Blog 548 22nd October 2026

Those who read my witterings each week (some do!) may recall a statement I made a week ago: "The refreshing thing is I can report this without any fear of upsetting a whip or leader (we have neither in Hounslow Greens) which is a bit of a change for me!" It seems I was wrong, hardly a new experience for me.

My erstwhile colleague Rick Rowe took exception to me sharing our discussions on this blog about the Green party motion about Zionism. He (without mentioning it to me) has consulted with the Association of Green Councillors and with someone I met once who is Senior Local Government Political Adviser. Rick phoned me just before 6pm yesterday (Wednesday) to inform me that I was suspended as a Green member of the council and deposed (without discussion or election) as the leader of the Green group at the council, to which role I was elected in May. This coup was shared to council officers and my seat in the council chamber had been moved for the council meeting last night. I have asked the CEO on what basis they had taken this action on the 'instructions' of one of the members of the Green group. I have tried (albeit it was obviously late in the day!) to get any comment from the said Senior Local Government Political Adviser via phone and text. He did not take my call, nor respond to my text, though WhatsApp confirms he had opened it soon after.

I remain a member of the Green Party (and only yesterday paid my sub to the Association of Green Councillors as requested by said Political Adviser!). I still regard myself as leader (for what it's worth) of the Green group on the council until somebody confirms my sacking, the reasons, the process undertaken (if any) and the election of a new leader. I am also still a supporter of the Green Party and I still subscribe to most of its policies and importantly its stated values: "honesty, fairness, efficient and competent management, empathy, working for you…" These have always underpinned my time as an elected councillor and what attracted me to the party when I joined.

Sorry about all that. really not my preference to engage with all that nonsense but I felt a need to update and explain. I hope I will hear something about all this during today (I am writing this on Thursday morning).

Back to the usual fare on this blog.

On Friday I have started to try to reserve that day away from emails and council business. I read this article https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/oct/15/council-housing-miracle-lion-green-road-croydon-riba-stirling-prize-best-new-building and decided I wanted to work out where Coulsdon is and go and take a look at this. Turns out it is on the fringe between London Borough of Croydon and the Surrey downs and a pain to get there by public transport. It is also too far for me to fancy cycling it so and I do like to exercise my 'gas guzzler' (as a local journalist calls it to try to make me feel guilty) now and again so I drove there (which of course was no fun either!)

I came across a local history plaque about Lion Green (aka Switham Bottom) which could do with some TLC as I hear does the war memorial outside the library - must take a look.

Lion Green Road is where this winning development is. Its advantage over Brentford is hills. Its disadvantage is no proper rivers or canal. It does have the local version of the greenline and like our greenline is not accessible, though Brentford Voice and its volunteers are looking to change that here.

Is any railway not iron?

The development is attractive and it was good to read about some of the careful plans they took (see article from the G).

It was started by their version of Lampton development. Croydon's one was called Brick by Brick though that got into serious financial trouble and is no more. But the council carried on with what they had planned and the outcome, 157 new flats, half private, half genuinely affordable in a similar arrangement as Lampton developments. It is lovely despite hundreds of opposition letters before it was built.

On Saturday I cycled to the festival of the London National Park City in Pimlico. Lovely greenish people, some Green though I missed my colleague Jasmine who was busy in the morning litter picking in Heston. I remember when this started years ago. I was one of the first councillors to sign up for it and I tried to get the Labour group in Hounslow to be the first to have 100% signature. I failed 🤣 It was a lovely morning and a good ride back along the river.

I liked this table

Better still, they gave me a little envelope of seeds so I will have a go at this on my balcony and no doubt another set of plants will be exterminated at birth.

On Sunday I had a family lunch in the pub called Tap on the Line in Kew Gardens station. The invite had a typo and said it was Yap on the Line and I thought that was a nice euphemism for WhatsApp. When I become a tech bro and make my first zillion I will use that name for my chat app though if I start that now (apart from the fact that I have no ambition and no money) by the time it was launched it would probably be entirely bots talking to each other, with us humans having been exterminated. I wonder whether the bots will stage coups against their group leaders.

I then went to the Flea Market at the Steam Museum, but by the time I got there there was a hurricane starting and all the fleas had drowned. I will have to make do with the tiny fruit flies which seem to have colonised my flat.

On Tuesday I went to the 'drop in' session at the Library. There were not massive queues outside but my friend and recent Lib Dem candidate Gary appeared as I finished. An interesting discussion but I remain to be convinced that the council have the vision or imagination or finance to make it actually a community hub in reality, rather than just a new name. I take the view, and tell anybody who will listen, the change proposed in the library should include a commitment to have a council officer resident there every day. Don't have to be a librarian but should know their way around the building (not hard) and a duty to point people who need help at the right officers in the council and/or local councillors The officers should know the town and what it offers. Ideally someone who lives here or nearby. I asked the charming chap who was interviewing me where he lives. Shoreditch, he said. Perhaps I should be arguing for Brentford to be renamed Shoreditch West. We have shores and ditches in abundance and I have demonstrated my qualification as a tech bro.

Walking home I observed the police station which uniquely is a development site that doesn't need hoarding is still maintained in an exemplary way. and helps our pride in our town. To be fair, I am in danger of losing my bet with a council officer that scallywags would find a way to get into the building within 3 months. Come on you scallys - make my day!

Walking home I liked this on the Printmakers Yard development

Clearly not at its best, but I'm delighted with my new neighbour development and looking forward to it being completed.

In the afternoon we had a meeting of us (then!) opposition party leaders with the council leader and CEO. We discussed the upcoming council meeting and I (and the others) gave our input and I came away thinking that the 3 parties attending (Conservative, Greens and Reform) would vote against the Labour group attempt to continue with its dominance of all the committees that matter despite no longer having a majority. As it turned out the Reform team changed their mind and supported the Labour party. Well I think they did. I was a bit distracted in the circumstances and on one occasion I asked Roger, the LD councillor, what we were voting about!

We also discussed the abysmal implementation of the new members casework system and I observed I spent 20 years engaged overseeing implementations of such systems of that nature in Local Aothorities, Police, RAF, central government and commercial clients like Lloyds of London, Lloyd's Bank and Northern Rock (RIP) and I had never seen such a poor approach ever (and would have been sacked earlier than I was had I had such a failed implementation!) They are working to fix it and I appreciated an open discussion about it but I am deeply unimpressed.

I went to the doctor yesterday to see a physio about something I think I've pulled in my ribs.

I spotted this outside the doc's building and I wondered if they were trying to tell me something.

Well, I survived the night and will carry on the fight for Brentford!