Hounslow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Hounslow Council leader Shantanu Rajawat discussed 2024 achievements, 2025 budget challenges, regeneration, transport plans, and cultural aspirations.
In an interview with Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Hounslow Council leader, Councilor Shantanu Rajawat, admitted that by 2025 all councils will face budget problems.
He highlighted the council’s focus on youth employment and skills development as a key achievement of last year.
Cllr Rajawat spoke about the council’s aims for long-term regeneration, service plans, and aspirations to become the London Borough of Culture as they prepare their budget in an attempt to address a £30 million financial deficit.
How Is Hounslow supporting youth employment through the YSEG program?
A greener, healthier, cleaner, prosperous, safer, and more livable borough were the six key aims that Hounslow Labour outlined in their 2022 election platform.
The Leader informed the LDRS that the first two years were devoted to articulating the meaning of that plan, with 2024 serving as the implementation year.
The goal of Hounslow’s Youth Skills & Employment Guarantee (YSEG), a collaboration between the council and partners like Brentford FC, Sky, and Heathrow Airport, is to give individuals between the ages of 14 and 25 greater access to job opportunities and skills throughout the borough.
Encouraged by local companies, the program started in 2023 and ‘took off’ in 2024.
Cllr Rajawat told the LDRS that the YSEG was the turning point of 2024 for the Local Authority (LA), saying that it became “business as usual.” He said:
“There is a generation of young people who have faced the pandemic, austerity, and a poor paying job market.
Setting up the YSEG was about offering young people the opportunity to gain the skills needed for work, to get into apprenticeships, whilst recognizing not everyone goes to university.”
He added:
“The focus in the first year was on people with learning difficulties. It was a great moment for me to go to their graduation and see people who started out lacking in confidence, much more self assured, and many with full time job offers.”
Credit: Hounslow Council
What are the financial challenges faced by Hounslow Council?
Hounslow Council announced proposals last year for changing the amount of council tax assistance that individuals are eligible to receive. In order to address the £30 million deficit in council finances, a number of measures are anticipated to be presented in the budget.
Over the course of 10 to 12 years, the council had to find £60 million in savings during the austerity period. With a commitment to service security, they now have the opportunity to find half of that in a quarter of the time.
Cllr Rajawat told the LDRS:
“Finances have been very challenging for us. We always knew that it would be because we are good at projecting how we are going to meet the challenge.
It’s really challenged myself and the cabinet. We can look at efficiencies whilst being clear about tackling inequality, but it’s about finding balance. Some would say take from the reserves, or cut services and be done with it. They aren’t all palatable options.”
The Leader informed the LDRS that the council has healthy reserves because of careful budgeting since 2010 and that this will allow the council to retain its financial stability while upholding its manifesto commitments.
He said:
“I am clear that is [the reserves] only for a rainy day, and when you’re looking at needing £30 million of savings, in many respects that day has come. Yes, we are going to have to dip into reserves for the budget, but efficiencies that come out of the budget will replenish that.”
What are the tough decisions to be made by the Hounslow council?
Several local authorities in the city, including Brent, Hillingdon, and Newham, have declared their intention to increase council taxes. Councillor Rajawat did not rule out tough decisions like raising the council tax.
He said:
“We haven’t reached a final decision. It’s usually the last decision we make, once we’ve explored all other options. It’s always going to be difficult to go to residents when they are struggling out there.”
All residents will be required to pay something since the council has stated that they may reduce council tax support. Thousands of consumers would lose their existing discounts if these concepts were implemented.
Cllr Rajawat informed LDRS that the existing plan is not viable:
“We have offered 100 percent support to the most vulnerable, but we are going to have to be much more targeted. Looking at large families, the most vulnerable people, continuing to protect them, but everyone will have to pay a portion… because it is not sustainable to pay £27 million a year to our council tax support scheme.”
What is the West London Orbital proposal?
Hounslow, Old Oak Common, and stations farther north like Hendon and Brent Cross will all be connected by the West London Orbital proposal. All project components have ‘viable solutions’ identified, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan’s December 2024 confirmation.
The scheduled project is what Cllr Rajawat told the LDRS he is “most excited about.”
He said:
“It’s significant because it makes it easier to move between West and North London. The West London economy is the second largest after central London, and we can do so much by connecting within West London.”
The Leader refers to the 7,500 persons on the London Borough of Hounslow’s housing waiting list as a “historic problem.” It would take time, he told the LDRS when asked how he plans to address this in 2025.
Financial constraints make things difficult for them, he said, but the development side of things is also difficult. Many of the development partners are also still struggling.
It will take time and is not a quick solution. They are dedicated to funding the restoration of our estates, including Charlton House. Despite the challenging financial situation, they are still committed.
How can Hounslow become the London borough of culture?
Established in 2017, the London Borough of Culture initiative highlights the distinct identities of each borough and encourages cultural enjoyment. The Greater London Assembly gives the award winner £1.3 million to provide cultural programming.
The most recent awards were given to Haringey for 2027–2028 and Wandsworth for 2025–2026. Cllr Rajawat told the LDRS that he expects to submit an application “this year, if not next year” since he thinks Hounslow has a chance to win the prize.
He said: “It’s not just about culture, but about heritage. It’s not just about places like Boston Manor and Osterley House. There are also, in terms of diversity, 180 languages spoken in the borough.
“We can build on the things we’ve done in the past, around celebrating the culture and diversity of our borough, and that heritage and experience of people who have come from overseas and what they bring to the borough.”
Beth Malcolm is Scottish based Journalist at Heriot-Watt University studying French and British Sign Language. She is originally from the north west of England but is living in Edinburgh to complete her studies.
