We want to put you at the heart of decision making in Hammersmith & Fulham and that is why we have launched 16 resident-led commissions to help develop our policies for the borough.
Over the past four years, more than 100 local residents have helped shape the ways we work across the council.
“Our commissions put people at the heart of decision-making and policy in the borough,” said Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
“People who live here, and deal with these issues on a day to day basis, are best placed to tell us what problems need sorting out, and how we can best go about doing that,” he added.
The commissions
- Arts Commission
A new community-led commission is working to help shape the future of the arts and culture scene in H&F for local residents.
The independent H&F Arts Commission is made up of residents, volunteers, art experts and local arts organisations.
It will aim to build on the success of the council’s Arts Strategy (pdf 626KB) with recommendations to further boost the borough’s already thriving arts scene so all residents regardless of their background can get involved.
For more details please see the Arts Commission web page or email yvonne.thomson@lbhf.gov.uk
- Civic Campus Commission
The renewal of west King Street, including the restoration and extension of the Town Hall, demolishing the 1970s Town Hall Extension building and creating a new public plaza and cinema together with new flats and offices, is moving forward at a fast pace with construction work expected to start later this year.
The independent Town Hall Commission has been working to help shape the new scheme.
The three commissioners are local volunteers who have a particular interest in Hammersmith’s buildings and townscape, and who were closely involved in the community response to the earlier schemes for the project.
They are:
- Richard Winterton (Chair) – architect
- Melanie Whitlock – former chair of the Hammersmith Society
- Allan Baird – architect.
For more details, please email david.burns@lbhf.gov.uk
- Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission
In 2019, H&F Council declared a climate emergency and adopted a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. This applies to all activity across the whole borough. By articulating the amazing quality of life that would result from a zero carbon, ecologically rich society, we can build an exciting and positive vision for the future.
For more details please see the Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission page.
- Cycling and Walking Commission
Hammersmith & Fulham Council aspires to improve cycling and walking facilities across the borough for those living, working and visiting the area.
The Cycling and Walking Commission’s overarching vision is to contribute to and oversee on behalf of the borough's residents, businesses and workers the delivery of cycling and walking improvements within the borough, agreeing design principles to contribute towards scheme designs.
The initial phase of the commission will focus on a public realm scheme which improves the environment for users of King Street, Hammersmith Road and the A4 by creating a safer public space and improving the experience for all users with an emphasis on cyclists and pedestrians
For more details please see the Cycling and Walking Commission page or contact conor.saunders@lbhf.gov.uk
- Parks Commission
Our open spaces offer our residents a chance to play, exercise and breathe easier. They also provide opportunities for the borough to facilitate good physical and mental health, civic renewal and a strengthening of our community life.
The Parks Commission will focus on how residents can get the most from our open spaces, and how we can improve them while protecting them and making them sustainable for future generations.
The commissioners are:
- Tim Prager (Chair)
- Rosemary Mortimer
- Isabella Thomas
- Lindsay Tethal Wright
- Heather Farmbrough
- Jennifer O’Riley
- Judy Hargadon
- Kevin McIntosh
- John Goodier
- Richard Jackson
- Paul Appleton
The resident-led Parks Commission launched in January 2020 produced their final report which was approved by Cabinet in December 2021. Following a call for evidence from residents during spring 2020, the commission engaged widely with residents, park users and local communities, despite limitations presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. The commission’s report made twenty-two practical headline recommendations concerning democracy and decision-making; how parks were maintained and used; how they were financed; and how green space and biodiversity were enhanced and protected.
Parks Commission Final Report and Recommendations (pdf)
For background and appendicies see item 5 on the Agenda for Cabinet on Monday, 6th December, 2021
- Policing and Crime Commission
The independent Policing and Crime Commission is looking at the root causes of crime and anti-social behaviour in H&F.
The commission includes the chair Adam Matan OBE, Anti-Tribalism Movement, and vice-chair Gareth Dixon, Young H&F Foundation, along with seven other members.
- Lorraine Ainscow-Searle – Former lecturer in criminology
- Maria Doulton – Neighbourhood Watch volunteer
- Patricia Mayhew OBE – Eminent criminologist and winner of the Stockholm Prize
- Charlie Rigby – Founder of the Violence Intervention Project
- Rosie Wait – Local resident
- Chief Inspector Simon Brooker of the Metropolitan Police is acting as an ex-officio adviser to the commission.
For more details, please email monica.roucou@lbhf.gov.uk
- Teaching Commission
We simply want H&F to be the best borough for teaching, from nursery to further education. Despite the significant challenges, we are committed to ensuring the borough’s students are taught and supported by the best teachers and school staff, now and in the future.
The Teaching Commission is currently at the recruitment stage with the aim to launch in March 2020. Denise Fox, headteacher of Fulham Cross Girl’s School, has been appointed chair.
For further information on the Teaching Commission, please contact hannah.parrott@lbhf.gov.uk
- Women’s Equality Commission
Our vision is to become the most equal borough for women in London, particularly in the areas of safety, reproductive health, education and skills and representation in public life.
The aim of the commission is to:
- raise awareness of and prioritise issues that are important to local women and that would benefit from further research, raising awareness and campaigning
- create an environment for women to share ideas, problems and solutions related to these issues
- work to identify opportunities that contribute to achieving greater equality for women in the borough.
The commissioners are:
- Sian Alexander (Chair)
- Asha Singh Williams
- Marie-Clare Fenech
- Francesca Mandelli
- Jenni Young
- Anita Ponton
- Kim Watts
- Sarah Bowen
- Lotte Poole
- Frances Umeh
- Ouafa Choufani
Previous commissions
- Poverty and Worklessness Commission
Pockets of poverty and unemployment persist in this largely wealthy borough. So the aim of this commission was to establish why this is the case, and to find ways of tackling the problem.
Led by Christina Smyth, it met and spoke with people living in poverty in Hammersmith & Fulham, and reported to the council in March 2017.
- Business Commission
Greg Jackson 
Sophie Devonshire The Business Commission was led by two successful business people and worked with traders large and small in Hammersmith & Fulham to discover what more the council could do to help them thrive.
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, and Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Caffeine Partnership, head up a team of business experts who began their work last year. Their report, Upstream, was published in March 2017.
- Commission on Airport Expansion
The commission was led by former civil servant Christina Smyth and made up of local residents with a good knowledge of the area and who could assess the impact of any expansion.
Christina Smyth The eight-strong commission found a third runway would have a negative impact on the borough.
Chair Christina Smyth, said: “We found that the overall impact of a third runway would be adverse. The risk is that the residents of H&F will pay a heavy price for benefits which are largely elsewhere.”
The commission ran from November 2014 to April 2015 and received more than 100 responses from residents and community groups.
It shaped H&F’s evidence to the Government’s Airports Commission led by Sir Howard Davies.
The report and H&F Council’s submission to the government can be found on our Heathrow expansion web page.
- Residents’ Commission on Council Housing
This commission was created to safeguard the future of council housing in the borough.
Rt Hon Keith Hill The aims were to find ways to protect our council homes and estates for the future, give residents greater control, protect tenants’ rights and keep rents/charges affordable, and to fund improvements.
Rt Hon Keith Hill, the former housing minister who chaired the commission, said: “The greatest tribute must go to our resident members – tenants and leaseholders from the borough – all volunteers, who devoted a vast amount of their time to it.”
The commission recommended the council shift ownership of our council homes to a community gateway housing association.
The commission’s members were: Right Hon Keith Hill (chair), Peter Bevington, Shirley Cupit, Joanne Drew, Paul Ekudo, John Ghazi Quick, Mathias Kulubya, Anthony Mason, Andy Robson, Sofia Saraiva, Kim Shearer, Anthony Wood and Lorna Wynter.
For more details and for the report visit the Residents’ Commission on Council Housing web page.
- Air Quality Commission
The commission reported in September 2016 with a raft of suggested actions we can all take to improve the quality of our air.
Rosemary Pettit The commissioners studied official and academic reports and received evidence from residents, community groups, Transport for London, businesses, council officers, politicians, and academics.
It was launched in January 2016 and was made up of six residents.
“We’re looking to be the greenest borough in London and that requires determined and energetic work on behalf of the council, the GLA, the government and residents,” said Rosemary Pettit, chair of the commission.
“We hope we were able to communicate that sense of enterprise and energy we bring to the whole process of getting cleaner air for everyone.”
Most of its recommendations have already been put into action.
Read the report on the Air Quality Commission web page.
- Disabled People’s Commission
Tara Flood This commission includes 10 Disabled people from the borough and is looking at local Disabled people’s experiences of living in Hammersmith & Fulham.
The commission will use its findings to inform the council on how to work better with local Disabled people in relation to the support and services available locally.
Public events took place in April and September 2017 to listen to the experiences of other Dsabled people.
The commission completed its work and reported to Cabinet in December 2017.
For more details visit the Disabled People's Commission web page, or email kevin.caulfield@lbhf.gov.uk
- Rough Sleeping Commission
The number of rough sleepers in the borough is on the rise because of benefit cuts and a lack of affordable housing across London.
Jon Sparkes The Rough Sleeping Commission will examine the problem in Hammersmith & Fulham and look for solutions.
The commission is chaired by Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, and held its first meeting on 9 February 2017. The commission reported to Cabinet in January 2018.
For more details visit the Rough Sleeping Commission web page
- Biodiversity Commission
Morag Carmichael Looking at how we can help plants and wildlife flourish in Hammersmith & Fulham, this commission is being led by Morag Carmichael, who co-ordinates the local Friends of the Earth group.
The commission submitted its final report to the council in January 2018.
- Older People’s Commission
In November 2017 the council set up an Older People's Commission (OPC) to consider the issues facing older people in the borough. Isolation and loneliness, Poverty and Deprivation, and Access to Services are three of the key areas that the commissioners are focusing on.
The commission was chaired by Bryan Naylor, a local resident. The commissioners aim to provide the council with a set of recommendations to help 'make Hammersmith & Fulham the best place to grow older in'.
For more details visit the Older People's Commission web page