The Riverside, Baby Loss, Black History and EV Charging Bays
Chiswick Riverside councillor Gabriella reports back
An autumnal scene with Cllr Gabriella Giles
October 12, 2024
And just like that…autumn is with us, but before you worry too much, I don’t aspire to be a Carrie Bradshaw-esqe writer this week with my blog. As the weather has now turned, it’s now time for the return of woolly jumpers and waxed jackets, and my discussions this month have returned to the Thames.
In September, I was fortunate enough to officially take over the chairmanship of the Thames Landscape Strategy, at an event held beside the flood meadows at Syon House. Sir David Attenborough is one of our patrons, and we were very fortunate to have him attend as our guest of honour as the Strategy celebrated its 30th anniversary. I wrote in my last blog about some of the projects we’re working on, and am really excited to see how these will impact the future of our river and by extension, the whole of London for many years to come.
As part of the event, I was presented with a Shire horse shoe by Sir David. I wish I knew more about this tradition, as every two years the chairman of the Executive Review Board (me) and the chairman of the Community Action Group (Richard Mobbs as pictured below) are given one each. We use shire horses in our conservation work, and so while the horse shoe is a symbol of luck, I think in this case it’s a reminder of the work we are to undertake in our respective roles.
Monday
So back to this week; on Monday I attended a meeting of the Towpath group in Mortlake. This meeting forms part of the Thames Strategy: Kew to Chelsea, and is made up of volunteer groups from across the catchment area. It was interesting to see how many communities form this group along with officers from Richmond and Hammersmith to discuss our routes along both sides of the river. While there are groups from Chiswick that also join this meeting, due to scheduling, I was the sole representative of our side of the river, so have come away with a list of action points!
After the meeting - which ended up being four hours long - I visited a friend who lives round the corner who has been struggling with grief after losing her child during pregnancy last year. I hadn’t realised at the time, but this week (9-15 October) is baby loss awareness week, and despite never having experienced this myself, I have heard the stories of many friends and acquaintances who have. It truly is heartbreaking, and while families can move on, the hope and thoughts of “what if” very rarely disappear. In speaking with many of the women in my life, I have since found out about the work of the charity Sands. It’s a phenomenal organisation who have been supporting bereaved mothers and fathers for over 40 years in the UK.
Tuesday
While Tuesday was not as heavy from a council perspective, I spent the morning on calls for a new professional project before going to spend the afternoon at Hounslow House.
I had a meeting of the Licensing and General Purposes Committee in the evening, and as my phone had been playing up, I had made an appointment to speak to IT about it. Turns out it was due for an upgrade, which is why I was unable to make or receive calls or messages on that phone, so if you’ve tried to contact me recently - this is why!
The evening meeting went smoothly, and it was interesting to observe the comments and body language of the Labour majority in this meeting.
After the meeting, I was able to speak to the council’s Assistant Director Environmental Management, and managed to get more insight in a 15-minute discussion about some outstanding issues than I had in the last two months! One of the topics included the wall at Strand-on-the-Green, where I’m waiting to find out what the council has agreed following a Capital Strategies meeting during the first week of October.
Wednesday
With October being Black History Month, I spent the afternoon at Brentford FC, for the council’s event where they supported this year’s theme of “Reclaiming Narratives”. Following a rather uninspired delivery of a speech by one of the cabinet members who kept on confusing Ghanaian with Guyanan, the founders of the Ghanaian Community Forum hosted a fantastic event where year 10 students from across the borough had been invited to find out more about Black British History.
There were fantastic talks from authors and academics, ranging from the perception of the Afro-Caribbean community in London from the 1950s to the role of Black women in Leeds during the Chapeltown Riots as non-violent activists. The day ended with a mapping history where a team of PhD students from Northeastern University London led an exercise for us to find out more about the historic role of Black people in our local area, and an inspiring talk from the club Ambassador Marcus Gayle.
Thursday
Another day spent discussing river issues. I started off the day speaking with my vice-chairman of the Thames Landscape Strategy, a councillor for Kingston. We discussed many topics, such as the challenge of being a local councillor when trying to run a business, how we engage with our respective local authorities on river issues, and how to execute my vision for the strategy for the next two years. I always find it fascinating to speak with councillors from other areas and other parties as we always find that despite our different perspectives, we often struggle with the same challenges.
I then had a meeting with officers from the TLS to discuss the board papers for the Thames Strategy Partnership, before I ran off to an event held by the Strand on the Green Association for their members. It was great to have a quick chat with the Chairman, and see so many familiar faces. While there is lots to catch up on, I fear this blog might end up being too long!
While many this week in Chiswick were delighted to be able to see the Northern Lights from their bedroom windows, I wish I could say the same. I was at a meeting of the Chiswick Pier Trust after the SOGA event when my phone started buzzing as photos from neighbours showcasing the natural phenomenon started highlighting what I’d missed out on. And while I may have missed out on the natural fireworks, it’s still not too late to book your place for the Fireworks Cruise to Battersea which will set sail from Chiswick Pier on November 3rd. It’s bound to be a fantastic evening, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment.
Friday
I met a resident for coffee on Strand on the Green as she wanted to share her concerns about crime in the area with me ahead of next week’s police ward panel meeting. It was a glorious morning, so getting the opportunity to sit by the river and drink a coffee from Dear Coco, while we spoke about knife crime and personal safety was somewhat of a juxtaposition.
I then went back up to Hounslow House to collect my new phone, and spent the afternoon going through emails and casework.
Coincidentally, there was a meeting of the Heathrow Strategy Board taking place, and as I was planning to leave, Cllr Katherine Dunne invited me to a glass of wine (it was 6pm on a Friday after all!) and taste the delicious canapes, while we caught up. Since August, we’ve been talking about sexism in politics, as it is an issue that isn’t defined by party lines, and are trying to find time for us to work on a project together.
I also took the opportunity to ask her for insight on the Ubitricity lamppost electric vehicle charge points. On Thursday, I’d received the photo below from residents, and while I had asked officers about this on Friday, I knew I wasn’t going to get an explanation soon.
It appears that Katherine and the council are as frustrated by the removal of the charging points as many of us, as this appears to have been done without much consultation with the council. Why they have removed some, but not all, is not clear at this stage, and we have been told that they were removed following routine checks.
The council has since removed some dedicated EV charging bays, which I understand many residents are happy with as it allows for more parking flexibility. When speaking to officers about these bays and the service over the summer, I pointed out that the cost of this service was extremely expensive, and so I’m keen that as part of the council’s tendering process, they take the cost to the consumer (in our case residents) into consideration. I have asked for the costs of defining and removing the bays, so will see if I get a reply there!
All in all, it’s been a bit of a busy week, with a combination of virtual and physical meetings. What I do find somewhat scary is that we’re also now talking about Christmas, which seems early, but not as early as having been out at a club in Ireland in August and them playing Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you”...even her social media channels said that the first of October was too soon for it!
Lots to do, and a busy week next week with a Licensing Panel on Tuesday evening, and the Hounslow Assembly on Wednesday, but I think that’s probably all you’ve got time for today!
Hope you have a great week, and thank you for your attention.
Councillor Gabriella Giles
gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk
07966 270823
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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