Welcoming the First LGBTQ Mayor of Hounslow
Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick
Andy Slaughter with Cllr Ranjit Gill at the Mayor Making ceremony
May 29, 2026
Following the local election on 7th May, Hounslow Council held its annual meeting on 26th May to officially re-elect Cllr Shantanu Rajawat as Leader. Cllr Ranjit Gill was elected as Hounslow Mayor for 2026/27 and is the first LGBTQ Mayor in the borough’s history. He will be taking over from Cllr Amy Croft who has done a brilliant job as the Mayor of Hounslow over the past year.
Hounslow Council has an ambitious manifesto which they will now implement, but the results of them keeping control of the council are based on a solid record of local achievement, good quality local councillors, and excellent leadership from Cllr Rajawat.
I attended celebrations for Eid Al-Adha this week, one of the main festivals for the Muslim Community. This year the celebrations were celebrated across the constituency in Wormholt and Wendell Parks, Wormwood Scrubs and Eel Brook Common. It was a brilliant atmosphere on the day, and I was very honoured to be a part of the celebrations.
Andy Slaughter attending celebrations for Eid Al-Adha
As mentioned last week, Post Office Ltd have now launched their consultation for their new offering for Chiswick Post Office, and I would encourage everyone in Chiswick to respond to consultation by 3 July. If approved, the move to Robert Dyas could happen later in the summer. This is a good outcome which will benefit both businesses and should provide a long-term secure home for Chiswick Post Office. Although there has been talk of a stand-alone Post Office in Chiswick, this plan would not be supported by Post Office Ltd and would be less stable. Now we need to find a similar solution for Hammersmith which also needs a main office and has not had one since WH Smiths closed.
This summer there are a couple of fantastic events celebrating W B Yeats’ life in Bedford Park. On Thursday 18th June there will be a poetry evening with special guest Imtiaz Dharker at St Michael and All Angels. On Sunday 21 st June there is a literary walk starting from Ravenscourt Park tube station and ending near Turnham Green tube station. You can book tickets to both these events through the W B Yeats Bedford Park Art Project.
This weekend I’ll be attending the Big Thames Clean Up and I will be joining volunteers to help clean the foreshore between Chiswick Pier and Hammersmith Bridge. Let’s hope the good weather holds up.
Best wishes,
Andy
andy@andyslaughter.com
P.S. I send a regular email newsletter to residents about local and national issues. If you would like to receive it then please email me at andy@andyslaughter.com, click this link.
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