Former Hounslow Council Leader Receives New Year Honour

MBE for Steve Curran for services to local government and the community

Steve Curran by Brentford Bridge. Picture: Steve Curran/Twitter

Council Leader Stuns Meeting By Announcing Departure

'Open Warfare' in Hounslow Labour Party Over Candidate Selection

January 3, 2023

The former leader of Hounslow Council has received an MBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours list.

Steve Curran, who announced this March he would be stepping down to receive treatment for cancer, was awarded for services to Local Government and to the community in Hounslow.

A few months prior to his departure it had been announced that Hounslow had been named Council of the Year at the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards.

Mr Curran has lived in the Brentford area for around 20 years and worked for three decades as an operations manager for the NHS.

He was elected to Hounslow Council in 2010 and served in the cabinet holding portfolio responsibility for education and housing before becoming leader.

He guided the borough through the Covid-19 crisis during which time he was often a fierce critic of government policy.

Often described as pugnacious, he nevertheless had friends and admirers from all parties in the borough.

Another recipient of an honour in the borough was Peter Gilham who was given a British Empire Medal. He currently works as Player Welfare Manager for Brentford Football Club and is the longest serving PA announcer for any club in the UK. He was given the award for services to Association Football and to the community in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Peter Gilham. Picture: Brentford FC

The Leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Shantanu Rajawat said, " I am delighted that my former colleague Steve Curran has received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list. Having worked closely with Steve for a number of years, I have seen first hand his steadfast commitment to the residents and communities of Hounslow. As Leader of Hounslow Council, not only did he navigate the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, but he also oversaw 1,300 council homes being built for local residents and ensured local businesses could thrive in Hounslow. His achievements culminated in Hounslow Council winning “Council of the Year” in 2021 at the Local Government Chronicle Awards. This MBE illustrates Steve’s legacy to Hounslow and the hundreds of local people, businesses and communities who benefitted from his leadership."

He also congratulated Peter Gilham and Jagraj Singh Sran from Cranford who received a BEM for his fundraising efforts for the Pingalwara Trust, which supports vulnerable people.

Cllr Rajawat added, "A well-deserved recognition for all three people – congratulations for the honour and their contribution to Hounslow."

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.