The Community Group, also known as the Independent Community Group (ICG), and registered with the
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
as the Community (London Borough of Hounslow), was a small political party based in
Isleworth in the
London Borough of Hounslow
The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller borough councils (forming part of the former Middlesex County Council area) amalgamated under ...
.
The party was founded on 1 January 1994 as the Isleworth Community Group to build a "vibrant community" and to advocate public participation within the decision making processes. It was non-ideological, aiming to reflect local public opinion, and criticised the "incestuous nature of establishment politics".
Elections
The first member of the group joined the council after the
1998 local elections.
Following the
2006 local elections, the group had six councillors, representing Isleworth (Paul Fisher, Phil Andrews and
Genevieve Hibbs) and Syon wards (Shirley Fisher, Caroline Andrews and Jon Hardy). They accepted an offer to form a coalition administration with the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
group of councillors. This lasted until the Community Group lost all their seats to the
Labour Party in the
2010 local elections. The group then debated whether or not to field council candidates in the future. It ultimately did stand in the 2014 local elections, but was again unsuccessful, and in 2016 decided to dissolve.
Activities
The party had a motion passed in 2007 that called on the council not to invite the local MPs,
Ann Keen
Ann Lloyd Keen (''née'' Fox; born 26 November 1948) is a British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentford and Isleworth from 1997, until she was defeated by Conservative candidate Mary Macleod in 2010. ...
and
Alan Keen to council events, because the MPs had protested about the inclusion of former National Front member Phil Andrews in the council's new decision-making executive. It did not stand in the 2010 general election in an attempt to increase the chances of the Keens losing, although Alan Keen held his seat by a comfortable margin.
In March 2009, the party's councillors opposed the expansion of the sewage works in
Mogden
Ivybridge, formerly Mogden, is a housing estate in the southern part of Isleworth in West London. Formerly agricultural, it was the site of Mogden Isolation Hospital, later South Middlesex Hospital, from 1897 to 1991.
The area is usually now call ...
. The ICG then helped organise a protest against the expansion in April 2009.
Members
Genevieve Hibbs, a former nurse first elected to represent Isleworth in 2002, was the Mayor of Hounslow for a year from May 2008.
Phil Andrews was a member of the
National Front from 1977 to 1989, which he says he is "indescribably" ashamed of and now campaigns against racism.
Council elections
References
External links
Old websiteon the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
List of Hounslow councillors by partyPhil Andrews' blog ''
Hounslow Chronicle
''The Hounslow Chronicle'' is a local weekly tabloid newspaper distributed in west London, England. It mainly covers stories from the London Borough of Hounslow
The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, for ...
'', May 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Community Group
Political parties established in 1994
Political parties disestablished in 2016
Locally based political parties in England
Politics of the London Borough of Hounslow
1994 establishments in England
2016 disestablishments in England
Defunct political parties in England