Proposed Hounslow Council Cabinet Membership Announced
Promotion for Amy Croft but Katherine Dunne ditched
The proposed Hounslow Council Cabinet. Left to right: Lily Bath; Max Mosley; Madeeha Asim; Shantanu Rajawat; Tom Bruce; Samia Choudhary; Amy Croft; Ajmer Grewal; Salman Shaheen; Sue Sampson. Picture: Hounslow Labour Party
May 18, 2026
Cllr Shantanu Rajawat has named his new Cabinet following Labour's narrow victory in the local elections, with portfolios expected to be confirmed later this week. Three new members join a largely familiar line-up, with Chiswick Riverside councillor Amy Croft promoted, while long-serving transport and environment chief Katherine Dunne is out after more than a decade at the top table.
The proposed Cabinet — comprising Cllr Lily Bath, Cllr Max Mosley, Cllr Madeeha Asim, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, Cllr Tom Bruce, Cllr Samia Choudhary, Cllr Amy Croft, Cllr Ajmer Grewal, Cllr Salman Shaheen and Cllr Sue Sampson — is subject to ratification at the full Borough Council meeting on 26 May. The margin for error is slim: just one Labour councillor voting against, or two abstaining or absent, could derail confirmation.
Although no portfolio assignments have been disclosed, Cllr Tom Bruce is expected to continue as Cabinet Member for Assets, Regeneration and Development — a position he has held since last year. Cllr Lily Bath currently holds the Adult Social Care, Public Health and Health Integration brief, while and Cllr Sue Sampson Housing Management and Homelessness. Cllr Ajmer Grewal is expected to remain as Cabinet Member for Residents Support, Communities and Equalities, and Cllr Samia Choudhary to hold on to the Education, Skills and Employment portfolio. Cllr Salman Shaheen who previously had the Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces may takeover Cllr Dunne’s environment portfolio according
The departure of Shivraj Grewal, who lost his seat in the elections after a shock win by the Conservatives in Heston Central, leaves the Infrastructure, Recycling and Transformation brief vacant — one of the portfolios likely to be reallocated to one of the three incoming members.
Joining the cabinet for the first time along with Amy Croft are Max Mosley, who represents Brentford East ward, and Madeeha Asim, representing Feltham West, also take seats at the top table for the first time.
The most politically charged element of the reshuffle is the exclusion of Cllr Katherine Dunne, who had held the environment brief for seven years. Her relationship with Cllr Rajawat had been under strain for some time — he removed her as Deputy Leader two years ago — and she had been widely expected to mount a leadership challenge following Labour's less-than-stellar local election result. In the event, she was taken ill at the crucial meeting and Cllr Rajawat was unanimously re-elected leader unopposed.
Cllr Dunne has since been elected by fellow Labour councillors as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee — a significant role in which she and cross-party backbench colleagues will be able to examine Cabinet decisions and call them in for further scrutiny. Putting a positive gloss on events, she posted on social media: "Good luck and best wishes to Cabinet appointees. After 11 years I'm taking a break from Cabinet and would like to thank backbench colleagues for electing me Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee."
One Labour insider was less diplomatic about the broader picture: "The result in some ways was ideal for Shantanu. He remains in a strong position because even if a councillor has a hissy fit about not getting the role they think is deserved, he has the fall back of an alliance with the Greens or Lib Dems. Katherine out in the cold provides a stark example of how ruthless he is prepared to be."
The reshuffle has not been without its tensions. Brentford TV reported that Cllr Samia Choudhary had threatened to resign the Labour whip if removed from Cabinet, with four allies said to be ready to follow her. Her inclusion in the final list suggests that potential rebellion has been headed off — for now.
There has also been separate speculation that a group of three Labour councillors may be considering defecting to the Conservatives, amid discontent over cabinet appointments and the forthcoming nominations for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Hounslow. On those ceremonial roles, Sahibaa Hussein — sister-in-law of the former 'Lamborghini councillor' Farhaan Rehman — is tipped for Deputy Mayor, while former Chiswick Conservative councillor Ranjit Gill is seen as a likely candidate for Mayor.
The reshuffle also throws a spotlight on the council's Special Responsibility Allowance system. With the new Cabinet appointments, all but five Labour councillors will now receive some form of additional payment on top of their standard councillor allowance — in some cases worth as much as £30,000 per year.
Portfolio assignments are expected to be confirmed towards the end of this week, with the full slate of committee chairs to be announced at the Borough Council meeting on 26 May, where Cllr Rajawat's leadership and the new Cabinet will be formally endorsed.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives, who won 17 seats, hold their own AGM this Monday (18 May) to elect a new group leader, following Peter Thompson's defeat in Chiswick Riverside.
Chiswick Homefields Conservative councillor, Jack Emsley said, "It’s very clear this administration would do well to last 18 months. Clearly there have been very few lessons learned from the borough’s seismic election results. When it all ends in tears, I’m glad there is a hard working group of Conservative councillors ready to step in and steady the ship."
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