Blog 529 21st May 2026

Well I am rather busy being half on holiday so less real action than normal. In terms of action around the ward - not much, though I did attend a meeting at the University with the unfortunate residents and leaseholders at Holly House.

I was pleased to see 4 representatives of the recently-appointed builder and generally I thought they presented helpfully. They also say they have 2 of their people on site most of the time, and their plan to actually finish the job were reasonably reassuring. That ha salways been my priority, because the years this place has been in limbo leaves everybody disadvantaged, to put it politely. Planned to call in with the people on site but haven't done that yet. Also must talk to some of the residents who don't come to the meetings, probably ebcause they have lost hope!

At the meeting was the latest victim of unjustified heavy fines for not fly tipping. That's about the 8th case I have picked up. All of them were outrageously inappropriate and most (maybe all) have been cancelled. No doubt the administration will carry on boasting about how tough they are despite there is no evidence it has any positive effect. I have of course raised a case about this. Council officers will waste time coming up with a response and do doubt we will finally cancel the ticket, at a cost of wasted effort by the council and severe personal impact on the victim, but the council leaders can think of themselves as John Wayne (or perhaps Vinny Jones or Pete Hegseth).

On Friday evening I was treated to a genteel celebratory meal by my campaign partner Rashid. He bought me a really good Indian meal at Anima. I have always been slightly confused about what Anima is about so have not previously eaten there since the days of Poppadums. It was very quiet but I thought the food was excellent, as was the atmosphere. I allowed Rashid to choose all the food (other than saying no fish, which I am not keen on). A bit risky for someone like me who is a bit picky, but it turned out perfectly! Try it. You will be pleasantly surprised, I reckon.

Coming out I observed Dan Bowring's bike, and looking beyond the end of my nose I espied the cabinet with a few hangers-on feasting at Galata Pera, the Turkish restaurant. It is the only one that has survived throughout nearly all my dozen years living in this complex, though when I was first here it was the remnants of Copacabana night club, already closed. The Duke talks of the Brentford Riviera, which I see as a bit daft, but after all it is a successor to Rio.

Well, this week has actually mainly been about restaurants, with a bit of councilloring and a bit of politics tucked into the margins. Once I hosted friends and family at Sam's Riverside: the food is excellent as is the service but a rare treat for me. Once at Moisei - the Ukrainian place in the old Fire Station. Pleasant enough but we were the only customers - I reckon mainly for Ukrainians having a night out with their fellow-citizens. Delighted to welcome them in Brentford.

I wanted to go in our new Georgian place but my pal thought it didn't have enough vegetarian food. It looks like my sort of place and I will go there soon with a council colleague. My friend, eager for vege food, opted for chicken liver pate at Moisei. Not all my friends are quite so decisive and consistent as I am.

We are truly blessed in our bit of Brentford: within a few paces of where I live we have, Turkish, Indian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Thai and pub food (also including Thai), plus trad hotel food (at the Premier Inn) all really nearby. Nearly all of it in a peaceful place, right by the river. It is a tragedy that it is not buzzing with customers who could wander here within 5 minutes walk from Goddards corner. We need more of you and trust me, it is worth it!

Meanwhile it seems the commercial shops etc are struggling. I'm told the nursery is not in the end going to open.

And the solicitor's office opposite is on the market - too big for them really and there are several other empty units.

The good news is that Brentford Community Boat House is back and that makes the place much more lively with people of all ages

We have our riverside walk to Lidl and the Duke's new place open now and I hope some time this century Ballymore will open access to Town Wharf, Workhouse Dock, Johnsons Island and the Brewery Tap without leaving the waterside. We can then really celebrate Brentford as a unique river(s) and canal side town which really embraces the water.

The only meetings I had this week were with my Green colleagues. We are working out how we will work together as the situation turns more normal - at present there are a lot of induction sessions for the new councillors, which are something the council does rather well - and of course we are spectators of the phony war within the Labour party. We know it is going on, but publicly they are all in love with each other and Shantanu Rajawat.

OK, 1 more meeting: as a member of the Local Government Association Improvement Committee. The few of us that are in the 'Independent and Green' section had a preparatory meeting for a definitive meeting which will happen on Friday. I am still a novice in this environment and my colleagues - from Cornwall and Suffolk come to mind - are much more experienced. Still learning after all these years, though of course I really mean Still Crazy After All These Years as Paul Simon has it.

One thing we Greens are working on is a set of more strategic aims we have in our wards/areas.

Watermans replacement. A priority for our town but nobody quite believes it is going to happen. Need to keep the pressure on this

Watermans Riverside Development: connected with the Arts centre. It has planning permission but little sign of anything happening

Watermans Park Marina: currently stalled and in the hands of Administrators. As local councillors we have no clue what is going on and questions to the council are often not answered

Fountains Leisure Centre: Apparently the council is spending £4M on a viability study. Meanwhile the centre, which we had a plan (which was finally not deliverable) to replace a decade ago lives on in limbo.

Clitherow Island: part of Boston Manor Park and nearly all owned by the council. I want it back as part of the park and have been working on that for years. Work is going on, but nobody really keeps ward councillors informed despite attempts!

Mercury Garages Car Park. I was promised replacement of the largely derelict garages before March 2023. Still waiting and parking remains critical in York, Orchard and Windmill roads.

Heritage Harbour: we have a team to make Brentford London's first Heritage Harbour

Shops (getting them open, including a charity shop)

Diary (a way of getting events in Brentford publcised in one place)

Democracy (engaging with residents in a more meaningful way and making their opinions count)

Hadley and other developments: if they go on as expected, the population of Brentford West will more than double over the next decade.

Brentford Community Boat House - a shorthand way of saying, get river sport thriving and truly available to local people especially youngsters at a sensible cost

Business engagement: we do not today have an effective dialogue with local businesses, especially small ones

Blimey that was bigger than I expected, and I think it would be good to keep these under scrutiny, probably outside the normal blog. I'm keen to hear people's thoughts/ideas/plans/ frustrations/whatever about these and I hope we can find a way to work across parties and the 3 Brentford wards to move these together to the town's benefit. I come to it all from a Green perspective, of course, but doing what's right in partnership with the people who live here is what being a ward councillor should be about. Much of all this is not really political!

Oh, and I spotted this yesterday.

I happened upon this on a walk. Despite knowing many of the makers and artists in Watermans Park building (locally better known as Max Factor, opposite McDonalds) I wasn't aware of this. This is why Brentford needs a diary place where people can communicate about the many exciting things that happen in our town, and why this is on the list above!