Category Archives: Council Business

 

Councillor Tony Louki

Since taking a seat from the Conservatives in 2014, I have attentively served as your Labour Party Councillor for the last eight years.  My presence in and around the Ward (our borough’s biggest and greenest) and an honest and well run campaign improved on that result in 2018.  With the continued support of voters, I would be honoured to maintain this role together with Councillor Unsa Chaudri and Mr Aftab Siddiqui.

 

In 2019, I became the 55th Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, a position held for two years in the time of Covid.  Even with that responsibility, I maintained Ward duties and continued to deliver a heavy, councillor’s work caseload.  During, since and as before, I have represented; resolving issues for individuals, families and neighbourhoods.

Since May 2019, and in the face of derision from some quarters, the Labour Councillors here, in Osterley and Spring Grove Ward, have advised, guided, supported and often led residents on how to practically challenge developer proposals which could greatly alter the face of Syon Lane at Tesco and Homebase.  Having sought it, I have been participating at the Planning Public Inquiry since 15 March 2022; presenting on behalf of the three Ward councillors, physically attending to speak for three of the so far nine days.  Aftab Siddiqui also made representations on the first day.

As an active councillor and for the advantage of the Ward, I always encourage partnership between public services, Hounslow Council, Hounslow Highways, West Thames College and the Ward Police Team for example.  Having established the Osterley Sports Network in 2015, I continue to support sustainability and collaboration between the Ward’s numerous sports clubs and providers including Thistleworth Tennis, Wycombe House, Indian Gymkhana and Old Isleworthians.  I want to see facilities thrive, maintained and not threatened or taken over by developers; sharks will often circle and try to pick off those on their own.

I tried a number of ways to sustain Osterley Bowls Club but, with an aging membership, it folded in December 2020.  Lately, I have met with residents and been brokering a proposal with the council, police and the Ward’s Police Safer Neighbourhood Panel to use some of the former bowls club pavilion as a Ward Police touchdown base, separate community use associated with Osterley Library and recreation on the bowling green.

Osterley Library is dear to its 30,000 plus users, it is the Ward’s only Council building north of Great West Road.  Although not blatant this time, Conservatives’ usually put out closure scare stories before every election; I and any other Labour Councillor representing here will never allow this. However, it should be said that, despite twelve years of austerity cuts started by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in 2010 where Hounslow Council has lost more than £400 millions of funding, not one of the borough’s eleven libraries has been closed down.

I did lead the campaign to save the H28 bus route via Wood Lane and have continued to advocate for step free (lift) access at our local stations.  I was proud, as Mayor, to cut the ribbon at Syon Lane Station and proclaimed the new lifts at Osterley Station, commissioned by Labour Mayor Khan after Mayor Livingstone’s proposals were scrapped by Conservative Mayor Johnson.  Since 2015, I have pursued lift installation at Isleworth Station and funding is now allocated by the Department for Transport.  Since 2014, I have called and chaired meetings and made written responses on rail franchises, trains service changes and infrastructure consultations.

I have also pursued cycle access through Isleworth Station Car Park from London Road to St Johns Road with works set to start this year; a safe and convenient detour to avoid the Sainsbury’s junction.  The three Ward Councillors also submitted a response to Transport for London on Cycleway 9, we are in general support of its passing through our part of London Road subject to provisos of honest consultation pedestrian controlled crossings at St Johns Road, maintaining shoppers parking by the two parades and safe bus stops around Isleworth Station and West Thames College.

Since 2014 Councillor Unsa Chaudri and I, have played an active part in reviving the Friends of Jersey Gardens and Friends of Thornbury Park, bidding for and securing resource to make improvements, repair infrastructure, fix and renew equipment and to plant new trees, see here.  Whether intentional or not, the previous non reporting of repairs in parks, on roads or pavements by Conservatives makes it appear that a Labour run council neglects its assets, when all that needs to be done is submit casework.

I regularly walk Osterley and Spring Grove and can honestly say that our Ward is the best kept in the whole borough.  Also encouraging others to do so, I report flytips, litter, A4 subways graffiti, dead trees for replacing, broken paving, potholes and all the rest to Hounslow Highways via https://fms.hounslowhighways.org/.

Whichever way analysed, what your Osterley and Spring Grove Labour councillors work on to improve their residents’ immediate happiness and wellbeing do reflect their party’s ambitions and values.  Whilst proud of my own achievements here, I am delighted with my part in helping to secure those with a big impact too such as rehousing individuals and families as well as supporting policy compliant planning applications in the borough that would deliver homes at proper council rents.

I am also very much aware that, since joining as a kid in 1978 (nine Leaders and counting), I have been formed of the Labour Party.  There are several voters in Osterley and Spring Grove who, possibly as conditioned, would otherwise not choose us.  I do know, though, that because of my and my colleagues’ approach to representative Ward work, people appreciate what they see and what we do in this part of the borough and continue to lend us their vote these past eight years.

Please look at the archive here at www.osterleyspringgrove.org, follow my Twitter account, https://twitter.com/tonylouki or look at the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/councillor.tonylouki  to learn more.

 

Councillor Unsa Chaudri

 

The last two years have been some of the most difficult we in this country will have faced for many years. However, both Hounslow and our community in Osterley and Spring Grove Ward have come together to support and care for those most in need.

I have been fortunate to have been one of your three Councillors during this time, working closely with residents, our community groups, and statutory services to ensure Osterley and Spring Grove is able to thrive once the pandemic is behind us.

I have been active in the local community for over ten years, narrowly missing out in 2014 before helping to secure three Labour seats for the first time ever in 2018 in this now marginal ward where we know that we have to work to earn your vote.

Working closely with Ward colleagues, we have been able to fight for our community, elevating their voice to even national level on matters such as the Tesco/Homebase development. Locally, I challenged and publicly scrutinised the Leader of the Council’s proposal to buy flats off plan from the then yet not even submitted for planning Homebase proposal.

Through regular surgeries and canvassing activity, I have come to know our community intimately and this shows in the hundreds of pieces of casework I have handled for residents from housing challenges, abandoned horses right through to anti-social behaviour and reviewing the licence of the Osterley Park Hotel.

However, being a councillor is not just about addressing problems, it is about finding solutions. I am proud we have managed to deliver step free access at Syon Lane and Osterley stations, I am proud that Jersey Gardens has reclaimed its prestigious green flag and I am proud that we have been able to prioritise pothole and pavement repairs for our roads.

Professionally, I work with local authorities across the country to support them in improving services for residents. I use this experience in Hounslow as firstly a ward councillor and secondly as a Deputy Cabinet Member to ensure our services are constantly developing.

I attended the Green School and until recently was a committed Governor there and at present I am a Governor at Heston Primary School.

My values are also driven by my union background. I am a member of Unison and working as a work place representative and assistant branch secretary, I successfully fought for the rights of library and parks staff here in Hounslow.

In politics though nothing stands still and it is easy for us to rest on our laurels. It is vital that councillors are able to be held to account, and that is why I pledge that if reelected I will:

• Ensure we put pressure on developers to deliver the affordable homes and infrastructure we need in a way that is sensitive to our community
• Campaign for South Western Railways to reverse their cut to services at Isleworth and Syon Lane
• Remain a strong critical friend ensuring Council policy is right for our community and enshrined in our Labour values
• Work with council officers to improve our vital parks and green spaces
• Develop a series of roving surgeries to ensure we are constantly listening to residents who are less engaged in the political process

 

Mr Aftab Siddiqui

 

I have lived in Roxborough Avenue, in Osterley and Spring Grove Ward, for over 15 years with my wife, and three children who attended Marlborough and Green Schools.

Working in the finance and environment sector, I am responsible for developing strategies to help price sources of energy including hydrogen and other environment friendly fuels.  I am an MBA and an MSC and in my free time, I play squash, cricket and write on economic and political issues.  My finance and environment background helps me to being more in-depth knowledge and to better represent residents’ views at the council.

As well as the Labour Party’s wider manifesto for this 2022 council election, my personal, side platform here in the Ward is, simply, the Three Es, Education, Environment and Economics.

I know, from close experience, that we have many families in the borough unable to secure nearby places for their children with special educational needs.  Numerous children have to travel far to get the required education and I will work and campaign to increase local education provision.

We have lovely green spaces and parks; however, we need more.  This will help improve air quality whilst increasing outdoor activities provisions.  I want to foster park usage by raising the standard of facilities available to families.

We have numerous independent shops and businesses in the area and I want to support their owners to run them in a more friendly and peaceful environment, actively attending to anti social behaviour.

 

Published and promoted by Conor Hill on behalf of Labour candidates in the London Borough of Hounslow, all at 367 Chiswick High Road W4 4AG

 

TL 4.5.2022