What a farce!On one side Hounslow Council and Tfl trying to run down the clock to avoid questions with extended presentations about processes and fluff.On the other side, our councillors more interested in grandstanding than asking questions or listening to answers.In the middle, Cllr Todd desperately trying to get people to move on so that we could hear some of the "over 100 resident questions" on LTN and C9.The killer at the start was Tfl & Hounslow triumphantly and smugly announcing that, because some (Tory backed residents) had started a judicial review, they couldn't actually answer any questions on C9 anyway!After a tedious Tfl presentation it was the turn of our councillors.Luckily the video was working, and you could see the total distain and contempt for our councillors on the faces of HBC and Tfl. And you could see why...Cllr Biddolph, wearing what looked like a ribbon of medals (testament to her battles over cherry trees & encouraging us to ignore the 1st lockdown?) harangued Cllr Khan. To his credit he tried to answer the odd question that she did ask but gave up when it became a diatribe.Cllr Gill spoke for the longest but I don’t believe anyone knew what he actually said. But at least he was talking about LTN’s unlike Cllr Dennis or was it Barr who seemed on a different planet. Cllr McGregor didn’t even turn up.Cllr Hearn, so pleased with his Battle of Turnham Green backdrop, looked more like a roundhead than a royalist as he hadn't quite got the hang of aligning the his face with the camera - and we mostly watched his bald patch.However, one super tactic was to ask a purported "resident question" on "what was Tory policy"? This was the excuse for him & each of our councillors to launch into long pointless grandstanding speeches. People with credibility to my mind where Cllr Giles and Cllr Khan who acted like they might listen & care a bit.Sadly, Todd had got unplugged and by the time he managed to get back on-line and to try to get control of the meeting - it was 9.45, (my family had watched 3 episodes of The Crown), and I gave up.I can totally understand the level of contempt and distrust with which each side holds the other. There is no sign that there will be any constructive co-operation to achieve a better result. So Tfl will do what they want and HBC likewise. Our councillors will say what we want but not achieve anything.One thing I did note was that the LTN trial will be reviewed by an "independent consultant" and a decision made. Rumours that it is Michael Robinson would not surprise me. But maybe Mark Frost.. who this month set up an "independent consultancy firm" specialising in traffic management etc called Fern Consulting.....?
Richard Potts ● 2171d