Who do the ruling elite of LB Hounslow represent?
One has to doubt that the Council leadership and officers of LB Hounslow have any ability or desire to understand the people of Chiswick and how they wish to live their lives. Time and time again they decide what is best for residents and businesses while claiming to ‘listen” (do you remember Councillor Khan) yet consistently do no such thing and ignore feedback and majority opinion. I understand that a typical example of this took place earlier today when the traders of Devonshire Road met an officer from the traffic department to request that the three weeks of works on the C9 cycleway that require Devonshire Road to be closed, and severely disrupted, be delayed until after Christmas. Now, any sensible person who has a basic understanding of both the retail and hospitality businesses knows that the two months leading up to Christmas are very important for all traders, many of whom are struggling anyway at present due to the cost-of-living crisis and their own energy costs. Hence, you would feel that the request for a delay in the works by our local traders, which they have carefully considered as being justified in terms of protecting fragile trading conditions, would be sympathetically understood by the officers of LB Hounslow. But no, the officer at the meeting, faced by traders who by all accounts were getting rather angry, consistently refused to consider a delay and do you know what a core part of his reasoning was? – to delay the works would confuse the cyclists using Chiswick High Road!! A clear statement about where the Council's priorities lie? Basically, the ruling elite of LB Hounslow, who have been made aware of this emerging problem for many weeks now, continue to display little regard for Chiswick or the people within the area and continue to act with impunity with their self-serving, narrow agendas and without local accountability. The people of Chiswick deserve better.
David Kerr ● 92d57 Comments