Hounslow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Councillors Riaz Gull and former Deputy Mayor Harleen Atwal Hear, both representing Heston Central, resigned from Hounslow Council last week.
The two council members will now serve as independents, adding Hounslow‘s number of independent council members to four.
Cllr. Atwal Hear didn’t participate in a selection interview and informed the Original Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that she intended to retire in 2026. She claims that the atmosphere at Hounslow Labour, still, averted her from continuing until May 2026.
She added:
“Working for Hounslow Labour has been toxic. That’s all I can say, I haven’t enjoyed any of it, and it’s getting so stressful what is happening now.”
The LDRS was aware that before he resigned, Cllr. Riaz Gull was deselected. It is acknowledged that other deselections have taken place, but they have not yet been made public.
Hounslow Labour was communicated by the LDRS for comment. The group doesn’t note on internal party issues, a representative informed the LDRS.
It was announced last week that Cllr Guy Lambert, a former Labour councillor, had joined the Green Party. Up to his abdication in January 2025, Cllr. Lambert served as a Labour council member in Hounslow.
“Deeply defective” is how he described the selection procedure that determines which campaigners would run in the coming choices. After serving as an independent for many months, he joined the Green Party and became the first member of the Hounslow Council.
In recent months, Labour council members from all around London have quit the party. While some have resigned or deserted for other reasons, this has frequently been a reaction to not being chosen to run in the next municipal elections. Five council members in Hillingdon have left the Labour group due to resignations or party deselections.
Due to the group’s inability to detect enough womanish campaigners willing to run in agreement with party regulations regarding gender balance, the seeker selection process had to be halted. Eight Labour council members in Brent were informed they would not be allowed to run for office in 2026.
How do these resignations affect the council balance of power and committees?
The resignations of Councillors Riaz Gull and Harleen Atwal Hear from the Labour Party to sit as Independents reduce Labour’s seat count on Hounslow Council, affecting the political balance. While Labour still holds a maturity on the council, losing members who serve on panels can impact Labour’s control and voting strength in commission opinions and debates.
Committee enrollments frequently reflect party proportions, so their departure may bear reshuffles and relief of their commission seats by Labour. This could slightly weaken Labour’s influence temporarily, especially if the councillors held crucial commission places or leadership positions, similar to Atwal Hear’s former Deputy Mayor part.
Still, unless further councillors abdicate or switch cooperation, Labour still retains overall control of the council. The impact substantially affects internal dynamics, commission voting perimeters, and conceivably the effectiveness of party discipline.