Brentford Hospital will close in its present form this autumn. Despite frequent interruptions from health workers in the public gallery, local hospital cuts and closures aimed at saving £280,000 were agreed by nine votes to two at Tuesday's resumed Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority meeting in Hounslow's civic centre.

Rents of council houses in the borough of Hounslow are to be raised by an average of 60p a week from April of this year, the housing committee decided on Monday. Because of a readjustment of the rent scale between houses and flats, this will mean the increases will range between a minimum of 40p and a maximum of £1.

In a surprise move this week, the Department of the Environment has ordered Hounslow Council not to demolish three Victorian houses in Bolton Road, Chiswick. Despite strong local opposition on both technical and environmental grounds, a six-storey block of old people's flats was planned to relieve a chronic local housing waiting list.