Dear or No Deal, Hounslow Council Appointments Confirmed
Labour councillors present united front to endorse new leadership team
The Labour group used its majority effectively during the meeting. Picture: Hounslow Council
May 27, 2026
Hounslow Council has confirmed a new Cabinet and leadership team following its Annual General Meeting, ending speculation about possible dissent within the Labour group after the party emerged from the local elections with a razor-thin majority of one. All but one Labour councillor attended the meeting, allowing Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat to secure approval for his Cabinet nominations and other key posts within the administration.
The AGM, held on Tuesday 26 May, was the first full council meeting since the elections on 7 May. Cllr Rajawat was re-elected as Leader and confirmed Tom Bruce as Deputy Leader, who will continue to oversee regeneration and economic development. The Leader appointed nine Cabinet members, each responsible for a major service area, and said the administration would focus on improving frontline services, investing in communities and delivering value for money.
He highlighted major projects already in the pipeline, including thousands of new homes at the former MoD site in Feltham and the planned transformation of Brentford Leisure Centre, and emphasised his commitment to working closely with residents across the borough.
The meeting also saw significant changes in civic roles. Former Conservative councillor Ranjit Gill, who defected to Labour last year and now represents Osterley & Spring Grove, was elected Mayor of Hounslow. He chose his niece, a local GP, to be his Mayoress.
The Conservatives’ nominee, newly elected Chiswick Homefields councillor Michael Denniss, failed to get enough votes. Conservative group leader Jack Emsley was absent due to a family bereavement, and outgoing Mayor Amy Croft offered condolences on behalf of the Council.
With Labour’s majority now dependent on full attendance at key votes, attention turned to how Opposition councillors would respond. Behind-the-scenes discussions had fuelled speculation about shifting alliances, but in the end Labour secured the votes it needed, with the three Green councillors largely supporting the administration’s choices. This support proved decisive in several committee appointments, including the election of Green councillor Rick Rowe as vice-chair of the Chiswick Area Forum, where Conservative councillor Ron Mushiso will serve as chair. Cllr Rowe’s appointment came despite a recent altercation during the election campaign involving the father of Conservative councillor Gabriella Giles, who had been the Conservative group’s preferred candidate for the role.
A Green councillor, Jasmine Deol, was also elected vice-chair of the Heston and Cranford Area Forum, a notable shift in an area where Labour once held all twelve council seats but now retains only five. Senior Green councillor Guy Lambert rejected Conservative claims of a “backroom deal”, insisting that no agreement existed and that his colleagues voted independently. He said the Greens would work constructively with councillors of all parties and dismissed suggestions that the prospect of Special Responsibility Allowances had influenced their decisions, adding that he would donate any additional allowance to charity or the Green Party.
The Conservatives accused Labour of clinging to power through an arrangement with the Greens that “does not reflect the change residents voted for”. Deputy Leader Gurpreet Sidhu said the Conservatives were entering the new council term “larger, more united and more determined” than before, while Councillor Giles argued that residents had demanded more visible and responsive representation.
Alongside the Cabinet appointments, the Leader also named several Cabinet Assistants who will support specific policy areas, including work on loneliness, school readiness, waste services and the Council’s Residents’ Welcome Pack.
The new administration will hold its first Cabinet meeting in July, when it is expected to set out its priorities for the next four years. With Labour governing on the narrowest of margins, the political landscape in Hounslow looks set for a far more finely balanced and unpredictable term than in recent years.
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