Forum Topics

What does Cllr Lambert stand for

Which Green Party policies does Councillor Lambert stand for?- Legalisation of all drugs?- Open borders?- Abolition of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition for all migrants?- A ban on private landlords?- Even more carbon taxes?- Phase out of all nuclear power generation?- Immediate dismantling of the UK's nuclear weapons?- An increase in international aid?- Votes for 16-year-olds and all residents irrespective of status?- A move to a 4-day working week?- Reinstatement of funding for UNRWA in Israel?

Steve Chilcott ● 1d11 Comments ● 1h

Parking Help

Need some advice. For 20 years we have been parked on a dirt area at the end of our cul-de-sac.I have a Motability car. We are at the bottom of a slope that I can't walk up. My health won't allow me too. All of our neighbour's  park in the same area  also. Well last week we got a parking ticket for parking on council owned grassed area. That one of our wheels was on the foot path. Well we took photos and and explained the area was never grassed and was full of rubbish (which we have to clear on a regular basis)So we contested it with the pictures and today we learned that our appeal was turned down. We have a Blue badge well displayed in our dash and can be seen clearly. If the car has to stay at the top of the road. I can't get to it. Can someone help me sort this out. I'm lost without my car.

Teresa Brent ● 1d6 Comments ● 13h

Questionable pictures

The use of an AI generated picture to illustrate the underage alcohol selling story is highly questionable and misleading, and crediting the picture as AI doesn’t make it OK. The CW4 site pulled the same trick a few weeks ago with their wheelchair and ambulance story, so this must be editorial policy. Just because the technology makes this possible, it's still of a breach of trust with your readers.

Peter Evans ● 4d4 Comments ● 17h

Parking Permit - A New Road Tax - You must be joking?

So Hounslow Council has started charging vehicle parking permits based on engine type / emissions and not physical vehicle size. In UK we already pay a road tax. Parking should not be based on this. As residence we should now have the option to vote our area out of the parking zone system. I recall the council almost pestering us to vote for their proposal. Once again its wallets on wheels.

Jai Williams ● 37d11 Comments ● 23h

Bye-Bye Boris Buses.

Boris buses are to be removed from the 267 route and replaced by more environmently friendy ones because of reliability issues, high maintenance costs and the shift toward fully electric buses.I've had no problems with them but they have been a bit dirty inside and out lately.JimL.

Jim Linwood ● 3d2 Comments ● 23h

Brook Road North Rail Footbridge - Illegal Activity

The rail footbridge connecting Brook Road North seems to have become a hive of illegal activity.  Besides the base of the bridge being a flytipping hotspot for quite some time, the bridge itself is now a gathering spot for those dealing and taking drugs as well as to exchange the contents of delivery boxes that have been stolen from peoples front doors. It is also being regularly used as a toilet. 

Mark Skuse ● 4d5 Comments ● 23h

Polanski is the biggest booby

That charismatic charlatan Zack Polanski has been caught out over his claims that he never stood by his hypnotherapy will make your breast bigger technique. Seems that rather than denying it in the BBC the following day he boasted that it was something he believed could work in subsequent radio interview.Presumably the Brentford boobies who belong to the Greens will support their increasingly deranged leader, despite all the evidence being that he’s unfit to lead a dog round a park, let alone a political party.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9enygvezeo

Simon Hayes ● 2d6 Comments ● 1d

Dirty Business

I am amazed at the lack of comment, not to say outrage, at the Channel 4 programme this week about the privatisation of our water industry. If you thought Mr. Bates was dreadful - then this reaches even lower lows! If Keir Starmer really wants to do something for all of us and perhaps help keep his job after the next General Election, then re-nationalisation of all our utilities would be a good way to go. Why we have allowed this to go on after Mrs. Thatcher's assurances we should 'wait and see' how it panned out  is a mystery. It became very clear, very quickly this was a licence to print money, and in the process do untold damage to our waterways, seaside, wildlife and ecological systems, not to mention make people very ill and in one case at least, cause the death of a child. As for the despicable people who helped cover it up they are beneath contempt, and have in some cases got themselves cushy little numbers with the very water companies they should have investigated, they must be made to answer for what they did. Thank God we have people with integrity and guts to Whistle-blow, and others who care to work on for years in the face of appalling obfuscation and lies.

Vanessa Smith ● 15d15 Comments ● 1d

Breach of civil liberties?

Ealing and Hounslow are being rather cagey about the use of cameras in residential streets.These are not cameras to deal with crime hotspots or illegal fly tipping.These are cameras that have a capability of recognition of people and their property.In Ealing, parking registration - even for stop and shop is coupled by use of data being compiled and then the owner of that data being tracked by cameras recording their movements.With no opt out for the T&Cs of this. Everyone who disclosed bank details or any other personal details is agreeing to be a component of Data gathering.  To a third party/ The Local council, who?Ealing won't say, but use a slippery get out clause about your data is deleted after use.  But it is vague as to what that actually means and if it is then one would be re-registering each time.Ealing are also utilising School Streets cameras out of enforcement hours for this and again, will not respond to any enquiries. There is nothing to protect being part of a data ingress by criminal activity - as has happened with TfL, several London Boroughs and even M&S.In Brentford, a series of spy cameras have virtually ghettoised the Griffin Park area.The notice is too vague.What rights to residents have about their image or their car being recorded?Who and exactly what is the purpose ?Try enquiring and then enquiring again? The responses are very minimal and evasive.Not obliged to divulge commercial interests or partners. So who asked permission of the commercial partners of LBH ? That is the Council Tax paying residents and citizens of this Borough.Even if this is the most innocent of things, residents should have the right to see exactly what footage is being recorded and fully know the context of why it is being recorded.Once its done, there are copies, back ups and all, whatever the disclaimer might be.So does anyone else really know what this is all about?

Raymond Havelock ● 7d6 Comments ● 3d

Waterman's

Any news about Waterman's rising like a phoenix from the ashes at a new Brentford location?

Eric Alan Leach ● 402d82 Comments ● 3d

Guy's blog

Catching up on last week's blog, I saw the piece Guy had written about the house up at Gunnersbury Park which has lain empty for a hell of a time. Guy said the Director of Housing had said that bringing the property back into use -'was not viable' - what he didn't seem to have then gone on to ask was 'Why'? As someone who has been chasing several empty council properties where I live, both of which have stood vacant, one for a year, another for over that time, and given the pressure on council housing, and indeed housing in general, then what is the reason for allowing any properties to stand empty? The council also have powers to take into their ownership private properties that have been abandoned, or, where an owner cannot be found, for whatever reason, so why the hell aren't they doing this? There are so many empty properties and so many people who would like a decent roof over their head, everyone should be using every means possible to bring these dwellings back into use. It is immoral that this is allowed to go on year after year, while those in authority just sit back wringing their hands. So, WHY? would seem a reasonable question.

Vanessa Smith ● 64d23 Comments ● 8d

Community Hub

How many people are aware of the Community Hub in Brentford? It runs on Fridays from 10am to 2pm.I am interested in what people think of this, whether they visit it and what they think of it.

Guy Lambert ● 10d5 Comments ● 8d

Albany Fish Bar RIP

Shame... nice people.

Mark Gormley ● 21d5 Comments ● 10d

R.I.P. Neil Sedaka

So sorry to hear that Neil Sedaka has died, an amazing singer and prolific songwriter over many years. A man who provided many hit songs for almost anyone who was anyone in the singing world, 'Solitaire', 'Amarillo', 'The Hungry Years' among the many he wrote, that were recorded by the best. We had the pleasure of seeing Neil Sedaka three times when he came to London, he always remembered his British following and every concert was packed out. Fortunately we have a pretty good vinyl collection and also some CDs of this brilliant musician to enjoy.

Vanessa Smith ● 13d0 Comments ● 13d

£5,000,000 per annum more in traffic fines

It is hard to blame Hounslow Council for doing this given their shaky finances and I'm sure other councils will be even more avaricious.It does need to be remember that this way of raising money acts very much like a regressive tax. Of course some will argue if you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the crime but the reality is that even the most cautious driver will get pinged ever now again if they are doing a lot of mileage and are on unfamiliar roads. It would be interesting to know exactly what proportion of these fines go to delivery drivers, trades people and taxi drivers but I wouldn't be shocked if it was over half. These are not wealthy people and fines will take a large chunk out of their disposable income.To raise £5million will require at least 50,000 extra fines. I was concerned to read that tech will play a significant part in boosting this number. Does anyone have knowledge of what form we can expect this new exaction to take?

Jeremy Parkinson ● 43d7 Comments ● 14d

Film about raising the money and creating solar power in a London street

https://streetbystreet.power.film/stream-on-demand

Philippa Bond ● 73d5 Comments ● 17d

Recommend a Plumber

Anyone recommend a good plumber for the area.Thanks in advance.JimL

Jim Linwood ● 23d7 Comments ● 17d

I beg to differ.

Reference this item in Guy Lambert's weekly blog - below.I've just spent months trying to get an 3 bed council house where I live finally let, because I was so outraged that this is allowed to happen. I was in constant contact with a ward councillor, and the various tales he got from housing and gave to me really did beggar belief. The house finally has been let, but it was empty for a YEAR and a bigger load of old garbage offered as ongoing and ever changing excuses for their outrageous tardiness by the housing dept. were worthy of a Pullitzer Prize! There is also another 3 bed property here, also empty for over a year, so what the bloody hell is going on? Guy maintains we need ever more flats built, but I'd like to know why the council doesn't use the powers it has Under the Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) legislation to bring into use abandoned private properties, where an owner cannot be located? I did ask ages ago and got told it's all too complicated - well it's a damned site more complicated to be stuck in a room with a couple of small children  with no sense coming out of Hounslow council. We all know there is a terrible shortage of really affordable housing, and surely that means every, effort with all the powers at their disposal should be used by local authorities? Or am I missing something?"Nobody turned up for the surgery but a man who I had invited had explained he could not attend: he has been put into a B&B in Hayes following a no-fault eviction by a private landlord. He is in a single room with one bed with two daughters, at least one of which is a toddler. meanwhile his wife is in West Middlesex with some illness that means she is retained there. He is pretty desperate, trying to survive in a single room with 3 people, bringing his daughter somehow to nursery in Brentford. I tried to reassure him: the housing people have to find places for many people with similar problems with no flats available. People think they are unhelpful but in my experience they are determined to help as fast as they can. and their record with 'my' homeless people has been resolved fairly soon. I asked him to try and be calm and come back to me at the end of this week if nothing has happened."

Vanessa Smith ● 35d5 Comments ● 22d

65 Bus

I.ve noticed recently that many 65 buses are not going to Ealing Broadway but terminating at Bond Street. Passengers at Ealing Broadway waiting for over 30 minutes for a bus. three times in the last week I've had to get an E2. Is this because the company has lost dozens of drivers at the Fulwell depot as they can't park for there shifts? As the local area is now a CPZ.

David Squire ● 86d17 Comments ● 29d