proper fact checking. Anyway, instead of playing this game, and mudslinging, which I find a little crass, I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain in some detail what my additional role as a cabinet assistant to the Adult Social Care, Public Health and Health Integration portfolio entails.
Firstly, I should explain that part of the role of cabinet assistant is flexible, in the respect that what you will be doing will, to some degree, be determined by the specific cabinet portfolio to which you are attached and the particular skill set of the assistant, so in this regard, I can only speak for my own role. I was selected for the position of cabinet assistant for the year from May 2024 until May 2025, not randomly, but for the experience I bring to the role, and, more importantly, to ensure that for the first time in a number of years, Chiswick has a voice at the cabinet table. The role sits alongside my role as a Councillor but carries additional responsibilities.
Since starting in the post I have been invited to attend in excess of 50 hours’ worth of meetings, specific to the role. I have attended all but 4 of these (to my recollection), I gave my apologies for 2 as work commitments meant I was unable to attend, and for the other 2 I gave my apologies as I was on holiday. The majority of these meetings related to discussions around the budget setting process, and I think that my input in this process has been a valuable one, which I will come back to shortly.
Back in November I accompanied cabinet members and officers to the National Children and Adult Services Conference over 3 days in Liverpool, attending briefings and discussions on the challenges facing Adult Social Care, and innovative solutions that Councils across the Country are taking up to relieve the financial pressures on the system; ensuring that those who need care have easy access to it, and that people who are acting as unpaid carers to family and friends are supported to be able to do so. This helped tremendously in some of my research for another area of my role, which is to prepare ideas for consideration for inclusion into the next manifesto, in the areas covered by the health portfolio.
I have put forward a number of ideas for consideration for inclusion in the next manifesto, to help provide better life quality for residents using innovative solutions which involve minimal to no cost; regardless of whether these proposals do or do not form part of any further manifesto, I will still work towards their implementation moving forward, as I think they have real worth for residents.
The final part of my role as a cabinet assistant this year is to carry out an additional quality review of the progress we have made as a Council on the recommendations given under the recent CQC (Care Quality Commission) report into our social care provision. In my day job, part of my portfolio is to oversee the Quality standards at the institution where I work, and therefore my experience fits well with this aspect of the role. Whilst the CQC report was very positive, giving us an overall rating of good, there were some areas where recommendations were given, and it is the progress on these that I will be reviewing.
On a related note, as many of you will know, a review of the Borough’s Street lighting has been announced as part of the Budget. Available research suggests that dimming streetlights does not impact on levels of crime or fear of crime, and in the majority of cases is not even noticeable. What it does show, however, is that increased lighting in areas where the lighting is poor does have a significant impact, in reducing crime or fear of crime. Part of my input into the budget discussions was to ensure that the review of street lighting would take into account areas where there was poor lighting, leading to crime, or fear of crime. So I would be happy to hear from residents about areas where they feel that the lighting needs to be improved in the area.
Finally Councillor Todd and I, who I sit with on the Trustee Board of Chiswick House and Gardens were thrilled recently to see Cabinet agree to a £400k Community Infrastructure Levy grant to support the Creative Campus development at Chiswick House, a fantastic addition to an already wonderful local attraction and asset.
I hold my surgery on the first Saturday of the month, from 10:30am until 12pm at the St Michael’s Centre in Elmwood Road, Chiswick, and can be contacted on amy.croft@hounslow.gov.uk or 07816 067890.
Cllr Amy Croft
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2025
Council Meetings - Borough Council
- Tuesday25 March - Final Meeting of Council Year
There is public access for these meetings via a direct lift from the ground floor to the Council Meeting Room
6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB
Council Meetings – Overview and Scrutiny Committee
6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB
Council Meetings – Planning
Thursday, 13 February: Planning committee
Important Current Local Issues During weekends, residents can still access council services on-line or via emergency numbers:
To inform the council of an emergency, please call 020 8583 2222
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