Forum Topic

Rotten Boroughs Awards 2022

Hounslow has made the Private Eye 'Rotten Boroughs' Awards 2022 - category 'Brass-necked Councillor of the Year'. "One of the reasons Hounslow Labour councillor Puneet Grewal found herself de-selected last April may have been that she had claimed £17,976 in allowances over the year, but managed to attend just one meeting. Nice work while it lasted!"

Vanessa Smith ● 1354d10 Comments

Nothing surprises me any more

Helen Bamberger ● 1354d

"Known for her skilled advocacy, meticulous attention to detail,and sound tactical judgment".

Julian Pavey ● 1354d

It's wonderful how they fling our money amongst themselves!

Basil Finnis ● 1354d

Is Ealing not given a mention? The c^*p council always seems to manage to bus in councillors from another part of the borough when a majority is needed on planning matters or there aren't enough Liberals to support them.

Peter King ● 1354d

Ealing and Hounslow glitterati deserve MBEs for services to property developers, sorry I mean the community.

Basil Finnis ● 1354d

Grewal should be made to return the money and banned for life from local politics.But I can only think she might be at the tip of a very big and old iceberg.Watch them all close ranks quicker than you can say 'That looks a bit dodgy, what they are doing with public money while everyone is struggling to pay their bills'

Keith Iddon ● 1354d

It isn't just Councillors who seem to forget that they are elected and should be working is it?  There are also MPs who swan off on TV forays to the jungle, on overseas jollies for the sake of it, or to give talks for their own benefit.

Philippa Bond ● 1353d

I think we have to assume that everyone in public life is chiselling it in some way or another, Philippa. No  wonder ordinary joes are going out on strike. or writing books on how they got frostbite on their dicks.

Roger Talbot ● 1352d

Had I been chosen as a candidate in the last election I would be requesting all expenses be reviewed and non attendance at council meetings be registered and councillors fined for poor attendance in some way.  Perhaps removal of a months expenses.  Of course many councillors work full time and we would not want to penalise those who do but people in the borough like myself live on less than £17,976 a year so I feel very strongly that if these were personal expenses then it should be investigated no matter who the councillor is.  It may be she was entitled to the money we don't know if the system is not transparent which it is obviously not.

Caroline Carney ● 1351d

Before the advent of set allowances - all councillors had to sign in at meetings, and there were two rates of allowance, one for meeting up to two hours in length, a slightly higher rate if a meeting went on for longer than that. Mileage on official council business if you were a driver was paid, and that had also to be logged with the start of the journey and destination filled in. Fares for other transport used on council business were also paid. All that should be easier now with computer based systems, but turkeys do not vote for Christmas as we all know.

Vanessa Smith ● 1351d