Hampton Court Palace to the Proposed Hounslow Budget
Chiswick Riverside councillor Gabriella Giles reports back
Councillor Gabriella Giles receiving her shire-horseshoe from Sir David Attenborough at a ceremony at Syon House, September 2024.
January 31, 2026
It’s not every day that you get to start your week by driving (boo, hiss) through the gates of Hampton Court Palace, so it was a huge honour for me to do just that on Monday as I had the privilege of chairing the annual meeting of the Thames Landscape Strategy.
I’ve written about the work we’ve been doing to help shape the future of London in previous blogs. The impact of the River Thames on our corner of the world should never be forgotten. As I’ve said before:
“London is famous for the River Thames. The reality of it is that if it were not for the River Thames, London wouldn’t be London. It meanders from a trickle in Gloucestershire, intersecting our city which has grown around it, and empties into the sea. Much of the history of our country is told from the riverbanks, and with the treasures found within.”
Since 2024, it has been an immense responsibility to lead the Thames Landscape Strategy on behalf of Hounslow Council.
What? What is that you say? An opposition councillor taking the lead on an external body that is now delivering the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan in conjunction with the Environment Agency (EA) and other pan-London bodies? How did that happen?
Well, quite simply, I turned up to the meetings for six years, while my Labour counterpart simply did not.
For a council that claims to be so keen on becoming net-zero by 2030, the administration has chosen to turn its back (both figuratively and physically - just take a look at recent riverside developments) when it comes to the river and how it can be an instrumental tool in mitigating climate change, ensuring that our local environment is resilient as water becomes a larger part of our daily life.
Therefore, it was great to be able to welcome councillors, community groups, partner organisations such as our hosts Historic Palaces, and employees from the various member organisations including the EA and for the first time in a long time - Hounslow Council!
We learned about tree resilience (English Oak won’t be suitable in London) from Kew Gardens; the Hampton Court Fountain Garden and Tower of London plans to live with changing water needs from Historic Palaces; the EA shared how the future of the Thames Barrier will impact us locally; and before we went into breakout groups, we heard from the Founder of the Environmental and Design Studio on how we can design and retrofit for flood resilience.
While there was a lot of discussion, we are only halfway through the delivery of our project to refresh the Joint Thames Strategies, the next stage will be the most important. Our teams will want to hear from you, and we will be conducting community engagement events across West London in the next couple of months - election restrictions permitting!
From Hampton Court Palace to Hounslow Finances and its proposed Budget
This time of the year is also busy with discussions about the proposed Labour Budget, and while we as the opposition group have received briefings (brief being the operative word here). At the last Chiswick Area Forum, we heard from the Leader of the Council and the Executive Director of Finance and Resources. This was the first time in a long time thanks to our forum Chairman, CouncillorJack Emsley, who also represents the Conservative group on the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This meeting was held on Monday where the main item for discussion was the One Hounslow Financial Strategy Budget Proposals for 26/27. Please check out the meeting on youtube so you can make your mind up on who is serving Hounslow.
For as long as I can remember, the Labour administration has harked on about delivering a “balanced budget”, however, for the last number of years, not only have they had to delve into reserves to ensure their budgets are “balanced” at the start of the year, but also shored up their operational costs by releasing more money during the course of the year. Which leads me to think that this isn’t really balanced, nor achievable.
We’ve been told that a budget is a road map which sets the direction for council priorities, but when you find out that the council is planning to bring in more traffic cameras to fine drivers to the tune of £5 million, you have to wonder if that “aspiration” is rooted in cynicism and an expectation that people will naturally not follow the rules of the road, and therefore deserve to be punished. How that figure has been reached, we do not know, but if that amount isn’t reached (because people are generally good) how will the budget continue to be balanced? Or is this a desire to make Hounslow more of a Big-Brother state?
Our newest candidate for Chiswick Gunnersbury, Councillor Vickram Grewal, wrote this week in the Hounslow Herald about how this proposed budget will impact residents in the borough. He highlighted how proposed cuts to essential services will impact those who most need them, from the increase in Council Tax, to the cuts in the domestic violence service. That’s before highlighting the increase to social housing rents. Just to highlight what this administration has done in this term alone to onecouncil provision:
- 2022/2023: 7% increase
- 2023/2024: 7% increase
- 2024/2025: 7.7% increase
- 2025/2026: 2.7% increase
- 2026/2027: 4.8% increase
This amounts to a cumulative increase of 26.6% over the last term, and with the new proposals bringing that to a 32.7% increase in five years. We know that rents have increased in the private sector too, but for many of those in social housing, they can’t afford to move to the private sector. Speaking with residents last weekend, they simply can’t afford these increases.
While we are living through another cost of living crisis, these proposals seem short-sighted all in the aim of creating a “balanced budget”. What will the council do when residents can’t pay their fines because the cost of other services has already left them broke?
Cllr Gabriella Giles
gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk
07966 270823
DEMOCRACY: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Anyone can attend public meetings of the council. Most meetings take place on the 6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, TW3 3EB. Hounslow House is fully accessible. The nearest tube is Hounslow Central which does not have step-free access. Parking in local roads is limited.
Principal meetings are broadcast live on the Council’s YouTube channel
Council Meetings
Next Borough Council Not Till March!
Tuesday 10 March 7:30 pm Budget Setting Meeting for the Annual Budget 2026/27 (moved from 24 February 2026). Including setting the Council Tax for April 2026 onwards
There is public access for this meeting via a direct lift from the ground floor to the Council Meeting Room, so come and see your elected representatives in action.
Tuesday 3 February Audit and Governance Committee 7:00pm
Chiswick Area Forum
17 March 2026
Normally at Hogarth Hall, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Turnham, W4 4JN, but moveable around Chiswick (please check the website) 6.30 for 7.30pm
Informal Meeting at 6.30pm Formal Meeting commences at 7.30pm
Both meetings are open from 6.30pm allowing residents to meet officers of Hounslow Council in Adult and Child care Social Welfare, Education, Housing and other Services (Residents are encouraged to stay on for the main agenda)
Emergencies
You can report emergencies outside office hours by ringing the council on: 020 8583 2222.
CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES
Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the seven 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 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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