Some Old Faces and New Elected to Local Wards

Labour retains control of Hounslow Council by thinnest of margins

Craig Owen (Labour) and Guy Lambert (Green) were the winners in Brentford West

May 9, 2026

The count took place this Friday at the conference centre at Twickenham Stadium with results being declared by Returning Officer Mandy Skinner through the afternoon.

Initial Labour appeared to be performing in line with expectations but a number of shock results particularly from constituencies in Heston and Cranford, normally regarded as safe territory, made the margin of victory even lower than was anticipated. In the event, one seat going a different way would have led to the council going to no overall control but Labour did eventually get to the 32 councillors needed.

In the wards in the Brentford and Isleworth areas, there were fewer surprises with the results generally in line with those projected before the election.

Guy Lambert topped the poll in Brentford West by a large margin with a significant personal vote. The Green councillor was re-elected alongside Labour’s Craig Owen. Cllr Lambert secured 1,078 votes, while Cllr Owen followed with 836, giving the two parties one seat each.

Green candidate Rashid Wahab finished third with 670 votes, ahead of Labour’s Husna Hashmi on 640, reflecting a strong combined showing for the two parties. Reform UK candidates Bob Ayres and Gordon Turner polled 374 and 311 respectively, while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives trailed further behind, with their candidates receiving between 226 and 315 votes. Independent candidate Scott Illman received 252.

Turnout was 45.51 per cent, with 2,698 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 5,928. Eleven ballots were rejected for various reasons.

Syon & Brentford Lock returned a mixed slate in 2026, with Labour winning two of the three seats and the Brentford & Isleworth Independents securing the third. Labour’s Dan Bowring led the field with 1,284 votes, closely followed by cabinet member Katherine Dunne on 1,276, reaffirming the party’s strong base in the ward.

Theo Dennison, a former Labour councillor running under the Brentford & Isleworth Independent banner, who won the third seat with 1,098 votes just 67 ahead of the third Labour candidate Jennifer Prain. It was the second time in a row he beat her by a narrow margin in this ward having initially secured the seat in a by-election in 2025 when he won by just 12 votes.

Left to right: Theo Dennison, Katherine Dunne and Dan Bowring. Picture: Hounslow Council

The second Green candidate Namaa Al-Mahdi was not far behind in fifth and the other independent candidates edged out Reform, the Lib Demas and the Conservatives.

As widely predicted Labour has retained control of Brentford East ward in, with Marcela Benedetti and Max Mosley elected.

Ms Benedetti topped the poll with 812 votes, followed by Cllr Mosley with 740 with Tony Firkins for the Greens taking third spot. Reforms candidates outperformed both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

Marcela Benedetti and Max Mosley were the winners in Brentford East. Picture: Hounslow Council

Turnout in Brentford East was 31.9%, with 1,894 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 5,941. Twelve ballot papers were rejected for various reasons, including voting for more candidates than permitted or being unmarked.

A strong indication that the day was going relatively well for Labour came with the result in Osterley and Spring Grove which was projected to be on of the borough’s most marginal. In the event, Labour has retained all three seats with Tony Louki, Unsa Kausar Chaudri and Ranjit Gill elected following a strong showing elections. Cllr Louki topped the poll with 1,657 votes, followed by Chaudri on 1,539 and Cllr Gill on 1,425, giving Labour a clear and comfortable victory in one of its long-held wards. Cllr Gill was elected in 2022 as a Conservative for Homefields ward but defected to Labour before being nominated as the party's candidate for this seat.

The Conservatives finished as the main challengers, with Jason Harcourt receiving 1,095 votes, Christopher Raynor 1,010, and Sheetal Tiwari 954. The Green Party also attracted significant support through Sara Novakovic, who polled 988. Reform UK’s three candidates received between 457 and 571 votes, while the Liberal Democrats’ slate ranged from 442 to 548 a disappointing outcome in a ward in which they had hoped to challenge for at least one seat.

Turnout was 40.42 per cent, with 4,222 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 10,449.

The winning candidates in Osterley and Spring Grove. Picture: Hounslow Council

In Isleworth Sue Sampson topped the poll on 1,658 votes and Salman Shaheen close behind on 1,544, securing two of the ward’s three seats. The third seat went to Roger Crouch of the Liberal Democrats, whose 1,364 vote result marked a significant breakthrough for the party after years without representation on Hounslow Council.

Labour’s third candidate, John Stroud Turp, the party’s chief whip, finished just outside the winning group, while the Liberal Democrats demonstrated renewed strength with all three of their candidates placing in the top six. The Greens and Reform UK achieved mid table results, and the Conservatives struggled to gain traction in a crowded field.

Roger Crouch gives a thumbs up after a Lib Dem win in Isleworth. Picture: Hounslow Council