Why the Basics Still Matter

Chiswick Gunnersbury councillor Ron Mushiso reports back

Cllr Ron Mushiso

April 11, 2026

There is something quite consistent about the conversations I am having in Chiswick at the moment. Whether I am on the High Road, at a youth club, on the doorstep or speaking to residents by the café at Chiswick House, the themes keep returning to the same point: things are not getting better and people are wanting the basics to work properly again.

Clean streets, safe neighbourhoods, well-maintained public spaces, and a sense that decisions are made transparently and with residents rather than simply announced to them. That’s not wishful thinking. We have been here before. I stood on a manifesto back in 2006 under the leadership of Cllr Peter Thompson that gave the Conservatives, control of the council.

Basics still matter. And increasingly, in a period where national politics feels fragmented and unpredictable, it is local delivery that people judge most directly.

Since becoming the Conservative Councillor for Chiswick Gunnersbury, I have seen time and again that the strongest improvements in our area come not from grand plans, but from practical, local problem-solving.

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is a good example. In parts of the ward, particularly around flats above shops, waste had become a persistent issue. Working with residents and officers, we were able to introduce additional bin provision on the corner of Prince’s Avenue in the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate. It was a simple change, but one that helped tackle a long-standing dumping hotspot and improved the immediate environment.

The Living Wall

Similarly, the living wall locally known as the Chiswick Oasis outside St Mary’s Primary School came out of a genuinely collaborative process. It brought together residents, the school community, council officers and the Mayor of London. Whatever one’s politics, it showed what can be achieved when there is a shared commitment to improving local spaces rather than arguing over ownership of ideas.

Second Hand Laptop Donation

During the pandemic, that same spirit of community came through even more clearly. When schools moved online, it quickly became obvious that access to devices was not equal across the borough. In response, Chiswick residents led an extraordinary laptop donation drive. Over a thousand devices were donated, refurbished and redistributed to families who needed them. We then came around the second when the war in Ukraine broke out and people offered their homes to those refugees. We saw that their children also needed a device for learning online.

It was not a council initiative; it was a community response to a sudden national challenge. And it worked because people acted quickly, practically, and without waiting for those perfect conditions.

Chiswick Litter Pick

Chiswick litter picking, which began shortly after I was first elected in 2018, followed a similar principle. It was designed to give young people a way to contribute locally, to take ownership of their environment, and to build pride in their streets beyond formal school or sport settings. Many of those young people still take part today.

Chiswick Markets

More recently, local markets have continued to play an important role in bringing life back into the High Road. The Cheese and Flower Market in particular has helped re-establish Chiswick as a destination rather than just a through-route. I often volunteer by helping deliver flowers to residents as part of that initiative, encouraging people to support local traders while receiving something that connects them directly to the community around them.

These are small things in isolation, I know. But together they shape how a place feels.

Volunteering at Chiswick Flower Market

Gunnersbury Park – some progress made, but questions remain

A few weeks back, I attended the licensing review hearing for Gunnersbury Park alongside Cllr Vikram Grewal and Cllr Joanna Biddolph.

It was a detailed and at times lengthy process, reflecting the strength of feeling among residents who had raised concerns ahead the renewal of the licence.

The panel has now introduced a series of new conditions relating to noise monitoring, waste management, drug prevention measures, and communication with residents.

On paper, these are meaningful improvements; yes, however, it would be wrong to suggest that the matter is settled.

We remain concerned about the scale and frequency of large-scale music events, and whether the balance between the use of the park for events and the impact on the health and wellbeing of residents living in proximity to the park, has been properly struck.

What emerged quite clearly is that this was not simply a technical licensing issue. It was about how public space should be used, and how the impact of that use is experienced by those living closest to it.

The key question now is not what has been written into the licence, but how effectively those conditions are implemented and enforced. That will require ongoing scrutiny, particularly as we move into the busy summer period.

Residents are entitled to expect not just assurances, but accountability from the governing administration. For the last 16 years that administration has been Labour.

Cllrs Vickram Grewal, Ron Mushiso, Joanna Biddolph

What people are saying to us in Chiswick

This week also provided a more personal reminder of what makes Chiswick feel like a community rather than just a collection of issues that we have to address.

I spent time walking through Chiswick House and Gardens with my dad, my sister and my niece. It is something I do not manage often enough, but it was a valuable reminder of how important these shared spaces are.

In moments like that, you see Chiswick differently. Not through casework or council papers, but as a place where people live their lives, where families meet, where children play, and where routines quietly repeat themselves.

While out in the area, I also spoke to several local business owners in the hospitality sector on Devonshire Road and the High Road. A recurring theme was the pressure being felt by the rising costs on businesses, reduced margins, and the challenge of recruiting staff in a changing retail environment.

I spoke residents who also raised concerns about crime, particularly shoplifting, and the feeling that enforcement is not always visible enough to deter repeat offending.

One resident spoke specifically about repeated incidents in a local store and the frustration of seeing familiar problems persist despite reporting them.

On a more positive note, I was also approached by a lady who recognised me from my previous work following up a theft at Boots on the High Road. It was a reminder that while many issues feel systemic, local follow-through still matters to people.

With family at Chiswick House Gardens

What residents asking for in Chiswick?

Across all of these conversations whether about parks, businesses, markets, waste, crime, or planning, there is a consistent underlying message.

People are not asking for perfection. They are asking for reliability and accountability. They want services that work consistently rather than intermittently. They want decisions that are explained clearly rather than felt after the fact. And they want to feel that their local area is being proactively managed rather than passively administered from the Labour leadership in Hounslow.

In a political environment where national support is increasingly fragmented and voters are less tied to traditional loyalties; those basic expectations matter more than ever. We are seeing in polls across the country, that people are not simply voting for parties anymore. Increasingly, they are judging performance at a very local level: does this area feel well run, or does it feel like things are drifting?

As ever, the task is to listen closely and act where possible. Residents were sold the “triple offer” of a Labour Council, a Labour Mayor, and a Labour Government. What they got instead feels more like a triple blow: more scandals, more disorder, and higher taxes. Even D:Ream might struggle to insist “things are getting better”, because for many, they plainly are not.

Cllr Ron Mushiso 

ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 

07976 702887

Candidates for the Local Elections

DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Council Meeting – Next Borough Council Not Till

26 May 2026 7:30 pm  – The Annual Meeting of the Council !!!!!!

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

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