A Fair Deal for Hammersmith & Fulham
Liberal Democrat Manifesto: Local Elections 2026
Real action on housing, safety, transport, and clean streets for every resident in our borough.
Housing
Everyone in Hammersmith & Fulham deserves a safe, secure, and affordable home. Yet under Labour, housebuilding targets have been missed year after year, families languish on waiting lists, and council tenants have been left in damp, mouldy, and dangerous conditions with nowhere to turn. At the same time, thousands of leaseholders across our borough remain trapped by the cladding scandal, facing financial ruin through no fault of their own. Liberal Democrats will build more homes, fix the ones we have, and fight for every resident to be treated with the dignity they deserve.
Build more homes and build them faster
For years, Labour-run H&F Council has missed its housebuilding targets. Families are stuck on waiting lists while huge sums pour into temporary accommodation instead of permanent homes.
- Exceed housing targets by at least 20% every year
- Streamline planning in appropriate high-density areas
- Shift spending from costly temporary housing into affordable, council-owned homes
End the damp and mould scandal in council housing
Residents have been left living with damp, leaks, and unsafe conditions for years. The council has faced repeated criticism and findings of maladministration. That is not good enough.
- Launch a borough-wide audit of housing conditions
- Introduce strict repair deadlines, emergency fixes within 24 hours
- Compensation for residents where the council has failed
- Transparent contractor performance, published publicly
- Better support for leaseholders, shared ownership residents, and tenants navigating housing problems
End the cladding scandal
Hundreds of thousands of leaseholders across London are trapped by the fire safety crisis. The pace of remediation is dangerously slow and the financial burden is falling on residents who did nothing wrong.
- Support the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign's 10 demands
- Push government and the Mayor to make properties safe immediately
- Ensure no remediation costs are passed on to leaseholders or residents
- Champion full leasehold reform, the system is indefensible in the 21st century
Crime & Safety
Every resident in Hammersmith & Fulham should feel safe in their home, on their street, and in their neighbourhood at any time of day. But Labour's record on policing has been one of cuts, closures, and creeping invisibility. Police stations have closed, waiting times have skyrocketed, and victims of serious crimes are being failed by a system stretched beyond breaking point. Liberal Democrats will restore visible, community-based policing, invest in prevention so fewer young people fall into crime, and make sure no survivor of a serious offence is left waiting in vain for justice.
Policing you can actually see and reach
Labour has cut visibility, closed counters, and left residents unsure where to turn. Victims across London are waiting three times longer than elsewhere in the country. This is justice denied.
- Keep the 24/7 counter open at Hammersmith Police Station
- Open additional neighbourhood policing hubs across the borough
- Bring the council's Law Enforcement Team under the Met's borough commander for faster, better-coordinated responses
- Deliver a neighbourhood safety plan: better lighting on key routes, joint walkabouts, and targeted enforcement at hotspots
- A clear, easy way for residents to report issues and track what's been done
Tackle antisocial behaviour at its roots
Labour's approach focuses on enforcement after the fact. We will invest in prevention so young people have real alternatives.
- Increase funding for youth centres and community groups
- Invest in Turning Point programmes for young people struggling with drugs and alcohol
- Tackle root causes of antisocial behaviour, not just consequences
Proper investigation of sexual offences
The Met is solving half as many rapes and sexual offences as in 2016. Only 28% of the Mayor's promised additional investigators are in place. Survivors deserve better and fewer repeat offenders means fewer victims.
- Press the Mayor to fully fund and recruit dedicated rape and serious sexual offence investigators
- Support survivors with faster, more effective investigations
Transport
Getting around Hammersmith & Fulham should be straightforward, affordable, and safe whether you travel by car, bus, bike, or on foot. Instead, residents face a closed bridge that has blighted the borough for years, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods introduced without proper consultation, confusing and expensive parking, and tube fares that keep going up. Liberal Democrats will get Hammersmith Bridge open again, put residents in charge of clean-air decisions, create safe cycling routes for everyone, and fight the fare hikes that are hitting Londoners in the pocket.
Clean air, clear streets, and fair parking
LTNs were introduced without proper consultation. Parking feels expensive, confusing, and like a cash grab. We will do better.
- Support and expand clean-air initiatives but only with genuine resident consent
- Introduce a revamped borough-wide parking permit with discounts for residents more than 1km from a Tube station
- Oppose tube fare hikes imposed by the Mayor without adequate justification
Safe, convenient cycling for everyone
Cycling is healthy and environmentally friendly but dockless bikes cluttering pavements and unsafe routes put people off.
- Create designated parking spaces for dockless bikes on every street
- Build protected, cross-borough cycle lanes running east-west and north-south
Accountability and Fair Governance
A council should work for its residents not the other way around. For too long, Labour has made decisions in H&F without listening: imposing LTNs without consultation, letting contractors off the hook, and failing to give residents any way to hold the council to account. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze households across the borough, with rising fares, soaring water bills, and bus routes being cut. Liberal Democrats believe in open, honest government that puts residents first — and we will use every lever available to ease the pressure on families struggling to make ends meet.
Fair deal on cost of living
Tube fares are rising, water bills are set to soar, and bus services are being cut. We will use every lever available at council level and push hard at regional and national level.
- Oppose the Mayor's tube fare rises and bus service cuts
- Campaign for fairer water bills and accountability from Thames Water
- Support residents with practical help navigating housing, benefits, and services
A council that listens and delivers
Labour has too often made decisions without proper consultation on LTNs, housing, and services. Lib Dems believe in genuine community involvement.
- Consult residents before major changes to streets, services, or planning
- Publish clear, trackable commitments so residents can hold us to account
- Transparent reporting on council performance and contractor outcomes
Council finances: your money, spent wisely
Residents deserve to know that every pound of council tax is being spent effectively and honestly. Under Labour, spending decisions have too often lacked transparency, procurement has gone unscrutinised, and the council has prioritised its own priorities over the needs of those it serves.
- Publish a full annual value-for-money audit, independently verified and publicly available
- Introduce open procurement, all contracts above £50,000 published with clear rationale
- End wasteful spending on consultants and temporary agency staff where permanent, skilled council employees would serve residents better
- Set a clear target to reduce the cost of temporary accommodation, redirecting savings into permanent affordable housing
- Give residents a direct say in local budget priorities through participatory budgeting in every ward
Highstreets and Enviroment
Our high streets and local environment are the heartbeat of the borough and they deserve better than neglect. Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road should be thriving, clean, and welcoming places where independent businesses can flourish. Meanwhile, Thames Water continues to pour raw sewage into our river, hike bills, and pay its executives millions, all while failing the most basic tests of service and accountability. Liberal Democrats will invest in our streets, back our local businesses, and take on the water company that has let Londoners down for too long.
Hold Thames Water to account
Thames Water was rated "poor" on complaints handling the only water company in the country to receive that rating. In 2023 alone, raw sewage was discharged into the Thames for over 6,000 hours. Residents should not foot the bill for these failures.
- Demand Thames Water halt unjustified price hikes
- Push for accountability on the £15bn debt racked up while executives took millions in bonuses
- Campaigning locally and nationally for residents to get value from their bills
Revive Hammersmith, Fulham and Shepherds Bush high streets.
Our high streets deserve investment, not neglect. We will make them safer, cleaner, and better for independent businesses.
- Reliable cleaning and rapid graffiti and litter removal
- Stronger action on nuisance and antisocial issues
- Practical support for independent businesses shopfront improvements and a "local-first" approach
- Keep high streets busy, safe, and welcoming at all times of day