Independent candidate Andy Murray: How I would serve Chiswick public

The Independent candidate for Chiswick Riverside shares his name with a Wimbledon champion, but can he serve up a triumph in next week's local elections?

Bookmark
Share

News

Robert Cumber

09:13, 15 MAY 2014
Updated10:23, 2 SEP 2014

Andy Murray, independent candidate for Chiswick Riverside ward

As the only independent candidate in Chiswick at these local elections, I am asking for only one of the three votes available to residents.

Political parties have their place, but there is also a role for Councillors who represent the spirit and concerns of local residents. My candidature in Chiswick Riverside ward is the logical extension of the work I have been doing for the past three years as chairman of the Grove Park Group residents' association, which has grown from eight members in 2011 to over 300.

I have lived in the same house in Riverside for 20 years and it is my love for the area and its unique character that led to me being involved in local campaigns, and from there to being involved in a wide range of issues, both within Chiswick and borough-wide.

I attend the Chiswick Area Forum and have spoken on the Local Plan, the Hounslow Highways 25 year PFI, the quality and timing of street works, and other issues. The Grove Park Group is also part of the ‘Group of 15+’, a loose aggregation of local residents’ associations, so I have attended many different meetings at the Civic Centre across a wide range of issues, interacting with both Members and Officers on many levels. I attend the Riverside Ward Crime Panel, which gives me a further perspective on life in the ward.

I grew up in a small village, but have lived in London since 1975, initially in South Ealing. I work in the music business as a marketing consultant, and am a member of local drama group The St Michael’s Players, appearing in a recent production as well as playing guitar for the panto band. I am not as regular a cyclist as I would like, but I did cycle the length of Cuba in 2012 and New Zealand’s South Island some years prior. I confess I do also own a car - but a small one.

The Grove Park Group has engaged with residents; we have beautified our area by planting the old cattle trough, have held authorities to account on such local issues as misplaced lamp standards in trees, have mitigated a local CPZ, dealt with knotty issues such as the licensing of local events to reconcile differing needs, campaigned to retain the paving in ‘Fauconberg Village’, and met a Hounslow Recycling Officer to discuss improving Riverside’s recycling rate and rubbish collection. I am currently trying to get some understanding and resolution for those minority of residents whose lives are disrupted by new street lights shining directly into their homes, and am continuing to push for the improvement of Dan Mason Drive, by the river; it may be micro politics, but it is important for those affected. In addition we keep residents informed with our regular newsletters, website stories and Facebook postings.

Chiswick Riverside’s enduring appeal has been its relative peace and quiet but we’re still part of the modern world, now made more modern in the form of the Kew Bridge stadium development and the related proposals for the A4 / Great West Road, on which subjects we have contributed to Hounslow’s Local Plan. As with many of the issues dealt with by Councillors and Hounslow Officers, it is the detail that can decide whether the result is a benefit or a burden for residents, so I am hoping that I will be able to continue my commitment to hard work, with the chance to be further involved in decisions that affect the quality of our lives.

Although I have worked with current Riverside Councillor Sam Hearn on mitigating the Grove Park shops CPZ, (originally planned to be much bigger) and gathering 300+ signatures to preserve paving in ‘Fauconberg Village’, I am not affiliated to any political party, and if elected, would work together with all Councillors, regardless of party, solely on the issues.