When Labour won control of Hammersmith & Fulham Council last May it was telling that they published their manifesto just a day before the election.

There was no Labour vision for our borough, just a desperately scraped together set of sound bite driven political points. Sadly, nearly a year into office, there’s still no vision.

Let’s take a look at a few of their more interesting moves.

We all remember the Labour Party in opposition. Their constant cries about fees and charges that they bemoaned as "stealth taxes". But what did we see in their first budget? Most charges are up well above inflation, despite a bold – and by bold I mean outrageous – claim that they are not increasing any fees or charges above the inflation rate. Now, anyone with the most modest grasp of current affairs knows the inflation rate is currently around 0.5 per cent. Yet in Labour’s proposed budget there are 256 increases in fees and charges of 2.4 per cent. That is nearly five times the rate of inflation.

Plus there are a further 126 proposed increases above 0.5 per cent. This is hypocrisy on an industrial scale.

How about parking charges? Well, whilst their pathetic 1% council tax reduction has cost them around £500,000, they are raking in an extra £1.5 million in parking revenue. Revenue they opposed in opposition.

So where is their extra revenue going? Could it be on supporting new free schools? Well, no, because they don’t seem to like those. Or perhaps improving our leisure facilities? No, because they already have their paws in the public health pot to prop up the loss making Phoenix swimming pool.

So what is it? You guessed it – consultants! Within days of coming to power £150,000 was handed over to Deloitte to look into the tri and bi borough arrangements, who duly reported that yes, shared services was indeed a good idea and saving local taxpayers an awful lot of money - £44 million a year to be precise. And now, a budgeted £1.5 million – including a £12,000 bung to the Cabinet Member for Housing’s old boss – to “consult” on selling off the entire council housing stock, essentially ending council housing in the borough.

What will this housing sell off mean? Well, for a start it is estimated current council tenants will see their rents go up by at least a quarter and leaseholders service charges will sky rocket. All in a politically motivated attempt to prevent the regeneration of some of our most deprived neighbourhoods, flattening aspiration and smashing the dreams of home ownership held by so many of our residents.

Then we have the downright bizarre. In a speech that wouldn’t have been out of place at a Socialist Worker fringe at the Trade Union Congress, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion went off on one about how disgusted she was that the local Police were combating the theft of fuel from local petrol stations, stating that such action was taking police away from the “frontline”. I shudder to think what other crimes she believes the cops should turn a blind eye to. Thankfully, as Councillors do not dictate operational policing practices, this particular loony left gem won’t come to fruition.

Bluntly, Labour’s first year in power has clearly demonstrated that the borough of opportunity has been abandoned and the borough of Labour broken promises, bonkers priorities and cronyism is born.