Hammersmith and Fulham Council is unique in publishing details of its meetings with developers online, though was unable to share any minutes or notes from the last two years when asked by the LDRS
06:00, 18 Feb 2026
Aerial view of rowers on The River Thames at Hammersmith Bridge, London UK
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A council spokesperson said the local authority is “best-in-class” for transparency(Image: Richard Newstead via Getty Images)
A West London council has been accused of displaying a lack of accountability after failing to produce notes for more than 35 meetings with developers in the last two years. Unlike most local authorities Hammersmith and Fulham Council publishes details of meetings with key stakeholders, such as Chelsea FC, Queens Park Rangers and the Earls Court Development Company, on a designated webpage.
The information included in such entries has however dwindled over time, with nothing but the attendees and occasionally the location listed for the last two years. When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) requested minutes or some form of overview from the meetings it was told the information online is all the council has on record.
Cllr Jose Afonso, Leader of the Conservative Opposition, claimed the lack of notes “means there is no accountability, no scrutiny, and no way for residents to know what was discussed or why”. A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said the local authority is “best-in-class” for transparency, which unlike most of its peers publishes details on all meetings held with developers.
Hammersmith and Fulham’s Labour administration established the webpage in an attempt to differentiate itself from the previous Conservative regime, which it replaced in 2014 and had been accused of getting too close to the development industry.
The page’s sub-header describes it as providing “information and notes” on past meetings, followed by a line of copy which reads: “We publish details about meetings between H&F councillors, council staff and developers as part of our commitment to being transparent and open.”
Divided into years, the entries initially included information such as the purpose of the meeting and occasionally some of the points discussed.
For example, for an item detailing a meeting on the West London Magistrates Court site on November 25, 2019, an introductory sentence reads: “General discussion with Dominvs and residents on issues relating to the site, residents concerns, and Dominvs proposal to engage new architect team.”
Another entry from the same year records a meeting with Queens Park Rangers, for which a bullet-point-list of discussion points is included as well as those in attendance. Over time this level of detail has however been reduced with newer items typically only noting the attendees.
For 2025 meetings are recorded with stakeholders including INGKA, an IKEA franchisee, the developer Rockwell and Rob Heasman from the Earls Court Development Company, which is leading a major regeneration of the former exhibition centre site.
When the LDRS requested minutes from the meetings held in 2025 and 2024 under Freedom of Information (FoI) laws the council said "the information that is on the website is the information that we hold on record".
It is understood that none of the meetings were formal pre-planning sessions and were all held in Hammersmith and Fulham Council offices unless specifically listed. Cllr Afonso however claimed the lack of minutes means there is no scrutiny nor any way to know what was discussed.
Cllr Jose Afonso
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Conservative councillor Jose Afonso, Opposition Leader(Image: Cllr Jose Afonso)
He told the LDRS: “Labour in Hammersmith and Fulham used to bang on about transparency in dealings with developers. Yet for the last two years, not a single minute has been kept from meetings with their major stakeholders.
“No minutes means there is no accountability, no scrutiny, and no way for residents to know what was discussed or why. On their leaflets they claim to be different, but we all know it's just more of the same from Hammersmith and Fulham Labour - when things look tough, transparency goes out of the window, and when they negotiate, Hammersmith and Fulham loses.”
A council spokesperson said: “Hammersmith and Fulham is a best-in-class council for transparency. Unlike most other councils - we publish details on all meetings between councillors and developers. This includes information on attendees at these meetings which is available for residents to view on the website.”
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Labour reiterated that the administration goes “above and beyond” other councils for its transparency on meetings with developers.
They said: “We don’t just publish details of the meetings – on taking office, we banned all hospitality from developers. That sits in acute contrast to the bleak days of the previous Conservative administration, when they were happily flown to the French Riviera and were wined and dined by property developers seeking to bulldoze entire council estates to build flats for overseas speculators.
“The Conservative record on transparency and the sale of council estates was a disgrace, which is why we publish this information and maintain a complete ban on accepting any hospitality.”
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