The Illusion of Engagement: Stolen Credit, Slashed Scrutiny, and Refused Handshakes

In recent pre-election videos, Cllr Peter Smallwood boldly praised his own track record of transparency. He told voters, 

“We hope you think we have been visible, we are regularly on the Ruislip Community Facebook page, we send letters and leaflets to keep you updated with our work, we engage with Ruislip residents’ associations, community groups and schools.”
– Cllr Smallwood, Facebook, 6th May 2026

This echoes a video he posted prior to the RRA’s Autumn 2025 AGM, where he filmed himself stating he was “enroute to the RRA AGM – an important event for councillors where we can be asked questions and held to account by the lovely people of Ruislip“.

The reality on the ground paints a vastly different picture.

The Missing Member

Despite his claims of robust engagement, Cllr Smallwood has completely avoided the RRA’s last four committee and public meetings. This sudden vanishing act coincides perfectly with our published articles regarding the Cowley Meeting Hall and Theo’s Café scandal.

Cllr Smallwood attested the Council’s seal on that highly discounted lease for a former Conservative councillor, yet he has avoided direct questions from residents about why he signed it. The Council has since changed the rules so that he (or any other Councillor) wouldn’t be asked to do it again.

Graceless in Victory

This defensive, cloistered behavior reached a petty climax at the election count on Friday 8 May. After the results were declared, an RRA committee member observing the count approached Cllr Smallwood in a nearly empty room, extended his hand, and politely said, “Peter, well done”.

Cllr Smallwood actively shook his head, refused the handshake, and walked away. If our elected representatives cannot handle a basic, polite congratulatory handshake from a resident who dares to look at the numbers and ask difficult questions, it speaks volumes about their fragile relationship with accountability.

Taking the Credit

The recent TfL bus fiasco at Ruislip Station provided another glaring example of this administration’s style of “engagement”. On 12 May, the RRA formally wrote to all local ward councillors, detailing the exact issues causing chaos for residents – including the step-free access problems, the empty timetable cases, the 2024 poster at Stop D, and the actively misleading LED screens.

A number of residents have been in contact regarding the recent bus changes around Ruislip Station, so we wanted to provide a quick update.

The Council was only informed by London Buses of these changes extremely late last week, shortly before they were implemented. There was no consultation with the Council beforehand, which is disappointing, particularly given the impact the changes have had on residents, visitors and public transport connections around the station.

TfL and London Buses are currently describing this as a “temporary measure”, however there is concern that this may not be as short-term or straightforward as first suggested. At the moment, TfL have not been entirely clear about the precise reasoning behind all aspects of the changes, and that is something we will be challenging directly.

We have asked to attend an on-site meeting next week with Council officers, London Buses and TfL to discuss the situation in detail. We will be pressing firmly for this to remain temporary and for solutions to be found as quickly as possible.
One of the key concerns being raised is the impact on the H13 service and the importance of maintaining proper public transport access to Ruislip Lido, particularly during the busier months of the year. Clear and reliable transport links are important not just for residents, but also for visitors, families and local businesses in the area.

Residents have also raised concerns around signage, bus information displays and the clarity of temporary arrangements around the station. Those concerns have already been raised with London Buses and we will continue encouraging clearer communication to passengers, especially for those unfamiliar with the area.

Unfortunately, much of the area directly affected is not under Council highway control, which does make resolving matters more complicated, but please be assured that officers and local councillors are actively engaging with TfL on this matter.

We will continue to keep residents updated as we know more.