Awards, Roads and the Next Chiswick Area Forum

If the past four years being a councillor have taught me anything, it’s that there’s never not a busy time for engaged local councillors. Despite being just ten days into the new year, it’s certainly been a busy start to 2026 for Chiswick’s Conservative councillors!

Chiswick’s best ever councillor?

It was a pleasure to be at the Chiswick Calendar party on Wednesday evening to see my colleague in Chiswick Homefields, Cllr John Todd, receive an award for his two decades of service to our area. He was nominated by Abundance’s Karen Leibreich, who gave a fantastic speech touching on John’s many achievements, from his record level of casework to his forensic analysis of Hounslow’s failing Lampton investments.

I am one of the luckiest councillors in London to have had both John and Gerald as mentors over the past few years. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them even after they stand down in May for a well earned retirement, alongside my two new running mates Linden Grigg and Mike Denniss.

Grove Park Fines

I was frustrated to discover that Hounslow Council has once again erroneously issued traffic fines to drivers using Hartington Road and Staveley Road over the Christmas period. This seems to happen every year, with the same hollow “apology for any inconvenience” trotted out.

In 2023, Conservative Councillors were able to successfully overturn these fines. I understand the council will now be writing to anybody issued a fine in error and refunding anybody who has already paid. As always, if you have been fined in error and haven’t yet had your PCN overturned, please do write to me and I’ll be happy to intervene.

Hounslow Council Wins an Award

Hounslow Council is officially an award winning council - unfortunately for the local Labour Party, this accolade is part of Private Eye’s Rotten Boroughs annual roundup of the country’s most scandal-hit local authorities.

Hounslow Council won the “Legal Eagles” award for the behaviour of two senior Labour councillors, who are both lawyers: ex-mayor Raghwinder Siddhu was forced to resign as the councillor in charge of enforcement after his law firm was shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for code of conduct breaches. Meanwhile his colleague, former deputy Mayor Hina Mir, was fined £40,000 after employing an illegal migrant as a nanny - ironically, Cllr Mir’s legal firm specialises in immigration, so can hardly plead ignorance.

The Hounslow Labour Party has been mired in sleaze and scandal over the past few years, but don’t just take my word for it. As local Labour councillor Aftab Siddiqui said in a stinging public letter just before Christmas, the current Labour administration has created a “toxic environment”, comparing our borough to the infamous Tower Hamlets.

Surely, come May’s elections, we can do better than the Hounslow Labour Party?

Staveley Gardens Ice

A number of residents have written to me about the perilous state of pavements in Staveley Gardens after last week’s cold snap. Hounslow Council’s response to icy pavements was poor, but Staveley Gardens is a unique case: technically, roads and pavements in the development are owned by a private company, Grainger, so the council doesn’t have the relevant legal permissions to grit. It’s a similar story with road repairs, where again Grainger is the responsible party.

I’ve been in contact with Grainger for years going back and forth on the topic - they’re happy to sell the roads for a peppercorn, but the public liability insurance for whoever purchases it would be astronomical (as would the cost of the much needed maintenance work).

I raised the issue of icy pavements with the council to see if there was any leeway for future gritting to prevent accidents, and am awaiting a response.

L to R: Linden Grigg, Cllr Ron Mushiso, Cllr Jack Emsley and Cllr Vickram Grewal

Chiswick Area Forum

The Chiswick Area Forum will return to Chiswick Town Hall on Monday 19th January, starting at 7:30pm. As this year’s chair of the Area Forum, I’ve revived the previously long running practice of inviting the leader of the council and the council’s finance officer to give a short presentation and answer questions on the local budget.

For context, a few weeks ago Hounslow Council received an indicative local government settlement. Thankfully we’ve avoided some of the horrors inflicted on councils like Hammersmith and Kensington, where the government has lifted the cap on council tax increases due to how little money they’re able to give those local authorities.

In Hounslow, we will receive an additional £37.9 million next year. This sounds like a good figure, until you consider that our borough’s inflation provision (money put aside to pay for increases in staff pay and contractual inflation) saw a 29% increase last year as a direct result of Rachel Reeves’ national insurance hike. It’s likely the real terms increase in core spending power will be closer to £13 million which, in the context of Hounslow Labour’s projected budget gap of £54.2 million, barely scratches the surface.

You’ll have the chance to ask about this, the continued gambling of our money on the Lampton Group, and the impact it will all have on our council tax and level of services, on Monday 19th January.

Cllr Jack Emsley

jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk

07977 396017

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

Council Meetings

Next Borough Council Not Till March!

Tuesday 10 March 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

There is public access for this meeting via a direct lift from the ground floor to the Council Meeting Room, so come and see your elected representatives in action.

Chiswick Area Forum

Monday 19 January

Main Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham, W4 4JN, 6.30 for 7.30pm

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)

Tuesday 3 February Audit and Governance Committee 7:00 pm

Chiswick Area Forum

17 March 2026

Normally at Hogarth Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham, W4 4JN, but moveable around Chiswick (please check the website) 6.30 for 7.30pm

Informal Meeting at 6.30pm Formal Meeting commences at 7.30pm

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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