How to Access Support in Adult Social Care in Hounslow

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Chiswick Homefields councillor Gerald McGregor reports back

Cllr Gerald McGregor

April 12, 2025

6th April is an auspicious date for individuals but not for government or local authorities where 1st April (no jokes please) is the key date and the start of the finance year. Hounslow Council with its massive Labour majority has started the year with “Ambitious plans for the future”, but without the wherewithal to carry their many supposed plans to fruition.

The local propaganda sheet “Hounslow Matters” pretends to have four pages about the budget set for this year. Unfortunately, the only concrete news is about the removal of financial support to large numbers of council tax payers under the Council Tax Support scheme; many of whom remain anxious about outcomes and which is a body blow to living standards. The Council is creating a hardship fund, but to date no details are available!

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN HOUNSLOW

I take my hats off to the accounting team of treasury, finance and management professionals who are providing a very high continuing level of service and support. The finance team, plus our Hounslow outsourced specialist partners, are all describing the general level of funding and financial management of resources as challenging. This is due to the economy generally being subject to buffeting financial and fiscal headwinds that lie beyond their control. The recent February figures for GDP are encouraging but the main headwinds, caused by disruptive economic messages from America, are not promising.

Hounslow, with one of the most cost-efficient social care departments in England is attempting to meet rising demand by better use of information, providing control of cases and rigid adherence to standards of increased delivery.

RISING LOCAL CONCERNS ABOUT HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE IN THE FUTURE

Hounslow works with a variety of partner authorities in education, health and dealing with mental health and social deprivation. These areas often create a long-term care concern. Hounslow works hard to achieve positive results for residents in the borough over prolonged periods of engagement and has a recognised commitment to excellence.

Your Councillors in Chiswick find that their regular Saturday surgeries are being visited more and more frequently by residents with social care issues, not always for themselves, but for close relatives, children, parents, siblings etc who need support. The main subject for this week is “how to access such support” in adult social care.

HOW DO YOU ACCESS ADULT SOCIAL CARE IN HOUNSLOW

If you come across an incident or are concerned about abuse or neglect affecting an adult in Hounslow, you should report a safeguarding concern. 

Hounslow offer support to adults in Hounslow who have social care needs. This might mean:

• providing information and advice
• providing direct services, depending on eligibility
• pointing you to other organisations that can help

WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED TO APPROACH SOCIAL CARE IN HOUNSLOW

There are many circumstances where you might approach Hounslow and this is often done via your GP or other health professional

They might include:

• having difficulty with everyday tasks such as preparing meals, washing and dressing because of:
• age
• illness
• disability (physical or mental)
• needing support because of a learning disability or autism
• needing support after a hospital discharge or being diagnosed with a serious illness
• finding it difficult to use and move around your home
• being worried about your mental health
• feeling isolated and needed to get our more and be more active
• feeling unsafe because of being neglected, abused or exploited
• caring for a family member or friend and finding it difficult
• transitioning from children's services to adult social care

Details can be found via the Hounslow Borough website.

THE CARE ACT 2014 AND HOW IT PROTECTS YOU

This legislation aims to make care and support more consistent across England and Wales. It outlines:

• how local authorities should carry out needs assessments and carer's assessments
• the eligibility criteria for care and support
• how local authorities should charge for:
• residential care
• care in the home

You can read more about the Care Act on the GOV.UK website.

My personal ongoing casework in Chiswick frequently involves cases of social deprivation often through poor housing, educational difficulties and planning transition from child to adult care provision.

SURGERIES and CASE WORK

I had the pleasure of doing two recent surgeries at Chiswick Library. The case work and main concerns were accompanied by complaints about rising prices, rising council tax bills, failures to do council property repairs and maintenance (common across Homefields) and the state of the local built environment and inability to contact the council to discuss anything with officers (working from home perhaps).

My current casework portfolio includes a number of Statement of Educational Need (SEN) and Education and Health Care cases. The nature of these cases which I deal with (vulnerable children and adolescents) are highly confidential and go directly to the council department without reference to the case work system. So, there is detailed support required and a great deal of background work delivering that support. My colleagues, Cllr Jack Emsley and Cllr John Todd in Homefield Ward, never cease to amaze me by their diligence and ability to get results from these and other cases.

HOUNSLOW HOUSING

Hounslow holds too many individual houses across Homefields, Gunnersbury Park and Riverside wards in Chiswick, often acquired as part of road schemes and historic purchases more than 60 years ago. These individual houses are an anachronism because they lack any standard fittings such as heating boilers, kitchen and bathroom taps and electrical systems. This and their individual layouts make repair and maintenance very expensive and consequently a huge cost burden against the Housing Revenue account. The failures of maintenance can be a serious breakdown in services that lead to barely habitable accommodation.

The solution would be to sell these individual properties on the open market for others to repair and improve (particularly first-time buyers), and then use the proceeds to form the capital investment fund needed for higher quality public housing that reflects modern standards and current housing needs.

CASE WORK INCREASES AND BOROUGH COUNCIL REDUCTIONS

The case work carried by your local councillors is often a reflection of the poor political management, poor leadership and worse a poor financial policy now common in Hounslow and regrettably very common in other labour controlled local authorities in England and Wales. This is why the Conservative Group and your three local Homefields councillors always take a lead in discussing finance and budget at the Borough Council meetings, of which there are fewer and fewer. The Borough Council in 2025/6 now meets 6 times a year (down from 13 since 2010).

THE CONSEQUENCES OF DEMOCRATIC NORMS NOT BEING ADHERED TO

This lack of democratic control is a result of a series of constitutional changes.

The lack of discussion at the meetings that are actually held has created tensions in the membership of the council administration. Three prominent new independent councillors who were formally senior Labour cabinet spokesmen have left or been forced out of their group. This is symptomatic of a lack of respect for those who challenge the block vote and it also creates questions about those who speak truth to authority.

Where is the scrutiny in Hounslow Council?

Where is the audit commitment to good governance and listening to independent third-party advice and support?

QED

Cllr Gerald McGregor

gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk

07866 784821

 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2025

Anyone can attend public meetings of the council at Hounslow House which is fully accessible. Most meetings take place on the 6th floor of Hounslow House which is at 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB.

15th April: 7:00pm: Cabinet

Council Meetings - Borough Council

• 27 May 2025 7:30 pm  - Annual Meeting of the Council 
• 22 Jul 2025 7:30 pm

There is public access for these meetings via a direct lift from the ground floor to the Council Meeting Room

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

Council Meetings – Overview and Scrutiny Committee

• 7 May 2025 7:00 pm

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

Council Meetings – Audit and Governance Committee

• 15 Jul 2025 7.00pm
• 4 Nov 2025 7:00 pm

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

EASTER HOLIDAY SUPPORT

Important Current Local Issues

During weekends and regular Public Holidays, residents can still access council services on-line or via emergency numbers:

To inform the council of an emergency, please call 020 8583 2222

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 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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