Labour Holds Hammersmith and Fulham

Congratulations to our local candidates Mercy Umeh and Zarar Qayyum who have been re-elected as councillors for Shepherd's Bush Green Ward.

Overall, the Labour Party has maintained control over our local Council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, bucking the national trend.  

Flyers from both Greens and Lib Dems claimed to have a polling lead, but these claims turned out not to be true. There was no "Turquoise Wave" here for Reform, and the Conservatives remain the main opposition party to the ruling Labour administration. 

Today is Election Day in Shepherd's Bush

Candidates in Shepherd's Bush Ward

Today is Election Day in Shepherd's Bush, and in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

Voters in Shepherd's Bush Green Ward can choose from a number of candidates (see left).

Shepherd's Bush Green is a very safe ward for Labour.  In 2022 the two Labour candidates, Mercy Umeh and Zarar Qayyum, were returned with large majorities. 

Will this year be different? It's hard to say. Both Greens and Lib Dems claim to be ahead in the polls, if you believe the leaflets they have pushed through local letter boxes.  They cannot both be right. 

Lib Dem Candidates Elsie and Fergus Want Your Vote on 7 May

Elsie Gisslegård and Fergus Ustianowski

Local council elections will be held on May 7th. We invited local candidates Elsie Gisslegård and Fergus Ustianowski, who are standing for the Liberal Democrats, to say why local people should vote for them on May 7th. 

"We moved to Shepherd’s Bush because we love it here. We walk the dog on the Green every morning, shop on Uxbridge Road, and feel the same frustrations every other resident does. The litter that lingers, the paths that feel unsafe after dark, the sense that nobody in the council is really listening.

Hammersmith Bridge - Closed Forever?

Hammersmith Bridge - closed since 2019

Hammersmith bridge remains closed to vehicles (though not to pedestrians and cyclists), and despite many years of discussion it seems that no progress on re-opening it has been made, and no viable solutions found. 

The cost of full repairs remains huge, and no money appears to be available to fund it. 

Our local MP Andy Slaughter wrote the following update in his latest newsletter: 

"Hammersmith Bridge remains one of the most important unresolved transport issues affecting west London, and an issue I am continuing to raise with government at all levels.

Ukrainian Refugees Arrive in Shepherd's Bush

Ukrainian refugees cross into Poland

The first refugees from Ukraine have begun to arrive in Shepherd's Bush.

A number of residents of Macfarlane Rd, which has an active WhatsApp Group helping neighbours to help each other, has taken in families, helping in a very personal way to alleviate the biggest humanitarian crisis Europe has faced since WW2.  We asked one Macfarlane Rd volunteer what is involved, and how others can help out.

Shepherd's Bush Front Line in the Vaccine Wars

Public protest on the Goldhawk Rd

Shepherd's Bush became an unlikely front line in the arguments over Corona virus, lockdown, vaccination, and public liberty today. 

How far has Lockdown infringed on our civil liberties? Too far, said today's protestors who turned Shepherd's Bush into a parking lot this afternoon.

Hammersmith Bridge Protest on Saturday 5 December

On Saturday 5 December from 2-3pm there will be a Hammersmith Bridge Protest Meeting.  Hammersmith Bridge is now closed not just to vehicles but also to bicycles, pedestrians and river traffic. 

The bridge is to remain closed indefinitely, as our Council, TFL and central government argue over who should pay. 

When will the bridge re-open? It has been closed since April 2019, following a long and sorry saga of temporary closures and regular postponement of the necessary repairs.

If you're fed up with the endless delays and prevarications and would like to see our council do something about repairing the bridge (which they own), then show up and let your voice be heard.

BLM Protest in Shepherd's Bush on Sunday

Shepherd's Bush Green

A Black Lives Matter protest is to be held on Sunday at 12.45pm on Shepherd's Bush Green. According to a recent article at W12, the protest will be "peaceful, and socially distanced", as well as "family friendly" and will "include live music and socially distanced dancing".

Many BLM events have begun in peaceful protest and ended in violence. Let us hope, for the sake of everyone in our neighbourhood, that Sunday's protest is as peaceful as promised.

Let's hope it also doesn't leave a big mess behind. Protests don't generally involve live music and dancing - this one sounds a lot like a street party.

To see what a recent street party in White City was like - read this blog post.

No Christmas Lights Again for Shepherd's Bush

Christmas Lights at Westfield

Uncle Scrooge would be proud of our local Council, who once again have failed to find any money to put up Christmas decorations on Shepherd's Bush Green.

Every year, Westfield puts on a sparkling display to pull in the crowds, while Shepherd's Bush Green and the surrounding streets are left with nothing to cheer the place up.

Andy Slaughter Re-Elected MP for Hammersmith

Andy Slaughter

Labour's Andy Slaughter has been re-elected in Hammersmith, seeing off all his opponents and maintaining a large majority.

Despite the national shift towards the Conservatives, Andy Slaughter's share of the vote dipped only slightly. His chief challenger, the Conservative Xingang Wang, also lost votes.

The results of last night's count were as follows:
Andy Slaughter, Labour, 30,074
Xingang Wang, Conservative, 12,227
Jessie Venegas, Liberal Democrat, 6,947
James Keyse, The Brexit Party, 974
Alex Horn, Green, 1,744

Jessie Venegas for The Lib Dems

Jessie Venegas for the Lib Dems

Jessie Venegas is the Liberal Democat candidate for the constituency of Hammersmith. Jessie was born in Mexico and grew up in Colombia and Canada, where she studied Political Sciences at McMaster University. She has lived in the UK for 12 years. She is currently a law and politics lecturer, and lives in Hammersmith. She is standing for Parliament for the first time.

The Lib Dems have never finished higher than a distant third in Hammersmith in a Parliamentary election but, if you're a firm Remainer, the Lib Dems could be a good tactical vote.

We asked Jessie to answer a few questions about why the people of Hammersmith should offer her their vote today. If you haven't voted, and you are still undecided, read on.

Andy Slaughter - in His Own Words

Andy Slaughter - Labour candidate

We asked the three main candidates for Hammersmith - Andy Slaughter for Labour, Jessie Venegas for the Lib Dems and Xingang Wang for the Conservatives - to answer a few questions about why the people of Hammersmith should give them their vote tomorrow.

So far, only Andy Slaughter has replied.

Since 2010 Andy Slaughter has steadily increased his majority and won back his seat in 2017 with a big majority - of 18,651 votes, turning Hammersmith into something of a safe seat.  Below are the questions we asked Andy Slaughter - and his answers.

General Election: Hammersmith - Who Will Win?

Constituency of Hammersmith

The Parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith was formed in 1983 and has been held by Labour ever since.  In 2010 the Conservatives came close-ish to taking the seat off of sitting MP Andy Slaughter, but lost by 3,500 votes.

Since then Andy Slaughter has steadily increased his majority and won again in 2017 with a "thumping majority" of 18,651 votes.  Charlie Dewhirst, the Conservative candidate, won just 14,724 votes, or 28.1% of the total - a swing away from the Tories of 8.3%.  

So, is this election a done deal for Hammersmith, or can any other candidate reasonably hope to challenge Andy Slaughter for the top job?

Hammersmith Bridge Consultation on Tuesday 18 June

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) have arranged a public meeting to discuss Hammersmith Bridge  on Tuesday 18 June 7pm in the Small Hall at LBHF Town Hall.

Hammersmith Bridge closed to road traffic in April, causing  traffic jams in Chiswick and Putney and great inconvenience to many locals.

European Elections Hustings Tonight Tuesday 14th May

Confused about the European Elections? You're not the only one. If it seems odd to you that we're voting for MPs for an institution that we are likely soon to be leaving, you are in good company.

And the Euro elections have always been opaque. Do you know who your local MEP is? Do you care?

Ironically, just as we are (maybe) set to leave the EU, the European election debate seems suddenly vigorous and important - and the outcome matters. If you'd like some answers, come along tonight 14th May to the Irish Cultural Centre in Black's Road, Hammersmith, from 6.45pm till 9pm.

Boundary Commission: Shepherds Bush To Join Willesden

Willesden and Shepherd's Bush

The Boundary Commission has made its decision and, assuming that Parliament votes in favour, the Parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith, born in 2010, is dead.

Long live the parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith and Fulham, abolished in 2010 and now to be re-incarnated.

What about Shepherd's Bush? It turns out we're to be hived off of the rest of the Borough and joined up with Willesden, in a new constituency named Willesden and Shepherd’s Bush.

Labour Win Big; Hold LBHF Council

Conservative candidates took another drubbing in our Borough yesterday as Labour increased its hold over local politics at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Following the trend from recent general and local elections, Labour increased their share of the vote, winning 35 out of a total of 46 seats across the borough's 16 wards. 

Time to Vote

Polling Day by William Hogarth

Here at the Shepherd's Bush Blog we don't urge you to vote for any particular party; possibly because we strongly suspect that you wouldn't pay any attention if we did.

But we do urge you to vote, and to vote on the local issues that confront our neighbourhood. Ask yourself - what will our candidates do to make our parks better and our streets cleaner?

Are they in favour of new development and investment, and do they get things done?

Liane Pibworth Wants Your Vote

Voting Wards in LBHF

Tomorrow is election day, and this year Liane Pibworth, whose experience becoming homeless with two young children means she knows more than most about the strengths and weakness of local government, is running for office in Shepherd's Bush Ward. We asked her a few questions about what she thinks is right, and wrong, in our Borough, and how she would try to go about fixing it.

Why are you running for office this year?
My journey towards this political arena has been forged though injustice and oppression, particularly when I and my children became homeless through no fault of our own.

We were unlawfully denied a duty of housing by the current council, and became street homeless for 8 weeks - and my baby slept in my suitcase.

Al Lewis - Candidate for Addison Ward

Al Lewis

It's election season, and we're inviting candidates running for local office to be interviewed, and explain what their goals are, and why local people should vote for them.

Al Lewis is a charity worker who works for CAFOD, the Catholic development charity in Waterloo, and has lived in Shepherds Bush for a decade. 

He is now running as a Conservative candidate in Addison Ward, Shepherd's Bush.  

We asked Al some questions about his candidacy, and why this election matters.