Councillor Quits Labour Group Over Evicted Retailers
Guy Lambert had already been suspended for 'uncomradely' comments
Cllr Guy Lambert said his position was 'untenable'
January 3, 2025
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert has quit the Labour group on Hounslow Council after issuing a demand for action to be taken over evicted shop owners.
The traders, who are mainly based on Albany Parade off Brentford High Street, had been assured last August that they would be able to move to new units in Block D of the Brentford Project development. However, at least twelve businesses are reportedly to have been left without premises and many are unsure whether they will continue to be able to continue to operate in the area. Some are having to meet significant extra expense, such as the storage of frozen food products, while being deprived of revenue because their shops have been forced to close.
The row of shops on Albany Parade is scheduled to be demolished as part of the wider redevelopment of Charlton House and Albany House.
The units in the new Brentford Project development remain empty but three retailers in Albany Parade were required to leave their shops this Friday (3 January) including Dedar Singh who runs the Costcutter supermarket.
The traders are threatening to send a bill to the council to get recompense for the cost and lost revenue.
Cllr Lambert had already had the Labour whip removed due to ‘uncomradely’ comments he made in his weekly blog on BrentfordTW8.com about the lack of progress on the Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre.
In the latest edition he published a statement on the issue of the situation with the retailers saying that he was working with residents to put pressure on the council to ‘unblock this as a matter of extreme urgency’, describing efforts thus far as entirely ineffective.
He says the efforts made by him and the businesses to finalise the leases on the new units had been unsuccessful. Initially the shop owners on Albany Parade were informed they had to leave in October to November but were allowed to stay because of the lack of progress but they were told that they had to quit on Friday because the gas and electricity was being turned off. Cllr Lambert says that he, and other local councillors, have requested a timetable for when the businesses will be able to move and an explanation for the delay, but have not been given a response.
He arranged a meeting for Friday and invited the council leader Shantanu Rajawat along with senior council officers, but he declined to attend saying he had previous commitments.
A party was held on Friday with customers of the departing businesses bidding farewell with the owners still unsure if or when they will be able to start trading again.
Cllr Lambert said in his statement, “I am dismayed on behalf of the local businesses who have at least temporarily lost their income. I am dismayed that these allocations seem to have been made with no transparency or democratic overview from local councillors in Brentford West or Syon and Brentford Lock wards. I am dismayed that Brentford town centre is currently deprived of 11 shops that could provide some new life to an emerging redeveloped town centre. I am dismayed that the council, which is under serious financial pressure, is forgoing for many months’ rent and business rates which would be provided by these businesses once they are established in their new premises.”
He continued, “I know making this statement will be unpopular with the local administration, but IMO it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. My position in the Hounslow Labour Group, from which I am already suspended, has become untenable, so I have tendered my resignation from the group, which has been accepted and has brought also a threat that I will be automatically expelled from the Labour party. I have no confirmation that that is correct and in any case, I still support the Labour party and will stay until or unless I am forcibly removed.”
The row comes at an inopportune time for the Labour party in Brentford as they may be facing a by-election in the Syon and Brentford Lock ward due to the failure of Councillor Balraj Sarai to attend any meetings for over six months.
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