Details of Hounslow's Budget Hidden in Multiple Pages of Tiny Text
Chiswick Gunnersbury councillor Joanna Biddolph reports back
Councillor Joanna Biddolph
February 21, 2026
The annual budget-setting meeting of the council is always a bit of a scramble, or at least it is for me, writing speeches, dressing up (which we Conservatives generally do) and allowing plenty of time for Piccadilly Line slowdowns to get to Hounslow House for the Mayor’s procession and to sign the attendance register. Last Tuesday was no different, with TfL indicator boards showing no Heathrow tube for 15 minutes putting my arrival as on the dot at best; thankfully, it was a nail-biting error and I arrived with plenty of time.
I usually speak on councillors’ allowances and fees and charges, the former being straightforward, the latter involving peering at tiny print in a long Excel chart spotting discrepancies, hidden hikes and unfairnesses.
On councillors’ allowances, I dusted off the same points I’ve made every year since I was first elected in 2018, adding nuances or updates to reflect current times.
Set-piece points for me are that allowances increase in line with staff pay (even when the people we serve – residents and business ratepayers – are struggling to cope with huge increased costs and have uncertain futures); that no matter how hard we work, some will always resent the fact that we receive anything; and that we must show we are worth it. This year I added a gentle swipe saying that when councillors do little, when they take advantage – doing what residents aren’t allowed to do – voters have every right to object and loudly. Yes, I was referring to a certain blue Lambhorgini and a specific BMW parked in disabled bays without a Blue Badge.
More interesting was, this year, looking at the league table (more peering at tiny text in Excel) of councils’ members’ allowances which reveals that, based on the most recent data (2024-2025) only five of the 32 London councils have members’ allowances higher than here in Hounslow.
- Newham: £15,960
- Lambeth: £15,906
- Camden: £15,692
- Southwark: £13,766
- Brent: £13,637
- Hounslow: £13,048
Spotted anything? Yes, all are Labour councils. The lowest is Kingston-upon-Thames at £9,552.
I also spoke about special responsibility allowances (SRAs) paid for specific councillor roles: cabinet assistant and vice-chairman of an area forum.
It was while I was vice-chairman of the Chiswick Area Forum that made me see exactly what a non-job it is. Promoting the area forum doesn’t involve a lot of work, even if done diligently, and is not worth the £2,859 it was last year. Besides, since then, the council has taken over the responsibility for promoting them leaving us to do even less. The cabinet assistant allowance is, as is widely acknowledged, used for patronage to, as I have put it year after year, shore up the leader’s wobbly majority (a phrase now adopted by other opposition councillors, how flattered am I).
We would spend the money from these non-job SRAs on leaf-clearing or potholes or repairing pavements or other essential core services that residents expect to be delivered and well.
The cost of death
The fees and charges chart has been a problem for me from the start. Although I am pleased that some of my requests for improvement have been adopted, others are still outstanding. With 73 pages to plough through this year, the list is getting longer, the typeface smaller, and transparency is just as unclear. Why isn’t there a column to indicate how much was raised in each category in the most recent year? That would indicate not only the income but also how essential the fee/charge is. Then there’s the jargon, making the list a challenge when it should be crystal clear.
I’m keen to know how much was raised by the £1,000 fine imposed on fly tippers – the problem rogue fly tippers who dump a truckful of waste on our local roads, not residents leaving an envelope next to a full recycling bin (I’ve dealt with half a dozen similar cases in Chiswick Gunnersbury ward) but the information isn’t there. What aren’t we being told?
It did reveal some shocking information about the increased cost of death, or being buried, in Hounslow:
- Cremated remains on Saturdays or in the evening: up 42.8% from £250 to £357
- Cremated remains on Sunday bank holidays: up 42.6% from £312 to £445
- Coffin on Sundays/bank holidays: up 66.7% from £624 to £1,040
- Coffin on Mondays to Saturdays up 42.7% from £499 to £712
- Late service charge or late arrival: up 42.7% from £499 to £712
- Permit to instal a memorial: up 65.1% from £318 to £525
As I said in my comments, increasing these fees by so much, at a time when families are emotionally drained and extremely vulnerable, is exploitative. How were the fees so wrong before, I asked? Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, leader of Hounslow council, chose not to answer my question but to mock me. That is the level of debate we expect: mocking, insulting, ignoring.
Escaping Chiswick for an hour or two
I hadn’t been to the new City Hall since it opened so was very pleased to be invited to the launch of Conservative GLA member Thomas Turrell’s report “LIP service: London’s Crumbling Roads. In other words: potholes. Yes, councillors travel to discuss this most-often raised local problem. The walk from Custom House to Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 (Newham) provided a very different perspective from leafy Chiswick with huge dockside cranes reminding us of this former shipping hub. The sense of big sky openness was very welcome though planes flying low and loud overhead reminded me of the potential impact of a third runway at Heathrow. Thomas Turrell’s proposals would increase funding to councils specifically to fix potholes and we all know how much that is needed here.
Beware the dangerous bridge step
All three of Hounslow’s Chiswick wards are boundary wards. Chiswick Gunnersbury ward’s long northern boundary abuts Ealing. After years of unclear fobbing off, and several months of persistence, an Ealing resident and I unearthed who was responsible for the foot bridge that goes over the tube line between Bridge Street here and Acton Green there. We now have a map. There is no debate. It was tipping it down when I arrived at the Hounslow side to meet another Ealing resident about a damaged step which is dangerous to walk on in daylight on a dry day. It’s not just the missing piece that might make you miss your step; the metal sections beside it are loose and slip and trip hazards. I have reported it for urgent repair. Meanwhile, if you use this bridge, please be careful.
Chiswick Area Forum: Tuesday, 17th March
Labour has been busy cancelling meetings due between now and the election campaign citing lack of business. Lack of business? We have a long agenda of policies and actions residents are concerned about that we would like to discuss. The borough council due on 24th March? Axed. Area forums? Axed. But not ours. We did not agree to it being cancelled. Democracy continues here and there is much to discuss in Chiswick. The agenda includes an update from and chance to put questions to our police team. Theft seems to be increasing – catalytic converters are targets again – and shoplifting is on the rise again. Do join us: Chiswick Town Hall from 6.30pm to browse council stalls with the formal meeting starting at 7.30pm. (NB This is advertised here by me at no extra cost to the council.)
Cllr Joanna Biddolph
joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703446
DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
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
Council Meetings
Chiswick Area Forum
Tuesday 17 March
Normally at Hogarth Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham, W4 4JN, but moveable around Chiswick (please check the website) 6.30 for 7.30pm
Informal Meeting at 6.30pm Formal Meeting commences at 7.30pm
Both meetings are open from 6.30pm allowing residents to meet officers of Hounslow Council in Adult and Child care Social Welfare, Education, Housing and other Services (Residents are encouraged to stay on for the main agenda)
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
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