Leader Ian Speed | Founded 1994 | |
The Community Group, also known as the Independent Community Group (ICG), and registered with the Electoral Commission as the Community (London Borough of Hounslow), is a small political party based in Isleworth in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Contents
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 is non-ideological, aiming to reflect local public opinion, and has 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 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.
In the 2005 general election Phil Andrews stood in Brentford and Isleworth and received 2% of the votes, despite claiming that he had been "in it to win it".
Activities
The party had a motion passed in 2007 that called on the council not to invite the local MPs, Ann Keen 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. They did not stand in the 2010 general election in an attempt to increase the chances of the Keens losing, although Alan Keen MP held his seat by a comfortable margin.
In March 2009, the party's councillors opposed the expansion of the sewage works in Mogden. The ICG then helped organise a protest against the expansion in April 2009.
Members
Genevieve Hibbs PhD, 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.