Wilton Avenue, Borough Council Meeting and Unfair 'Flytipping' Fines

Chiswick Homefields councillor John Todd reports back

Cllr John Todd

November 22, 2025

Wilton Avenue Ashbourne Grove garage conversion to housing

LBH Planning file 00354/C/P1 and P/2021/24 give approval to this garage conversion scheme.

The developer acting for LBH has submitted an amended scheme reference P/2025/1614 which some residents believe restricts public access to part of the amended site.

Objectors are horrified how this scheme, passed at Planning Committee with local agreement, can now be so radically altered in size. An additional 3 properties (6 to 9 units) and unclearly specified site extensions and use of a public footway.

Locals have led a determined campaign to alert adjacent residents. They’ve clinically scrutinised the amended plans and have challenged the developers use of legislation to amend their plans as being out of time.

Planning rules and legislation is a complex area. A horrendous task for a local to challenge. Developers have lawyers and PR experts. I would like to see our LBH Architects advisory group be asked if they will assist these bona fide challengers

Borough Council 25th November 2025. Our challenges

Lots of speculation as to how many Labour councillors will attending. We welcome Cllr Vickram Grewal. A number have not been reselected to stand at next Mays election. The selection process was conducted by Cllrs from other Boroughs

Labour motions include asking members to note the recent C2 judgement of the Regulator of Social Housing. Selective quotations highlight the positive aspects.

We’ve read the whole document which mentions ‘some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed’

‘weaknesses were specifically identified in safety and quality standards of our housing stock’

‘improvement is needed in the transparency influence and accountability standard’

‘weaknesses were specifically identified with he completion of overdue fire, water and electrical remedial actions.

Councillors case work is dominated with tenant dissatisfaction.

Over LBH 200 homes have been unoccupied for over 2 years. No affordable home has been built during 2025. Six thousand names are on the housing list.

Our motion seeks greater accountability, oversight performance data, cash flow projections and governance in respect of the Lampton Group of LBH owned companies.

Lampton’s loans now total £230k. To allow them to continue trading we’ve underwritten their liabilities. Additional loans were given to allow them to trade The assets used as collateral are houses and flats which we believe are of inadequate value to secure the loan liability.

A local Corporate Lawyer horrified about what he read about Lampton has made two submissions to our Director of Finance challenging the related valuation figures shown in the draft accounts. He believes that one or more Lampton companies are insolvent . Our auditors are aware.

From November 2023 the Leader set up a Shareholder Group to exercise oversight. Their’s no evidence that their style of oversight is succeeding.

No performance data is ever produced apart from failed projections

Consistently budget projections fail and trading losses continue. Losses are currently circa £15m.

Since inception in 2013 not one of he companies have paid a dividend.

We hope our intervention will initiate action to cap this significant risk and loss of Council tax payers

Land Registry Fraud prevention

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 143 cases of conveyancing fraud were reported to Action Fraud, resulting in £11.7 million in losses. The vast majority involved residential property transactions, accounting for 140 reports and £10.97 million in losses, with an average loss of £78,393 per case.

Fraudsters prey on this vulnerability, striking when urgency and trust are at their highest. The emotional toll is compounded by the financial loss, leaving victims not only out of pocket, but also without the home they believed they were about to secure.

Prevention Land Registry Alert scheme

HM Land Registry’s Property Alert is a monitoring service aimed at anyone who feels a registered property could be at risk from fraud or if you would just like to be alerted when activity occurs.

Once you have signed up to the service, you will receive email alerts when certain activity occurs on your monitored properties, allowing you to take action if necessary.

Your property must be registered in England or Wales to use this service.

Hounslow Conservatives condemn Council’s “excessive and unjust” £1,000 fines for minor waste mistakes

My colleague issued the following. Excellent research and a balanced conclusion. I’m delighted to learn that the lady fined has had her PCN cancelled’

Local Conservative councillors are challenging Hounslow Council’s tougher and less fair approach to enforcing environmental rules. The Council has fined residents £1,000 for leaving just one small household item, even when the bins were already full.

The story gained national attention when Loretta Alvarez, a single mother from Feltham, was fined £1,000 for leaving a cardboard envelope next to overflowing communal bins. Photos showed that most of the waste was not hers, but the Council still made her pay the fine.

Cllr Peter Thompson, Conservative Group Leader, said, “No reasonable person believes a cardboard envelope placed next to a full bin is ‘fly-tipping’. This is not common-sense enforcement. It is over the top and risks criminalising residents for mistakes caused by poor waste management provision.”

“Government guidance is crystal clear: these powers must not be used to raise money. Fines should deter genuine offenders, not penalise people who are simply trying to dispose of their waste responsibly.”

In April 2025, the Government increased the maximum fly-tipping Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) to £1,000. Councils can charge this amount, but DEFRA says penalties should be fair and not used to generate income. Many local councils set different penalty levels and offer early payment discounts to distinguish between real fly-tipping and simple household mistakes.

Neighbouring Hammersmith & Fulham provides a clear and balanced model:

• £1,000 FPN (reduced to £500 if paid within 10 days) – reserved for true fly-tipping, such as mattresses, white goods, bulky items or construction waste.
• £250 FPN (reduced to £200) – used where normal domestic waste is put out incorrectly (e.g., a single bag or small household item left out at the wrong time).

This approach ensures enforcement targets actual fly-tippers and does not unfairly pressure residents.

Hounslow has taken a stricter approach than nearby councils by issuing the full £1,000 fine with no early payment option, even for small, one-time mistakes. This falls short of government expectations and raises questions about fairness and whether enforcement is mainly about collecting money.

Government guidance contradicts Hounslow’s approach

DEFRA and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are explicit:

• Enforcement powers must not be used primarily to raise revenue.
• FPNs must only be issued where there is enough evidence to prosecute if the fine isn’t paid.
• Minor or accidental breaches should be dealt with via education or warnings, not £1,000 fines.
• One or two small items do not meet the threshold for fly-tipping.
• Household waste errors (e.g., placing rubbish near one’s own bin when full) fall under Section 46, which requires a written warning first, not an immediate penalty.

A growing pattern of excessive enforcement

Residents across the borough are reporting more cases like these:

• Fines issued for extremely small items
• FPNs given even when bins were already full
• No clear difference between littering, fly-tipping, and household waste rules
• No warnings given for first-time mistakes

Cllr Thompson added,“Instead of focusing on those who dump sofas, builders’ waste or commercial rubbish, the Council is hammering ordinary residents with the highest penalty available. This is not what environmental enforcement is meant to achieve.”

Hounslow Conservatives are calling for urgent action.

We are urging the Cabinet Member for Community Safety to:

• Suspend the use of £1,000 FPNs for minor incidents pending a full review.
• Publish clear, transparent enforcement guidance for residents and officers.
• Introduce a tiered, proportionate system similar to Hammersmith & Fulham.

“Residents deserve fairness, not fear,” said Cllr Thompson.

“A single envelope should never lead to a £1,000 fine and the threat of criminal prosecution. Hounslow urgently needs a common-sense enforcement policy.”

Leaves everywhere! Where’s that jumbo Hoover we bought?

Beverley Road is overwhelmed with leaves. Their wet and highly dangerous to walk on.

I’ve failed in endeavouring to get them cleared. Same issue every rear.

I’ll keep trying.

Cllr John Todd

john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk

07866 784651

DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Anyone can attend public meetings of the council. Most meetings take place on the 6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, TW3 3EB. Hounslow House is fully accessible. The nearest tube is Hounslow Central which does not have step-free access. Parking in local roads is limited.

Principal meetings are broadcast live on the Council’s YouTube channel

25 November: Borough Council at 7.30pm - Including the first call on the Medium Term Financial Report for the Annual Budget 2026/27

Tuesday 3 February 2026 Audit and Governance Committee  7:00 pm

Tuesday 10 March 2026 7:30 pm Budget Setting Meeting for the Annual Budget 2026/27 (moved from 24 February 2026). Including setting the Council Tax for April 2026 onwards

Chiswick Area Forum

• Monday 17 March 2026 6.30 for 7.30pm

Normally at Hogarth Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham, W4 4JN, but moveable around Chiswick (please check the website)

Informal Meeting at 6.30pm. Formal Meeting commences at 7.30pm

Both meetings are open from 6.30pm allowing residents to meet officers of Hounslow Council in Adult and Child care Social Welfare, Education, Housing and other Services

(Residents are encouraged to stay on for the main agenda)

Emergencies

You can report emergencies outside office hours by ringing the council on: 020 8583 2222.

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES

Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the seven Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn).

Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery). 

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS

Chiswick Gunnersbury ward

Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446

Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887

Chiswick Homefields ward

Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017

Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821

Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651

Chiswick Riverside ward

Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823

Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810  

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