I disagree.This is my personal view. Won't ever happen but..as a pipe dream...I think this borough is way too polarised end to end, and has never worked as a super borough. It is too big and too diverse. It services political egos but stifles pragmatic and proper democracy.It's not just Hounslow, Ealing has become similar, but Hounslow has defiantly been more retarded but it's own unwieldiness. It's not all bad but it's getting worse, not better.The one size fits all policies & constant political and idealistic divisions often within the same party, have ruined many a well intentioned project or initiative.Only education and some traditional local authority services have worked well until meddled with.But planning and regeneration has most certainly not. It would be far better for it to be localised to a smaller area and for those elected participants to have a better knowledge and truly represent the best interests of the areas they represent.Hence my previous suggestion of an Eastern End Planning committee and Western end one. Chaired by members from opposite ends.That ought to be less of a burden on members which should allow them to better comprehend and digest complex and more controversial applications and not be led up the garden path by officials quite so easily.That does not mean they will get it right or wrong every time, but it should be far more likely to lead to amendments and conditions that might get the best end result.Developers won't make pre applications that are likely to be firmly adhered to if they know that the committee is more local. They won't be quite so easily enticed if the whole borough is not hawked as a free for all. And Brentford won't be seen as a sacrificial cash cow for the rest of the borough.There are over decades, case after case, of councillors on planning committees who do not bother to go see, do not bother to read up. and do not ask pertinent questions on districts they simply do not give tuppence about.It's a very big borough with a very big population and quite different from district to district. But are those districts people's really best served by the current set up? I don't think so.But it is the method as well. It differs from authority to authority. All planning committees and some others ought to be chaired by a neutral or non-voting chair who can preside but not influence.Where conflict of interest occurs, particularly with major applications, then that ought to be declared asap and substitutes not installed at last orders but right from the start.But the idea of two separate boroughs? Yes or maybe a redefining of 3 boroughs creating a 4th. Brentford , Chiswick, Osterley and Isleworth. Still diverse but with many similarities. Riverside Borough.
Raymond Havelock ● 3209d