The Borough Council of Hounslow held its Annual Meeting on Tuesday 26 May 2026, where key leadership positions were confirmed and the council's formal bodies and appointments to outside organisations were established for the municipal year. Councillor Ranjit Gill was elected Mayor, and Councillor Shantanu Rajawat was appointed Leader of the Council, who subsequently announced his Cabinet.

Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Councillor Ranjit Gill was elected as the Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow for the municipal year 2026/27. Following his election, Councillor Gill signed the declaration of acceptance of office, formally witnessed by Mandy Skinner, the Chief Executive. In accordance with Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Mayor appointed Councillor Sahibaa Hussain as Deputy Mayor for the same municipal year.

Election of Leader and Cabinet Appointments

Councillor Shantanu Rajawat was appointed as the Leader of the London Borough of Hounslow for the 2026-2030 Council Term. Councillor Tom Bruce was appointed as Deputy Leader. The Council also noted the appointments to the Cabinet, with specific portfolios assigned to each member:

• Councillor Shantanu Rajawat: Leader of the Council, with responsibilities including Corporate Plan direction and delivery, strategy, performance, communications, public affairs, and liaison with government and strategic partnerships.
• Councillor Tom Bruce: Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, overseeing planning strategy, council homebuilding, regeneration, and inclusive economic development.
• Councillor Madeeha Asim: Cabinet Member for Children and Young Futures, responsible for children's social care, education, schools, and youth opportunities.
• Councillor Lily Bath: Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, covering adult social care, public health, and health and care integration.
• Councillor Samia Chaudhary: Cabinet Member for Transformation and Customer Experience, focusing on corporate transformation, service redesign, ICT, and equalities.
• Councillor Amy Croft: Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Enforcement and Recycling, with responsibilities for highways, parking, waste and recycling, and street cleaning.
• Councillor Ajmer Grewal: Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Safety, overseeing culture, libraries, community engagement, and community safety.
• Councillor Max Mosley: Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, responsible for financial strategy, capital delivery, treasury management, and procurement.
• Councillor Sue Sampson: Cabinet Member for Housing, covering housing strategy, repairs, maintenance, and homelessness prevention.
• Councillor Salman Shaheen: Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Public Realm, with duties including environment strategy, air quality, climate emergency action, biodiversity, and transport strategy.

Additionally, five Cabinet Assistants were appointed to support specific Cabinet Members: Councillor Fiza Ahmed (supporting Councillor Ajmer Grewal), Councillor Marcella Benedetti (supporting Councillor Lily Bath), Councillor Dan Bowring (supporting Councillor Madeeha Asim), Councillor Scott Hill (supporting Councillor Amy Croft), and Councillor Tariq Mehmood (supporting Councillor Max Mosley).

Establishment of Formal Council Bodies

Members agreed to the establishment and appointments for various formal Council bodies for the 2026/27 municipal year. This included the appointment of members to sub-groups of the Cabinet, such as the Shareholder Committee, and to various scrutiny committees, including the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Children & Young People Scrutiny Panel, and Health & Adults Care Scrutiny Panel. Appointments were also made to regulatory bodies, such as the Planning Committee, Licensing and General Purposes Committee, and Audit and Governance Committee. Other bodies, including the Pension Fund Panel and Corporate Parenting Panel, also had their memberships confirmed. Area Forums for Bedfont and Feltham, Brentford and Syon, Central Hounslow, Chiswick, Hanworth, Heston and Cranford, and Hounslow South, Isleworth, Osterley and Spring Grove were established with their respective councillor memberships.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The Council approved nominations for appointments to a range of national, London-wide, and local organisations for the 2026/27 municipal year. These appointments ensure the Council's representation on bodies such as the Local Government Association General Assembly, London Councils' committees, the West London Waste Authority, and various London and Hounslow community organisations. Specific appointments were made to bodies including the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors, Crane Valley Park Steering Group, Mortlake Crematorium Board, and numerous Hounslow-based trusts and committees. The Council also noted existing longer-term appointments to organisations such as the Thomas Layton Museum Trust and Brentford Dock Limited.

Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next Council meeting was noted as Tuesday, 21 July 2026.