Hounslow Labour Group Split over Appointment of Mayor
Some councillors question Shantanu Rajawat's leadership style
Cllr Afzaal Kiani
May 12, 2023
A furious row has broken out within the Labour group in Hounslow over the appointment of this year’s Mayor.
The leader of the council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, has decided that the largely ceremonial role should be carried out in the current year by Cllr Afzaal Kiani who represents Hounslow Heath ward.
However, other Labour councillors have both publicly and privately expressed concern that they have not been able to have a vote on the appointment with some even suggesting that it shows that the leader’s style has become dictatorial.
Messages from a Labour group WhatsApp group were published on the Brentford Today & TV Facebook page in which it is questioned whether he has kept to his promise of leading a ‘listening council’ made when his administration began. Cllr Amrit Mann issued a warning that this kind of leadership could mean ‘the public will turf us out as in 2006’ referring to the last time Labour failed to win a majority of seats on the council.
The WhatsApp group on which many of these complaints appeared has now reportedly been closed.
Some of the councillors have also raised concerns about the issue of Cllr Kiani’s departure from the Home Office being raised again, particularly if the story is picked up by Private Eye. He was suspended as a role as an immigration officer in 2014 when it was found that his wife worked in a related field. She worked for a company called Global Immigration Management Ltd which provided advice on citizenship and immigration issues including work permits. He challenged the dismissal by saying it was motivated by his race and religion, but his appeal was dismissed.
Cllr Kiani now works as a consultant and has lived in the Hounslow Heath ward for the last two decades. He has served as a school governor since 1990 and is Chair of the Hounslow Heath branch of the Labour Party.
The decision is due to be ratified at a Labour group meeting to be held on Monday 15 May and some councillors suggested that a three-line whip will be necessary for Labour councillors to confirm Cllr Kiani as Mayor.
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