Update From Councillor Guy Lambert

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The Fox has the best chips ever

All last Thursday was spent hearing employment appeals at the Civic centre. It is obviously quite inappropriate to say anything about the individual cases but suffice to say that the appeals process was very thorough and gave both employees a fair hearing with proceedings lasting about 6 hours.

In the evening it was the special meeting of the Isleworth and Brentford Area Forum held at West Thames College, This meeting was about the action plan on individual issues promoted by local councillors. Mel’s thing is the Gunnersbury Park regeneration which we have talked about before, and proceeds apace and Myra’s about improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities at the A4 junctions, a long-running saga where we think we now have an agreed way forward with TfL. Being the new boy I don’t have a pet project which I think is REALLY UNFAIR and I’m going to sulk.

On Saturday I met a resident who had a fall in Bell Square and wanted me to take up a trip hazard there. So I decided to get a bit of exercise by cycling over to good ole Hounslow to inspect the scene but took a pit stop in the Fox in Hanwell, discovering it has the best chips on planet earth (apart from all the pubs and restaurants in Brentford, obviously) and enjoying, as I always do, the wonderfully tranquil canal towpath in the middle of all this urban development.

On Monday Mel and I (Myra off sunning herself in St Ives) went to see the site of the proposed development of a bus depot, on a site behind the Fountains leisure centre on Capital Interchange Way. Not sure who in the council chooses these romantic road names though it shortens to CIW which if you say it sounds like the developer’s word for Brentford (work it out). People are going to have big reservations about this development because it has a lot of flats (surprise), is fairly high rise and at the moment there is no statement on affordable housing: though the middle of three buildings is earmarked for at least some affordable the developers claim to be still doing their sums. On the other hand it looks to be a genuinely innovative and interesting design, may involve a big improvement to public transport (not counting chickens) and we really need the bus garage to free up the existing site in Commerce Road.

Tuesday an IT session at the Civic centre – we are going to be updated, hurrah -  followed by a ‘wardabout’ with Hounslow Highways where three councillors and about five people in Hi-vis lurk on street corners frightening the children. We covered Layton Road, Brook Lane North, Clements Place, a bit of Challis Road and the A4. These things uncover various issues but more importantly help us councillors to get a handle on how HH works and who to talk to. By contrast, our long-planned meeting with Network Rail/SW trains at Kew Bridge station was cancelled at short notice without explanation or apology, which was pretty irritating even if I wasn’t sure what the meeting was for.

Wednesday I had the delights of a dental appointment followed by a rush to the Civic centre for a meeting with the Council Leader Steve Curran and officials related to the marina development proposed for Watermans Park. Mel and Myra were both in darkest Harrow attending the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee which looks at the NHS across 8 (?) West London Boroughs. Then a quick licensing panel and a slow labour party branch meeting enlivened afterwards by a quick pint or several.

Yesterday was a very full day – up in Victoria 9 to 4 for training on Pension fund management, rush to the Civic centre to learn about wheelie bins whys, wherefores and plans (of which more anon) then a well-earned (at least I think so) evening of putting the world to rights with old neighbours from Chiswick.)

Guy Lambert

October 16, 2015