More Fines, Parking and the Ongoing Hunt for Charles James Cross
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert
November 26, 2025
Back to my current obsession - extortionate fines. I heard of another one this week. An unusually discounted fine (to a paltry £500) had been sent to one of the boats moored in The Hollows, near Kew Bridge. We've already had two there, and another to a flat served by the same overflowing cardboard bin, but as well as the lower fine (no idea why) this is addressed to someone who doesn't live there and nobody seems to know who she is and why she has been sent a PCN at that address. They may have special difficulty getting that paid, but I doubt anyone is paying, unless they are intimidated by the threat of being imprisoned: most of the victims are pensioners with no record of misbehaviour.
Parking has broken out in Brentford West. A bit like COVID it is always there beneath the covers, but a new outbreak has emerged in the last couple of weeks. Actually, I think it is two outbreaks now, one in the Brentford Station CPZ and one in Brook Road South, which I mentioned last week. I'm hoping we can avoid a lockdown. Perhaps I can emulate Boris Johnson (my hair is a fair imitation) and I am certainly capable of bumbling but a bit too law-abiding to arrange an illegal party.
I have been reading Cllr Salman Shaheen's well-received novel, Freebourne and am about 3/4 of the way through it. Whatever, it is a very good read and apparently there's a surprise at the end. I have been contemplating doing a bit of more serious writing of my own. I have actually been writing a personal memoir vaguely inspired by the book which I'm sure I raved about in the summer Sorry about bringing Amazon into it but it seems this is the only way to find it - probably how books will be hereafter as Jeff Bezos eats up every other bookseller. I thought Waterstones were his, but it turns out it is owned by another US hedge fund, but don't worry, Amazon know where you are as they own Ring so they will have a picture taken of me yesterday and know where I've been. I should try to not digress but I am a lost cause. My memoir is nearly done and my friend Edwin Addis who co-wrote Alfie has been encouraging me to do it, helped me in shaping it and is asking me when I want it published. Eek. My story is nothing like as engaging as Alfie plus when it is published it will have confessions in it that John Dale will no doubt pick up and turn me into a monster, fair cop for a politician I suppose.
All that is another matter, but I had a dream about a novel, which would be set in the future like Salman's, but would not involve bloodshed (unless it invites aggression as my memoir likely will!) but would explore what this world might look like in what may be a post-car era. It is inspired I suppose by old photos from 120 years ago which show streets in Chiswick and Brentford without a single car in sight. Blimey, what would a councillor do with himself if there was no parking to worry about?
On Friday I went up Windmill Road to survey the mess at the mouth of Whitestile which closes off access. This is our revered friends Thames Water. There were barriers, a truck and a car connected to the works, but no actual work happening, naturally. A passer-by whom I know gave me the SP. They are messing with the sewer and he explained to me that at Whitestile the sewer goes underneath the fresh water (or vice versa) and there are therefore two teams who cannot touch each other as they don't want the fresh water to dilute the sewage. Maybe I got that the wrong way round. I was back on Monday and there were chaps there in hi-vis and there looked to be a filled hole within the barriers. They confirmed it was done but would take a day to cure. Hope it doesn’t catch Long Covid.
Also on Friday I had a firkle around the town and, as I do, distracted myself with things I find interesting. At the Windmill/GWR junction a mysterious box has appeared in the 'garden area' at the corner.
It is next door to the London Hospital. Perhaps that is where they dispose of experiments that fail. I suppose I was encouraged to see there was actually a human - perhaps even a nurse - visible inside. It has been a long time coming but given the flattering picture that the Green Party has unearthed from somewhere (see invite below) I feel my demand for plastic surgery has reduced.
Private Hospital may have come into being, but the mess outside has not improved at all. It is one of those things where planning blames transport, transport blames Hounslow Highways and Hounslow Highways blame the planners. An example of the circular economy, I suppose, but it is not economical for the concerned councillor, who just thinks "Oh, I have to have another go".
I went in the library to review my scepticism about the community hub that is put on every Friday. There were several desks with charities and some council services represented and one 'customer'. A council officer encouraged me to go upstairs to see something else that was going on in the library.
As you can see this is a craft class and it was nice to see it well-attended by a variety of women. I welcome anything that makes the library better used. But it concerns me that the council website says the library is closed on Fridays (it is for normal use) and this class is not mentioned. I remain a little frustrated that the initiative I started in 2022 has not really been delivered, partly because the Cabinet assistant who was helping - in reality doing all the work! - was sacked from that role at the 2023 annual meeting of the council with no notice or reason. But that seems to be the style of the ruling clique.
Somebody has been asking about one Charles James Cross who seems to be a local dignitary from around 1900, and asked if he is commemorated anywhere. I knew he was not at the Sewage Pumping Station as I looked a week or two ago but I had a look at the other places where the Great and Good Brentonians have their names engraved - the Brentford Monument outside the county court, the plaques on the houses in Ealing Road which mark the two sides of Challis Road, the library, and even the disused church/chapel in New Road. I pulled a blank at all of them. I suppose it is too late for James to be Cross.
I also looked around the town centre. Pleased to see that the hairdresser/beauty place on the corner has now opened but there are now at least 5 units with 'To Let' on their windows, despite me being told a year or more ago that the council had tenants for all 12 units there. As far as I can see they only have 3 - and Bia (or Bea as her shop is called) has not yet managed to open and I decided some time ago that I would continue a Hairy Protest until she manages to open. Bob Dylan once remarked "I will grow my hair down to my feet, so strange, so I look like a walking mountain range "
On the other hand, something else is stirring in Brentford, opposite Morrisons and I found it intriguing and pleasing. Bit too posh and young for a skinflint like me, but a sign of the times, I suppose and I'm glad Brentford is attracting such places. There is also some cool products - take a look!
On Saturday life got complicated. A few came to my flat and bundled up invitations for our campaign launch on Thursday. All welcome! I'm blogging on Wednesday because Thursday will be busy for various reasons.
After bundling I was keen to see the Flea Market at the Steam Museum, but by the bundling was done and I'd loaded some tools in my car, they were closing down. The weather had not been kind (if you don't like cold and wet) but the people I talked to were positive, and certainly it was busy in the cafe.
My daughter is back in her flat in Chiswick (and teaching in a Chiswick School again) and wanted help with putting up a curtain rail. I have never been a genius at such matters but between us we did manage to get something up. But I encouraged her to engage someone competent to do it again and make it likely to stay up!
I had an invitation to the Middlesex women cricket ground in Swyncombe Avenue, but it all got squeezed out, which was annoying - and probably for the cricket club too because I broke a promise.
Sunday was busy again. Friends in Brentford Voice had invited me on a visit to the 'Beeline' where they have been working on turning the closed railway embankment between the High Street and the A4 into what will eventually be a nature reserve. It is a fascinating place, though I forgot to brink my machete to clear a path through the nature there
This is where there was a station for Brentford with a link to the dock (one way) and Southall the other way, and the rest of the world I suppose. Bad luck if you want to catch a train there now.
Then I was in the Magpie and Crown with Greenies as we sent off volunteers (me included) to distribute the invitations to the campaign launch.
On Monday, a day off to meet with my sisters and brothers in law at a pub in the middle of nowhere but roughly equidistant from all 3 of us. Nice to see them, and this is one of the places I go to where I feel youthful - my sisters are 5 and 9 years older than me and their hubbies even more venerable.
On Tuesday I was up in Boston Manor Road, visiting the couple who I have been trying for many months to overcome an army of triffids despatched by the allotments in Blondin Park. There is some evidence that some weedkillers had been used but none of us are convinced that the problem is solved.
These back alleys are trouble everywhere but this has worrying damage to the innocents!
In the evening it was Borough Council. I actually found the posturing from all parties - Labour, Conservative, Independent - very tedious. I wanted to say something about Lampton, where I think a noble and very successful initiative which I was heavily involved, is being undermined in various ways. I agreed (!) with the Conservatives that more attention on scrutiny is needed, though much of what they said was ill-informed. I am at my least effective when I try speechifying and probably only succeeded in annoying everyone.
The way that the council is run means that there is never any useful debate. Eventually I gave up at about 11 pm and came home before the silliness completed. Also, the first time in my experience when the Mayor had to suspend the silliness and encourage people to calm down. Reminded me of the first football match I attended between Everton and Leeds, where the referee actually sent off all of both sides for a cooling-off period Those were the days. Not
Wednesday, I made my umpteenth journey to the Metro Bank in Hounslow with my pal Brian Smith. For what feels like a decade we have been trying to open a bank account to start an appeal for a memorial for world record holder and Isleworth resident (until her death in 2023) Eileen Sheridan
Working with Metro has been a bit like Monty Python's cheese shop - there are always new reasons why we cannot open an account. Did we achieve success? Time will tell but the woman who dealt with us was charming and positive, though it gave me an insight to why this country has a productivity problem as mentioned around the Budget!
In the evening, I was 5 minutes late for the Friends of Watermans Park AGM, where I had told the chairman I was planning a coup. I will never be the next Fidel Castro, because the AGM was finished before I arrived. Had a nice lecture though, from Christine Diwell about JMW Turner in Brentford and Isleworth.
That’s it, but 2 nice things:
Fairview promised us the riverside path between where I live and Lidl would be ready before Christmas. That picture is from my balcony and you can see it's progressing - they even have benches deployed!
And looking the other way, a stunning misty morning on the Brent/Thames
It was even more stunning a few minutes earlier, but a fellow has to dress rather than alarm the burghers of Brentford Dock.
Thursday morning now - hope to see lots of you this evening at the Free Church.
Councillor Guy Lambert
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