Conservative councillors present alternative budget for LB Hounslow

Cllr Peter Thompson

A “serious, fully costed alternative” to Labour’s Budget

The Conservative Oppostiion Group has published its alternative Budget proposals for LB Hounslow for the financial year 2026-27.

The Labour Leader Cllr Shantanu Rajawat published his draft Budget three weeks ago and it will go to the full Borough Council meeting on Tuesday 3 March to be adopted.

READ ALSO: Council Tax goes up by the maximum as LB Hounslow publishes budget ‘that invests in the future of the borough’

The political reality is that it will be passed, as Labour has 43 to the Conservatives’ ten, Greens’ one and six Independent councillors but undeterred, Conservative Group Leader Cllr Peter Thompson has proposed an amendment to the Budget, seconded by Cllr Jack Emsley, so it will be discussed and voted on.

It is, Cllr Thompson said: “a serious, fully costed alternative to Labour’s Budget”.

Conservative Group of councillors on Hounslow Council

Conservatives’ Alternative Budget

The Conservative Group say:

‘Hounslow’s Labour Administration has proposed a number of controversial proposals in its attempt to balance this year’s budget, including cuts to the council’s domestic violence team and a plan to increase revenue from traffic fines by over £5 million.

‘The Conservative amendment commits to fully funding the crucial domestic violence team, boosting homelessness prevention and changing the council’s approach to fines by focussing on tackling large scale fly-tipping. In a fully costed amendment, the Conservative group proposes paying for this by cutting Labour’s wasteful spending such as £75,000 in additional councillor allowances, and reducing the number of council PR officers.

‘The Conservative amendment identifies between £1.4 million and £1.9 million in recurring savings, even after allowing for restructuring costs, through targeted reform:

• ⁠⁠Reforming Special Responsibility Allowances by abolishing Cabinet Assistant roles and removing non-essential vice-chair allowances, delivering up to £75,000 per year in savings.
• ⁠⁠Reducing the Corporate Communications establishment, refocusing it on statutory compliance and essential communications, delivering between £200,000 and £400,000 in recurring savings.
• ⁠⁠Implementing a 50% structural reduction in the Community Solutions / Resident Experience Team where duplication exists, saving approximately £375,000 annually while retaining statutory complaints and safeguarding-linked functions.
• ⁠⁠Disposing of the Digital Dock, which continues to make annual losses for the council, generating a capital receipt to offset restructuring and fund invest-to-save initiatives.
• ⁠⁠Accelerating the reduction in the Lampton Leisure subsidy by £500,000 through operational reform.
• ⁠⁠Introducing an additional £1 million corporate efficiency target, including vacancy management controls, reduced agency spend and review of management layers.

 Reinvestment in Essential Services

‘Savings are redirected to areas that directly protect vulnerable residents and reduce long-term financial pressures

• ⁠⁠Up to £400,000 to restore and strengthen domestic violence service capacity.
• ⁠⁠Up to £700,000 to expand homelessness prevention officers and proactive housing intervention.
• ⁠⁠Up to £500,000 for a prevention-led fly-tipping strategy, including AI-powered CCTV installation and enforcement capability’.

Conservatives’ description of cuts to the Council’s domestic violence team is “a shameful and irresponsible misrepresentation” says Council Leader

Cllr Shantanu Rajawat

Leader of Hounslow Council Cllr Shantanu Rajawat denies they are cutting the domestic violence team.

“This is a shameful and irresponsible misrepresentation from the Tories. Our work supporting victims of domestic abuse will continue unaffected.

“What is changing is that we are expanding the domestic abuse service to all our Community Hubs, bringing services closer to where people live. The other change is that the preventative work affecting children will now be delivered by Children’s Services, who already have strong links to the Police, Health, schools and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors.

“This is part of a long-term piece of work to ensure the continued delivery of the service, with a renewed emphasis on prevention. It is ironic that the Tories are also proposing to cut the number of communications officers, whose job it is to raise awareness of serious issues like domestic abuse, promote services that can provide support, and tackle online misinformation”.

Too much Council “bureaucracy” says Opposition Leader

Cllr Peter Thompson

Publishing their alternative Budget, Cllr Thompson said:

“The Administration’s budget will result in unacceptable cuts to frontline services and equally unacceptable expansions to an already too-large bureaucracy.

“Hounslow Labour’s priorities are wrong. Our proposed budget makes reductions to political allowances, scales back communications staffing and removes duplicated functions in order to deliver real savings for residents.

“We then reinvest those savings into domestic violence provision, homelessness prevention and fly-tipping surveillance cameras: measures that will in turn generate further savings for Hounslow Borough Council. Our amendment is a serious, fully costed alternative to Labour’s budget. Only the Conservatives have a credible plan to fix Hounslow.”

Cllr Jack Emsley

Cllr Jack Emsley, seconding the amendment, said:

“We Conservatives believe it is entirely reasonable for residents to expect discipline in how their money is spent. In the current financial climate, nearly £1 million on communications staffing, duplicated functions across departments, and a substantial leisure subsidy are simply unacceptable.

“Our amendment demonstrates that straightforward, practical savings are not only possible but necessary. By reinvesting those savings into frontline priorities, we show that financial responsibility and the protection of essential services can go hand in hand.”

Cllr John Todd

Cllr John Todd said:

“The debate is not about whether savings should be made, but about where those savings should fall. The approach Labour has taken places pressure on frontline services while leaving a burgeoning bureaucracy largely untouched.

“We believe reform must begin within the Council itself. That is why our amendment reduces political allowances, tackles duplication and sets clear efficiency targets without putting essential services at risk.”

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar