Not Exactly Paradise in Boston Manor Park

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Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

August 7, 2025

In the main, these days in a rather small and peaceful ward, with no remaining cabinet responsibility, are a lot less active than I was used to for the first 9 years of my life as a councillor.

At present I have to devote a bit more time to my family because of short term difficulties, but in council/political matters there are a couple of matters taking attention

The first is rather confected by others, and is the matter of the use of Glyphosate in weed management. As I have said many times in different media, I am pretty neutral on the matter of Glyphosate. Before I was in cabinet the council had decided to limit the use of this weedkiller, and cease using it except against nasty imported weeds (they may have come in boats - I'm not sure) such as Japanese Knotweed which are particularly hard to manage buy other methods. To be honest I had never heard of Glyphosate and couldn't even spell it: I started out calling it Glysophate which seemed a more probable word. I discovered I did know it, but it was called Roundup - something I think I had used when I had a garden.

I am not a scientist and am aware - because I was forced to study the matter - that there are two very divergent views. At one extreme are those who say it is responsible (at least in part) for the severe reduction in the number of insects in our air and the consequent shortage of songbirds. It also is quite likely carcinogenic for us humans. Hundreds of scientific studies support this view.

The other extreme say it is either harmless or at least the arguments against it are unproven. It is a very useful chemical and the only way known to man to manage weeds. Hundreds of scientific studies support this view.

As I say, I have no idea who is right, though I am an old cynical socialist so I am suspicious of research which supports the use of this chemical and may (or may not) have been sponsored by the manufacturer. No evidence it has been, but I wonder.

For 6 years in the cabinet I continued with the ban on Glyphosate, though it would have been much easier and popular with most people - especially outside my ecologically committed ward - to use it. Without it, it is hard work and expensive to manage street weeds, and it has got more difficult over the years. Whatever, the council is back using it, prompted by the Friends of Parks and I remain on the fence until the scientists make their collective mind up. I am in no sense a Conservative but in some of my instincts I am conservative and therefore I preferred when on cabinet, and still today, not to risk using it. I am delighted that some streets and individuals in Brentford have committed to do their own weed managing outside their homes, to avoid the use of the poison, and I'm pleased Hounslow Highways have pledged to respect this, though I am sure this is tricky for them to manage.

The second matter is the Festivals recently in Boston Manor Park. That is another kettle of fish altogether.

In my early days as a councillor, I had responsibility for Gunnersbury Park. Gunnersbury Park, a bit like Great Birnam wood in Macbeth removed to Dunsinane, Gunnersbury removed to Chiswick, though no Duncan was harmed in the move. There was a lot of upset about large festivals in Gunnersbury - the upset continues, but no longer my problem 😁 -

But meanwhile a festival called Junction 2 came to Boston Manor Park. People in the area didn't like this, and nor did I as ward councillor but the organisers did make some efforts to support the local community and it was put to me that a) the council needed the fees paid and b) part of my (and the council's) duty was to have our parks used by a diverse set of people.

I remained nervous about this, and my nervousness was justified. The first J2 caused a lot of trouble. The organisers security people did a poor job: there was a lot of ASB including people invading gardens and using them for sleeping and toileting. There was crime including an assault on a copper near BM station. This looked like it might repeat in the second year, but council officers told me to rest my little head - the grown-ups were in charge. I didn't. I made a big fuss and insisted in inclusive planning including local people, ward councillors and enforcement people from the council. The organisers responded: they changed their security company and dramatically increased numbers. they put resources into managing traffic including pedestrians moving to stations, more police engagement, etc.

The second year was sharply improved and by the third or fourth year (my memory is imperfect!) they extended the festival by an extra day, No paying customers but they screened a free Disney film in the park and added a petting zoo and children play areas. It was a lovely day and many many families from nearby were in the park and the weather holding. We all went away very delighted about how it had worked. Then the storm started.

The organisers wanted the stages etc somewhere else fast so they drove lorries and tractors all over the waterlogged fields and the park was horribly damaged, with football unplayable for the whole season.

Then we had the pandemic, so parties were confined to Downing Street, but eventually J2 came back 2 years ago. New people but they seemed to have learned the lessons. Last year and the year before went off with very little trouble - well, virtually nothing came to me - and J2 this year also went without comment apart from some grumbling about parking that the council refused to help with. OK, we can fix that for next year. I was however unhappy about losing the park for an extra week and a second festival, called Paradise in the City.

On Saturday I suddenly got a lot of complaints from residents - something I had not seen for years. I cycled up Boston Manor Road and noticed a lot of taxis ignoring the signs for a drop off point in the university area. They stopped on BMR, blocking the road. There were also coaches blocking the road which residents thought were shuttles from the organisers (wrongly, apparently, private buses). People were upset. I was surprised to see a whole pile of Lime bikes. There were a couple of guys from Lime there trying (and doing a decent job) of managing the people parking (though I was grumpy that a woman on a "chirping" - ie hacked - Lime was reparked with no comment.

I had a go at these lads saying there were agreed places to park Limes and they retorted it was all agreed by the council. I presume that was true, but it illustrated the lousy communication from the council and organisers. I wasn't told, and nor were the people who lived right by this.

I had a chat with a police sergeant - not one I knew - but I was a bit reassured he and quite a few PCs were around. Not much I could do, so I went home (I had family at home anyway so not a day to hang around)

In the morning, I made my excuses to my daughter after breakfast and went up to BMR. The lower part as far as the Manor was fairly clear of rubbish (though the council bins were full) but when I got up to Boston Gardens there was a man in Hi Vis who was doing the litter picking and had come down from the station. You could see where he had been (clear) and where he hadn't (lots of mess). I was pleased with him. I then went up to the station and back down Boston Gardens. The only thing I saw on the Gardens was this.

I decided it was balloons and was annoyed about some children having a messy party. Later, one of the residents remarked that the fashion was to put Laughing gas into a balloon and inhale from that so now I'm sure that was what this is. New on me, but I know I'm a naive youngster who doesn't know which way is up. Mind you, I did know when I was 20 🤣

One of the residents who had been complaining came up with her dog and we had a long conversation. I asked her to send me pics of what went wrong, which she (together with 10 others!) did. She was careful to stress that J2 had not really been a problem. She would prefer it not to happen (or resident concerns taken more seriously) but recognised it was acceptable because a lot of people had fun with it and you have to live and let live.

But she said the people at Paradise were different: arrogant, aggressive, rude. People parked wherever they fancied, including across people's garages so they could not escape. Others parked on BMR causing traffic jams, including in bus stops, all over the Parking zones. People were doing drugs, weeing and worse in people's front gardens. Others penetrated the alleys that run behind the gardens. The festival was also very noisy - worse than J2. The last few years I had barely had a peep about J2. I had more anger at Paradise than I had ever seen. This bus had great trouble getting past the island .

Behind the silver car is the gate to someone's drive. Good job they put up a No Parking sign

I wrote to many council officers and Cabinet members demanding a meeting with them (with one exception they were too busy to visit when the festival was on). This was refused. Officers will deal with it and let me know what they decide. I was, and am, furious about all that, and that will not be the end of it, but my influence in the council is now negligible.

A different litter crew were just exiting Swyncombe - it and The Ride and Clitherow and the Clitherow passage looked OK (despite drugs earlier) and I presume they would deal with the mess down the East side of BMR as they proceeded.

 

In the park it was mostly - but not everywhere - OK. It was done later when I looked.

The other thing I thought lame was the attempt to block the alleys.

That was as professional as any I saw and observed that a 4 year old could overcome the defences, and I think one had already done so!

That's enough about this. My current opinion is that this cannot be repeated next year, or - at least - not until the council has cleared up the big chunk of the park which is pretty much out of bounds - Clitherow's Island. That would be a decent place for a festival - further than homes and which could accommodate maybe 40% of the space needed for the festival, allowing residents to keep most of our park for its real purpose!

Enough - probably far too much but it's off my chest for now.

Not much else happening for me this week, though I had 2 hospitals. Hammersmith (which is not, of course in Hammersmith) for an X-ray. Charing Cross (which is not, of course anywhere near Charing Cross but is in Hammersmith) for my shoulder expert. I've lost some weight which made him a bit more positive about chopping me up, but I said I was planning to lose a lot more and come back to see him at Christmas. I observed I was getting older and wondered if that was a concern but he said shoulder replacement was reserved for the geriatric so I was normal!

One day I met some old work friends of mine in Eton. No pigs heads available. Decent grub and beer and better than decent conversation. I drove because I fouled up the date and was a bit late and parked my car next to this very logical sign

There is one in Brentford that I reported to the then head of traffic before he moved on 5 or 6 years ago. I made the point it was out of date, and this was a time when removing clutter was the current religion. I have reported it several times but can't be bothered to find the old pictures. Any sleuths out there - look towards the river from the bottom of Ealing Road, There is a modest prize (nothing, in fact, beyond my esteem) for the first who reports it. I am thinking it may now qualify as an ancient monument and perhaps we should get it listed.

Saw this drying outside a council flat yesterday .

Don't tell anyone. I may get imprisoned for being a terrorist for promoting this insurrection - women voting - what's next?

Finally, for those who believe in the integrity of the Reform 'party' here's the Deputy Leader.

I expect he's still sharing love on X, but I have deleted it so I can't tell. The lovely Mr Tice has resigned from many of his directorships (he is a man made man, obviously, but with a bit of a help up by being a member of the Sunley Family) and you can trace his history here if you're bored. Amongst many other things his family company owns (or owned) the little island at the bottom of Gunnersbury Park which was a flytip eyesore for decades but now is an electric filling station. One of his directorships that is still there is Enjoyouretirement Limited. I hope he takes the hint, but I doubt he will.

Councillor Guy Lambert

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