Hounslow Labour has lost majority control of the council following the suspension of a councillor who has been charged with fraud by abuse of position.
Cllr Gurbachan Athwal, who represents Heston East, was arrested and charged on Friday, September 25. He is due to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates Court on October 27. The Labour Party has administratively suspended him while the legal process continues.
In a statement, Cllr Athwal said: "These allegations are part of a concerted effort to defame me. I am participating fully in the process of clearing my name. To avoid any unwanted distraction, however, I fully accept the decision taken by the Labour Party for an administrative suspension for the duration of this process. I will continue to support the Labour Party and local Labour Administration. I will continue to fulfil my council duties and do my utmost to serve the local community."
Council now in no overall control
With Cllr Athwal suspended, Hounslow Labour holds 31 out of 62 seats, meaning the group will govern without a majority. The council has tipped into no overall control (NOC).
Opposition councillors had been calling on Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat to withdraw the whip from Cllr Athwal pending the outcome of his case. The suspension has now been confirmed.
Cllr Jack Emsley, Leader of the Hounslow Conservatives, said the council must now pause constitutional changes because it is a minority administration. He said: "Given the serious nature of the charges, it is right that Cllr Athwal has finally lost the Labour whip whilst the court case is ongoing. Now that the council has tipped into no overall control, it is clear that Labour has no mandate to unilaterally change the council’s constitution to reduce scrutiny of what is now a minority administration, and they should now pause their attempts to do so."
Opposition responses and calls for by-election
Cllr Guy Lambert, of the Green Party, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that losing the whip will not stop Cllr Athwal from propping up the administration. He said: "The Green Party does not support finding Councillors (or anyone else) guilty prior to a trial. If Cllr Athwal is found guilty of fraud he should he immediately dismissed and removed from the council irrespective of any appeal he may lodge. Withdrawal of the whip is not sufficient and would not stop him propping up the current failing regime. A by-election should be called immediately... residents will make the decision about who should replace him should the court decide he is guilty."
In the May local elections, Cllr Athwal secured one of the seats in his ward but tied second place with his Labour colleague Cllr Fiza Ahmed, missing out on first place to Cllr Jasmine Deol of the Green Party. Another Labour candidate narrowly missed out on a seat.
Labour silent on charges
Hounslow Labour has not made a public comment about the charges facing Cllr Athwal since he was charged ten days ago. The LDRS has asked the group for a statement. A group spokesperson says that the group does not comment on internal party matters.
What does NOC mean? A no overall control (NOC) council is one in which no single party has a majority of the seats on the council. Following the local elections in May 2026, it was the most common mode of political control across councils in England, with 42 per cent lacking a one party majority.
Some councils will adopt a minority administration, where one party - typically the largest party - governs without a controlling majority. For this to work, the governing party is forced to win over other parties or councillors in order to pass a budget and so on.
Elsewhere, coalitions are formed, where councillors from different parties work together to govern the council. Coalitions are not restricted in the number of participating groups, occasionally resulting in multi-party or ‘rainbow’ administrations - one example being Arun District Council, where Liberal Democrat, Labour, Green, and Independent members share governance.
In Hounslow's instance, the council would fall to NOC, however it is likely Labour would continue to govern and pass motions or resolutions - although if all non-Labour councillors united against any proposals it would become more difficult, creating a 31-31 draw. The Mayor, elected by council, would in this case have a second casting vote and alongside the administration.
