Is the Tide Turning on Your Trust in Local Councillors?

Chiswick Riverside councillor Gabriella Giles reports back

Cllr Gabriella Giles

August 9, 2026

In a week that has been dominated by the Gunnersbury Park planning hearing on Thursday, I’m going to have to disappoint you in making no comment on the proceedings. As a member of the licensing committee, there is a chance that I will be called upon to assess any proposed application in the future, and therefore, I wouldn’t want to run the risk of being accused of predetermination by making a public statement at this time.

Aside from that, as a councillor, this summer has been one of the busiest in the nine summers that I have had the privilege to represent Chiswick Riverside. I’m sure that after the elections, you’re all keen to never hear from a politico again, but in a ward that’s now represented by three individuals representing three individual political parties, I’m sorry to say that your lives are about to become a lot more political than you ever thought or wanted them to be.

I’m going to be frank with you, this isn’t what I wanted. I respect the wishes of the electorate and who they wanted to support, but at the same time, I cannot help but question: how is it that a ward goes from being represented by three Conservatives in 2022, changes to being represented by the Greens, Labour and Conservatives in 2026?

Have I failed you that much in the 8 years I’ve been elected to represent you?; That you no longer find faith in a few of the values that I hold dear to my heart - tradition of community, accountability and the freedom to act as we wish provided we don’t harm others?

I’ve a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve, and be open with people, but now, given the political landscape, must I now be more underhanded to prevent those who don’t believe in my values? Ever since the first time I wrote this blog, I’ve written about the importance of not being afraid to ask the so-called obvious questions,

It’s a tricky predicament, I’ve a track record of being open and honest in my blogs to CW4, to share my frustration at the way the London Borough of Hounslow has decided to act unilaterally with no regard for the practical implications, or that the basic questions go unanswered. For the majority of the past six years, these have mainly been around traffic issues - from the so-called South Chiswick Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme to CPZs on Strand-on-the-Green or just poorly maintained streets (e.g. Oxford Road South), but also includes many other topics from the closure of our pubs and most notably the importance of our riverside resilience.

For those of you who don’t know, for the last two years, I’ve been the Chairman of the Thames Landscape Strategy, where we have been part of the Joint Thames Strategy Refresh to execute on the TE2100 Riverside Strategy Approach in conjunction with the Environment Agency. The aim of this is to “empower local communities and authorities to integrate enhanced flood resilience with wider benefits—creating a more vibrant, accessible, and economically robust Thames for future generations.”

We’ve seen increasing water levels at high tides, we’re going to see a change in the way the Thames Barrier is used, and our access to the river and riverside assets will inevitably change, which is why it’s so surprising to me that earlier in the summer, there was such a furore about our riverside seating outside our riverside pubs.

I won’t belabour the point, but it was surprising to see how locations where there had been riverside seating for at least 60 years (and pre-dating the installation of the Thames Barrier), were subject to bureaucratic missives. In the meantime, there is a group of us looking at how the infrastructure of the towpath along Strand-on-the-Green can be maintained for generations to come.

The works along this stretch may seem slow to many, but after over 20 years of neglect by Labour-run Hounslow Council, there is a plan of execution in place. Weed removal has started, painting of railings will be part of the programme, and ensuring the future of this picturesque spot which has been the subject of many a film and TV recording, if not our own memories, has been tantamount to the project board who have been meeting on a monthly basis since 2024. The project board meets on a monthly basis, and there will be a lot of work to do to ensure that not only is the path fully accessible, but the properties are stable enough to deal with our changing environment.

Much like anything in life, the tides come in and give us a chance to breathe, while the outgoing tide leaves us with a raft of flotsam and jetsam. Some of which is useful, much of which is not. The question I ask of you is do you trust your current local councillors to sort through the debris to ascertain what is useful or not?

We could all use our blogs to tell you what we’ve been busy doing in your name, but the question I would like to ask my friends and neighbours is - are you happy that we make these decisions in your name?

Cllr Gabriella Giles

gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk

07966 270823

DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Anyone can attend public meetings of the council. Hounslow House is fully accessible. Hounslow Central tube station is not step-free. The 237 bus stops nearby. Parking in local roads is limited.

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

Overview and Scrutiny Committee : 1 September at 7pm

Audit and Governance Committee : 2 September at 7pm

Planning Committee : 3 September at 7pm

Chiswick Area Forum : 16 September from 6.30pm

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS CONTACT INFO

Chiswick Gunnersbury ward

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

Cllr Vickram Grewal vickram.grewal@hounslow.gov.uk 07904 184099

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

Chiswick Homefields ward

Cllr Michael Denniss Michael.Denniss@hounslow.gov.uk

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

Cllr Linden Grigg Linden.Grigg@hounslow.gov.uk 07779 436258

Chiswick Riverside ward

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