A More Homely and Intimate Bedford Park Festival

Cllr Gerald Mcgregor on issues of concern in Chiswick Homefields ward


Councillor Gerald McGregor represents Chiswick Homefields ward

The Bedford Park Festival

The festival started on Saturday 12 June with a children’s fun day and the opening of the Art Exhibition. This year the exhibition was entitled “Art in a Time of Pandemic” and the works truly reflected the changes in our habits and values during the last few grisly months. As reported earlier the music part of the festival kicked off with well attended socially distanced audiences listening to romantic songs one evening and a lunchtime Elgar Organ Recital a couple of days later. The church, St Michael and All Angels in Bedford Park hosted these events.

Last Sunday the church held two separate renditions of “Mozart with Friends - the Juritz Concert” , with each audience spell bound by the two works played. The group of Judith Busbridge, Adrian Bradbury, and Paul Edmond Davies led by David Juritz received a warm welcome (matching the weather outside) and the applause at the end deservedly prolonged.

The festival is known for show casing talent and asking local residents to talk to an audience. This time Torin Douglas was in the hot seat on Monday talking about his long service at the BBC.

The original church fete that became the Bedford Park Festival was also reprised.

On Saturday 26 June, alongside the Church Flower Festival, the ground around the church hosted a range of stalls and attractions with all proceeds going to charities and the church fund.

The enthusiasm of stallholders was as strong as ever, participants were eager to offer tombola tickets, a champagne raffle, bric a brac and stalls set aside for home made cakes and charity appeals. The reduced scale of things made for a more homely and intimate event and the most noticeable element was the lack of the normal loudspeaker system.

The Tombola cleared a huge amount of prizes
The Tombola cleared a huge amount of prizes

The charity appeals were each supported by volunteers
The charity appeals were each supported by volunteers

The Cake Stall sold out just before closing time
The Cake Stall sold out just before closing time. Now for the hard work…..it’s time to clear away

The range of festival events in the second week is due to climax at the Festival Mass on Sunday 27 June in St Michael's’ Church

On Sunday 27 th Litter and Waste

The Chiswick councillors led by Councillor Ron Mushiso organise a litter picking activity centred on Turnham Green on the last Sunday of each month. It has been very well attended and all the Chiswick wards in Hounslow get a visit. This activity is a regular event at the end of each month assisted by equipment provided by Hounslow Highways and really makes a difference to the visual surroundings. If you would like to assist in the effort please make contact with Councillor Mushiso The meeting point is outside Christ Church Turnham Green on Town Hall Avenue at 2.30pm

On Friday 25th Traffic and Transport

Councillor Sam Hearn (Chairman Traffic and Transport Sub-Committee) and I had the pleasure of a meeting with the Assistant Director in Environmental Services with responsibility for Traffic. The subject was the current status of Covid-19 related schemes (particularly Devonshire Road in Chiswick) and the position of the multitude of policy frameworks and divisions of responsibility between Hounslow and TfL and who precisely is making decisions that threaten the livelihoods of Chiswick traders and limiting progress for businesses, not forgetting to mention that residents, (as pedestrians, cyclists and motorists), are fully aware of the increasing mortality rate for cyclists (it is now 40% greater than this time last year). We are regressing in terms of road safety back to the number of deaths on the roads last seen decades ago.

Future Council Business

The administrations in Ealing and in Hounslow are both having similar problems about implementing democracy and showing that they are accountable in debate and in public questioning at Council Meetings.

The Conservative group of Chiswick Councillors have been active in raising issues, in order to get answers, but the administration replies in a tardy and somewhat cursory manner and officers in both boroughs are often embarrassed by their own administrations.

The recent departure of the Ealing Council Leader has yet to yield an improvement. The increase in the number of allowances for backbenchers in Hounslow, and the overall increase of Senior Responsibility Allowances (backdated to April 2020) has cost council taxpayers £4 each on their council tax. But it keeps the administration muzzled with only a few brave “Speakhearts” to tell the Conservative Group what is actually going on (not a lot apparently)

Leaseholder Property Warning – Something nasty may be going on..

If you are a leaseholder in a property or building managed by Hounslow Housing you are potentially at risk of a change in your circumstances. I am currently dealing with a case where the roof of a building, jointly occupied by tenants and leaseholders (right to buy), has been taken off and will be replaced after a further storey has been added to the property.

This involves construction work turning the building into a construction site for at least a year! but not separating the builders from the residents either horizontally or vertically.

The residents are worried sick about their safety and the level of preparedness that Hounslow Housing has displayed. It also means that leaseholders will find it harder to sell their property.

Professional risk management, safety management and separation principles and Health and Safety at Work guiding principles are all at risk and the use of heavy equipment, the interruption of sleep for key workers on shift work, the safety of walkways underneath the construction, the eventual closure of the residents parking spaces have all led to great anxiety.

If you have any concerns or information about similar proposals in W4 please contact me, or the Shadow Spokesman on Housing, Councillor Michael Denniss. Complete confidentiality is assured

Contacting the Councillor Team

Please continue to contact your local councillor team in Chiswick directly, if you are getting no satisfaction from direct contact with the administration. (details are below)

The Opposition Conservative Party has an absolute certainty that in future we can do better than this.

We make it clear; The only way to properly deliver local government is to listen at all times and learn what people need, and understand residents’ cares, provide moderate and progressive responses and deliver changes not just promises, that are supported and delivered after proper consultation.

Gerald McGregor Councillor

Chiswick Homefields Ward, Leader of the Opposition

London Borough of Hounslow

VIRTUAL DATES FOR YOUR VIRTUAL DIARY  

Meetings are currently taking place virtually and residents can attend online, but this may change later in June/early July. Legislation is awaited to maintain the legality of some council meeting activity.

Currently Scheduled In the rest of June and Early July

29 June 7:30 pm Licensing Panel

5 July 7:00 pm  Cabinet Briefing

6 July 7:30 pm Licensing Panel

8 July 7:00 pm  Planning Committee

13 July 7:00 pm  Overview and Scrutiny Committee

15 July Morning Meeting (Note Start Time) 9:15 am  School Admission Appeals

SURGERIES FOR RESIDENTS TO MEET COUNCILLORS

Face to face surgeries and resident case work meetings are still currently not taking place. When they are reinstated – we hope from Monday 19 July 2021- you will be able to meet a Conservative councillor in Chiswick on Saturdays (Commencing 24 July all being well) at 9.30am in Chiswick Library and in Gunnersbury on the first Saturday of every month at 10.00am at the Gunnersbury Triangle Club. Until then, please contact your ward councillors by email or phone, as listed below.

Chiswick Homefields ward

Cllr Patrick Barr
patrick.barr@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703263

Cllr Gerald McGregor
gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk
07866 784821

Cllr John Todd
john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk
07866 784651

Chiswick Riverside ward

Cllr Michael Denniss
michael.denniss@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703274

Cllr Gabriella Giles
gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk
07966 270823

Cllr Sam Hearn
sam.hearn@hounslow.gov.uk
07833 376222

Turnham Green ward

Cllr Joanna Biddolph
joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703446

Cllr Ranjit Gill
ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 702956

Cllr Ron Mushiso
ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 702887

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June 27, 2021