Note: Anyone who posts a defamatory comment does so at their own risk and must take responsibility personally WINING AND DINING FREEBIES ARE NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE PATRON OF OUR LOCAL FOODBANK. THE STEVE CURRAN ERA MAY BE DRAWING TO A CLOSE. "I'D LIKE TO STAY COUNCIL LEADER FOR EVER," CLLR CURRAN TOLD BRENTFORD TV IN 2020. "BUT THERE ARE ELECTIONS IN 2022." It is not wrong for a Councillor to accept four dinners from a property development lobbyist as long as they are declared, as Steve Curran's were. But is it wise, especially when you are overseeing the Borough's multi-million pound regeneration – and are Patron of the local food bank, Hounslow Community FoodBox? That's the question being asked of the Council Leader following our reports that he has allowed himself to be wined and dined by Peter Bingle, of The Terrapin Group (scroll for linked items). Cllr Curran speaks frequently of the unemployment and poverty afflicting the Borough and he campaigns to alleviate it. So wining and dining freebies are not a good look. The same might also apply to other declared freebies. He has been Council Leader since 2014, a period which has seen massive redevelopment change the face of much of the area. Some residents approve, some don't. When we asked what he'd like his legacy to be, he replied: "Brentford High Street developed…the football club moving…more council housing…more business…looking after the homeless." It's a record which makes him a pivotal figure in the Borough's history. Recently he was praised when Hounslow won "Council of the Year". But some fellow councillors believe the time has come for a change. Large redevelopment is not universally popular – the Tesco/Homebase public inquiry starts on 15 March – and now his cause has not been helped by his dining with lobbyist Peter Bingle whose company boasts: "Terrapin has a superb track record of helping our clients achieve successful planning consents right across Greater London." How? What role does wining and dining play? Cllr Curran and Mr Bingle could quite easily have held their discussion more formally in Hounslow House where their points, no doubt important, could have been fully minuted for the record. The Council elections are on 5 May. As the likely majority, Labour Councillors will then meet to, in effect, elect the Leader of the Council. Cllr Curran says he will throw his hat into the ring. Others will stand too. It will be finely balanced. But it looks as if the Steve Curran era may be drawing to a close.

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Spotted on Facebook	04/02/22 15:14:00	Vanessa Smith
Re:Spotted on Facebook  -continued	05/02/22 10:26:00	Vanessa Smith
Re:Re:Spotted on Facebook  -continued	05/02/22 13:13:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Re:Spotted on Facebook  -continued	09/02/22 14:51:00	Vanessa Smith

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