Setting the Record Straight on the Recent Licensing Panel Meeting

As a councillor who has sat on more panels that many of the licensing committee put together in the current term. I’ve fully engaged in the licensing process since I was first elected in 2018. I believe that for both local residents and local businesses, it’s important for everyone to understand the licensing process.

At July’s Borough Council , I spoke to the council’s new Statement of Licensing policy. I stressed that the then chair of the Licensing Committee, a certain Cllr Farhaan Rehman was absent and therefore unable to present his committee’s instrumental report. I reiterated the need for Hounslow, as the third largest licensing authority in London, to provide better guidance for applicants. I’ve also chaired more panels than any other present councillor, so feel I can speak to this topic with some authority.

It was therefore with a lot of disappointment that I read a poorly written and obviously prejudiced article another local news outlet this week following the licensing Sub-Committee meeting on Monday.

As the decision has been published, I can now clarify an array of falsehoods. What struck me most was the reporter in question wasn’t even at the licensing meeting!

I understand that to a lay person, the process is a complicated one. Even as councillors, those in the chair can get confused by the order of play if they haven’t sat on a panel recently.

The meeting was attended by the applicants and three out of the five other bodies who made a representation to the application.

To detail some of the errors I note the below:.

The licence for the flower market is not a renewal. The Car Park outside of the old police station, and the space requested for use by the markets along Chiswick High Road are not permanent street trading locations, so the process is that all street trading licences for those who wish to operate here will be granted under a temporary street trading licence.
The application would not have passed automatically if Cllr Jo Biddolph had not made a representation. Any licensing application that results in representations for or against (and in this case it was an observation, not an objection) mean that a panel would need to be held. Even in a case where all the representations are made to support an application, this would result in a panel, unless those representations were to then withdraw their statements ahead of the convening of the panel.
In this case, a representation was also made by an officer of Hounslow Highways, who are consulted as detailed under agenda item 3 of the licensing panel report (point 4.1).
The plan submitted by the flower market is indicative only, the report states under point 3.1 that “As indicated the application, the stalls will mostly be either 6mx3m or 3mx3m, depending on requirements and size of trader…” and they have stated that they wish to have flexibility on pitch set up within the licenced area.
There were three requests made by the applicants to changes to previous conditions applied to their last licence. They have applied for 13 licences since 2020, and each licence has been subject to different conditions at different points of application. At the last panel hearing for their last licence, the panel chose to remove a variety of conditions that had been established due to Covid-19 social distancing rules which were deemed to be no longer necessary. These changes were applied to their previous licence with a few more introduced as the flower market team had agreed to accept additional conditions that the panel chose to impose to align the conditions of all the markets in this location.
The applicants requested to change three conditions from their existing licence for their new application:

To remove Condition 20 (The applicant must monitor to ensure that stalls are more than 1 metre distance from the benches);
To remove Condition 21 (There must be a minimum of 1 metre distance between each stall);
To include the sale of alcohol within their temporary street trading licence.

To add to this, ward councillors have the ability to make a representation to any application within their ward, and may not always express their personal views, but are empowered to advocate for their constituents who may feel like they are vilified or face retribution for making a representation in their own name. The consultation process is anonymous, but if someone would like to appear at a panel hearing to reiterate their position, then their name and address then become part of the public record. This isn’t something I’ve observed solely with the applications at this location, but for many applications across the whole of the borough.

I fully acknowledge that the licensing process is not straightforward, there are a number of complexities, and when it comes to street trading licences, the additional policy is imperative when making decisions.

For example, under Hounslow’s Street Trading Policy , Street Trading Condition 26 detailed within appendix iii, the application of a temporary street trading licence does not allow for the sale of alcohol, and this is managed under a separate process.

When attending a Licensing panel, members of the Licensing Committee have to balance the council's four licensing objectives, the Licensing Act 2003, other pertinent policy (i.e. the Street Trading Policy) and legislation (e.g. Immigration Act 2016, Equalities Act 2010) and all representations made to ensure that their decisions are unprejudiced and fair. The importance of questioning all parties at the licensing panels to fully investigate their reasoning for their decisions is vital, and as I’ve said before, the granting of a licence is a social contract to ensure we’ve a thriving local economy that works in a way that’s safe and legal.

As such, it’s easy to understand how applicants, members of the public, reporters and indeed some councillors can get things wrong, but it’s a mistake not to correct the misunderstanding of the process and how these decisions are made.

Each time I sit on a licensing Sub-Committee panel, I am often dismayed by the lack of rigour that the Labour group exhibit in conducting this semi-judicial role, and it’s only by taking part in the process that our intensive, mandatory training comes into effect.

Christmas Cheer

The festive season is well and truly upon us, and the carolling tradition in Chiswick is in fine voice. On Thursday I had the pleasure of joining Trustees and members of Chiswick Pier Trust for mince pies and mulled wine before cycling over to the Grove Park Piazza to join the Grove Park Group and singers from St Michael’s Church Elmwood Road for carols and yet more mulled wine and mince pies!

Grove Park Carols

It was lovely to catch up with so many friends and acquaintances, and the singing was phenomenal.

There will be plenty of opportunities to join in with this great British tradition with churches across Chiswick in the run up to Christmas. Be sure to check out the website for your local place of worship.

As we ease (or dive) into Christmas, it can be a tough time for many. I will be hosting my last surgery of the year at Chiswick Library on Saturday 20th December from 9.30-10.30. Please come along if you need any assistance ahead of the Christmas break.

In the meantime, I wish you a fruitful week, a merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Cllr Gabriella Giles

gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk

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

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

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.