"I would like to wish all of you in the Borough who are celebrating it, a very Happy Diwali.
"I know this year has been especially difficult. Diwali celebrations will look and feel different, and many will miss celebrating the festival with families. I appreciate the sacrifices you are making, and I want to thank you for helping to drive down the virus and keep Hounslow safe.
"The Festival of lights stands for celebration, for joy, for family and most of all, for hope. I hope that, with the efforts all residents are taking to stop the spread of the virus, we will once again celebrate Diwali with our friends and our families. Stay home, stay safe, stay healthy."
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 Holding a firework display at home or building a garden bonfire can be dangerous. Please consider celebrating in a different way, with less risk of injury or fires.
There are many ways to mark Diwali in alternative ways. Acting safely and responsibly at all times is the only way to keep our loved ones, older relatives and communities safe.
If you're planning to set off fireworks at home, you must follow the new national lockdown restrictions, meaning no one from outside your household or support bubble should attend.
Remember, it’s illegal to set off fireworks in the street or public places. Be courteous to neighbours and be mindful of pets. To report incidents of noise nuisance call 020 8583 2222.
 Hounslow Council's new local COVID-19 contact tracing system backs up NHS Test and Trace and helps to get coronavirus under control. Council staff call you if you have had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to check if you need any assistance or support such as with food shopping, collecting medication or debt advice.
It’s vital people get tested if they think they have symptoms, but remember, you must self-isolate until you get a negative result.
A range of Covid-19 tests are available - you can;
- Order a home test kit
- Go to a local walk-through test centre in Feltham and Heston, or
- Visit a Mobile Testing Site
You can't access a test without booking in advance online or by calling 119.
You should only book a test if you have symptoms or have been asked to book by the Council or a hospital.
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Boston Manor House in Hounslow is set to receive vital funding towards essential restoration from the Historic Houses Foundation.
The Historic Houses Foundation is a major beneficiary of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, recently announced by the UK Government and Historic England, which will provide support for restoration work on some of England’s most important and vulnerable historic buildings.
Work will begin immediately and during winter, before the start of the new tourist season in Spring 2021 and is expected to provide employment to a wide range of traditional craftsmen and building professionals, in addition to other local employment opportunities.
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Hounslow is to be the first location in the UK to trial autonomous electric delivery vehicles on its roads. The Kar-go, designed by British start-up, Academy of Robotics, will be the first custom-built autonomous delivery vehicle to travel on the roads in the UK
Designed to offer a contact-free form of delivery, the company has chosen to make its first deliveries from pharmacies to care homes and will later introduce deliveries from a depot to work sites for Hounslow Highways.The Kar-go will be driving itself to and from the sender and recipient’s address and will perform parcel hand-over autonomously using on-board robotics.
As an electric vehicle, the rollout of this technology offers significant environmental and health benefits and presents a green alternative to diesel delivery vans, enabling logistics companies and retailers to keep delivery costs down, whilst providing the convenience of on-demand delivery.
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The Council approved plans for temporary changes to polling stations for the May 2021 elections at the Borough Council Meeting on Tuesday 10 November.
The polling station review was undertaken to assess the suitability of polling stations where mobile units are used due to COVID-19.
It was found that mobile units will be unsuitable as polling stations for the May 2021 polls due to social distancing guidelines. Electors who normally vote at a mobile unit will be accommodated at a neighbouring polling station for the elections in May 2021.
Residents affected will be informed of the temporary changes in February 2021.
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We want to hear from you and understand how your experiences can shape the way we communicate and engage with you, our residents. Join us live on Tuesday 17 November 2020 7.00pm for the Chiswick Area Forum. Get involved and submit your questions beforehand.
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Hounslow is a green borough with over 200 parks, many green spaces and waterways and over 100,000 trees. This green infrastructure has endless potential to provide a wide range of valuable health, social and environmental benefits to people in the borough.
Our new strategy will determine how best to increase and improve our green infrastructure and we need your views to inform it. We want to hear your views, the survey closes on 30 November.
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The Council has set up an online platform for capturing flooding incidents within the borough with improved accuracy and allowing a greater level of detail to be provided.
Providing incident information allows us to collate flooding incident records in a consistent way and investigate further where needed. The results will improve the Council's understanding about the flood risk in each part of the borough. All information provided will help with any potential future work to address flood risk in each area reporting flooding.
If you have experienced flooding within the borough, please complete the short online survey. The survey platform will remain open indefinitely to allow for ongoing and past flooding to be reported, in a consistent format.
Records collected will remain confidential and will only be used by Hounslow’s Lead Local Flood Authority.
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 Alcohol Awareness Week will be taking place next week. It is an event run by Alcohol Change UK to raise awareness of the impact that alcohol can have, and campaign for change to drinking habits.
The focus this year is on alcohol and mental health as alcohol is sometimes used by people to try and manage symptoms of anxiety and depression, but studies show that excessive drinking is likely to make symptoms worse.
Self Care Week is taking place from Monday 16 November until Sunday 22 November. It's a time for us to celebrate health and wellbeing, to take stock and think about how to better look after ourselves and our families, especially in such uncertain times.
Visit OneYouHounslow for a full range of support and advice on health and wellbeing and how you can make a difference today.
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 Join us on our exciting digital journey here at Hounslow Council and take part in the Digital Festival Hounslow. Hounslow has a high proportion of wards which are amongst the most digitally excluded in England and the Council is on a mission to change this.
Digital Festival Hounslow continues next week - here's what's on offer in week three.
Tuesday 17 November - 10 - 11am - Accessibility with Microsoft.
Microsoft believes that accessibility is essential to delivering on their mission to “empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more." However Microsoft's mission doesn’t begin and end with the products, it extends to the culture of our workplace and weaving accessibility into the fabric of the company—from hiring people with disabilities, to creating inclusive marketing, and awarding an Accessibility in Action digital badge.
Thursday 19 November - 2 - 3pm - AI Business School with Microsoft.
Learn from real insights from Microsoft’s own transformation with AI.
- Gain specific, practical knowledge to define and implement your AI strategy.
- Hear real-world recommendations on how to foster an AI-ready culture.
- Learn how to use AI responsibly and with confidence.
Friday 20 November - 10 - 10.30am - Intelligent Bike Lights with See.Sense.
Find out about how data from the See.Sense lights can help gain access to unique stats on your rides, and also be able to receive low-battery notifications, crash and theft alerts. You can also share anonymous insights about a ride that can help planners improve conditions for cycling.
We are also hosting a daily wellness session Monday to Friday at 8.30 - 9am. It's a great way to start your day.
Are you interested in Apprenticeships and want to find out more? Hounslow Connexions is hosting a series of free live webinars in partnership with ASK about Apprenticeships.
The sessions will cover an overview of apprenticeships, recognising your strengths, and how to write a winning application or CV.
19 November, at 2pm: Interview skills and how to search for jobs. Join in here.
3 December, at 2pm: Preparing for online recruitment and boosting your employability. Join in here.
Each event will be available live on YouTube, and each session will be available to watch afterwards. Watch back the last webinar, 'Recognising your strengths and how to write a winning application'.
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Whatever your age or ability there are lots of ways to stay active and healthy during the new national lockdown. We understand it is much colder this time around so there is plenty to do from your own home.
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