Local Heroes, Tackling Domestic Abuse and the Loss of Post Offices

Chiswick Riverside councillor Peter Thompson reports back

Cllr Peter Thompson

January 13, 2024

Local Heroes

One of the best parts of being a local councillor is that you come across inspirational people who serve their local community. Earlier this year Network Rail announced, out of the blue, their plans to replace the footbridge between Brooks Lane and Chiswick Village. This took us all by surprise since the erection, construction, alteration, or extension of any bridge cannot happen without the approval of the Council and we hadn’t seen any plans! When they arrived we discovered that they were planning a ‘like-for-like’, but higher structure - and with high perforated sheet steel parapets and steep stairs.

Step forward Andrew Ross – local resident and fount of all knowledge on local history. Andrew has galvanised the Council, local residents and Strand on the Green School to back his campaign for a fully accessible bridge. Network Rail has agreed to review the design of the bridge and Andrew is bringing together the main players for an on-site meeting this Monday. Watch this space.

One interesting fact that Andrew passed onto me – four of our roads in Chiswick Riverside are named after the Rev Nevison Loraine, the first vicar of St Paul’s Grove Park and his three children – Geraldine, Ernest and Herbert.

Domestic Abuse Lifeline Payments

At our last Borough Council Councillors were asked to wear a white ribbon to show our support for White Ribbon which is the UK’s leading charity that encourages men and boys to end violence against women and girls. This is vitally important work and the Council, the Violence Against Women and Girls partnership, local strategic boards, including the Police, and local business venues are working hard towards making Hounslow a safer place for all women and girls.

This week the Government announced hundreds of domestic abuse victims will receive lifeline payments, helping them to escape abusive relationships and rebuild their lives. Hundreds of domestic abuse victims who do not have the financial means to leave their abusers will be able to apply for a payment of up to £500 for essential items such as groceries, or support with new accommodation to help them and their children flee safely.

For the first time, victims can also apply for a further one-off payment of up to £2,500 to help secure a safe, independent future, such as putting down a deposit for rental accommodation. This will help them to move forward with their lives and prevent homelessness or pressure to return to abusers because of financial strain. These plans have been welcomed by politicians of all parties and those who work in this area – a welcome reminder that politics doesn’t have to be about conflict and division.

Ofsted and Attendance Hubs

After a welcome break, it was back to school this week. In typical teacher fashion we are all already counting down to the next holiday – 4 weeks in case you are interested. Last term was a particularly long one and my own school experienced the challenges of an Ofsted inspection.

After months of waiting for the dreaded phone call every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the inspectors arrived. Our final report was published this week and all our hard work was reduced to single phrase judgement and a couple of pages of somewhat bland comments.

Longstanding calls to reform Ofsted have intensified since the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Schools need to be inspected and held accountable but the present system does little to improve standards.

Another problem that schools up and down the country face is absenteeism. Data from the Department for Education show that more than one in every five children in England are persistently absent from school, a figure that has doubled since the pandemic. Knowing what an impact poor school attendance has on young people, I was pleased that this week the Government announced that they are doubling the number of attendance hubs across the country to support more schools in driving up attendance and tackling persistent absence, ensuring every child makes the most of their world-class education.

The Government is also advising parents that it’s okay to send a child in with a minor cough or cold, under the tagline, “moments matter, attendance counts”. Many parents no longer see it as a priority to ensure their children attend school daily. They need to realise that poor attendance affects not only academic achievement but also mental health and overall wellbeing.

Post Office Crisis

By the time we make it to Christmas, most teachers are on their knees and some rest is desperately needed. I managed to find time to read a few more Agatha Christie novels and escape into the world of Poirot and Miss Marple. I also watched the wonderful David Suchet as Poirot solved the murder of a new occupant of a flat two floors below his – The Third Floor Flat. The solution rested, in part, on establishing what time the last post was delivered. It was 9 pm! Now such things are before my times but I do remember second deliveries.

This episode and all the shocking headlines about the ordeals faced by our post office branch managers got me thinking about our changing relationship to the Post Office. In my time in Chiswick we have lost sub Post Offices from Sutton Lane, Chiswick High Road and opposite Fountain Leisure Centre. All we have left now is the main office in Heathfield Terrace and the Strand on the Green Post Office which is kept going by our brilliant Mrs Joshi.

Obviously, the market in which the post office network operates has changed beyond recognition. Traditionally, the post office was the place where we posted a letter, paid our utility bills and collected our benefits. All this has changed. The Government’s unprecedented decision to overturn the convictions of those wrongly convicted in the Post Office scandal is to be welcome. The victims must get justice and compensation. The Post Office provides vital services to vulnerable individuals and fosters a sense of belonging and community – we need to sort it out.

Elections Year 2024

More than 1.5 billion people are expected to head to the polls to vote in over 70 countries in 2024. There will be Europe-wide elections for the European parliament. The London mayoral election is to be held on 2 May 2024 to elect the next mayor of London. This will take place with elections to the London Assembly where our very own Cllr Ron Mushiso will be the Conservatives candidate for South West London. Ron understands our community better than most and the challenges residents face and he will make an excellent member of the London Assembly. I am afraid that there will be no escape from politics in 2024!

Cllr Peter Thompson

peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk

07977 395810

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2024

Tuesday, 16 January 2024 at 7:00pm Cabinet 6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB

Thursday, 18 January 2024 at 7:00pm Audit and Governance Committee

Thursday, 15th February 2024 at 7:00pm Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday, 20th February 2024 at 7:00pm Cabinet

Tuesday 27 February 2024 at 7:30pm Borough Council budget-setting meeting

THEN:

Tuesday 26 March 2024 7:30 pm

Tuesday 21 May 2024 7.30pm

(The Annual Statutory General Meeting of the Borough Council)

6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB

Open to the Public

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES

Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the eight 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 (was 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

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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