The Hounslow Conservative Group has elected a new leader following a dramatic local election result that saw veteran group leader and councillor Peter Thompson lose his seat on May 7.
New Leadership Unanimously Chosen
Councillor Jack Emsley, representing Chiswick Homefields, was elected unanimously by his colleagues, defeating Cllr Gabriella Giles. He will now lead the opposition on Hounslow Council, heading the largest Conservative group in 16 years.
Peter Thompson, who led the council between 2006 and 2010, lost his seat in a shock result that allowed the Greens to gain a councillor in Chiswick Riverside. Following the local election results, Labour's majority in the borough has been reduced to just one seat.
Emsley's Vision for the Opposition
Speaking after his election, Cllr Emsley said: "Residents across Hounslow have sent a very simple message at this election – they want to see change in their council. Labour have been left with a razor-thin majority of one, and they have shown that they have failed to learn any lessons from the seismic election results."
He added: "We are not just a Conservative Group, or an opposition group. We are an administration in waiting."
The Conservatives made gains in areas they had never won before, such as Cranford, making them one of the largest Tory opposition groups in London. When asked how this changes the opposition under his leadership, Cllr Emsley said: "We are now effectively an opposition in waiting because we've got a majority group with a very shaky majority. It's not a question of if that collapses, it's a question of when. So, as an opposition group, we're not there to hold them to account anymore, we're there to step in when they inevitably lose support and their command of the council."
Priorities and New Deputy
On his main priorities, Cllr Emsley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his aim is to ensure that councillors work across the entire borough, "bringing all of our cultures together [and to] recognise the immense amount of trust people have put in us".
His first decision as Leader of the Opposition was to appoint a new deputy, Cllr Gurpreet Sidhu. Cllr Emsley explained that Cllr Sidhu was chosen because he is "an exceptionally experienced member of his local community". He continued: "He's done a lot in Cranford… he received a very impressive swing and that is down to dedication and hard work. He's well known, and I think that is absolutely critical to the position of deputy."
