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Hillingdon London Borough Council

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Hillingdon Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1965
Leadership
Colleen Sullivan,
Conservative
since 9 May 2024[1]
Ian Edwards,
Conservative
since 14 January 2021[2]
Tony Zaman
since 1 January 2022[3][4]
Structure
Seats53 councillors
Political groups
Administration (30)
  Conservative (30)
Other parties (23)
  Labour (22)
  Independent (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Centre at Uxbridge
Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW
Website
www.hillingdon.gov.uk

Hillingdon London Borough Council, which styles itself Hillingdon Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hillingdon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2006. The council is based at Hillingdon Civic Centre in Uxbridge.

History

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The London Borough of Hillingdon and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's four outgoing authorities, being the borough council of Uxbridge and the urban district councils of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood and Yiewsley and West Drayton. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[5][6] The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Hillingdon", although it styles itself Hillingdon Council.[7][8]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Hillingdon) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Hillingdon has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[9]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[10]

Powers and functions

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The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[11] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[12]

Political control

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The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2006.

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[13]

Party in control Years
Labour 1964–1968
Conservative 1968–1971
Labour 1971–1978
Conservative 1978–1986
No overall control 1986–1990
Conservative 1990–1994
Labour 1994–1998
No overall control 1998–2006
Conservative 2006–present

Leadership

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The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Hillingdon. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[14][15]

Councillor Party From To
Alfred Beck Labour 1965 1968
Darrell Charles Conservative 1968 1971
Alfred Beck Labour 1971 1973
John Bartlett Labour 1973 1978
John Watts Conservative 1978 1984
Norman Hawkins Conservative 1984 1986
No leader 1986 1990
Andrew Boff Conservative 1990 1992
Richard Barnes Conservative 1992 5 May 1994
Steve Panayi Labour 5 May 1994 8 May 1994[16]
Chris Rogers Labour 8 May 1994[16] 15 May 1997
Paul Harmsworth Labour 15 May 1997 1998
Richard Barnes Conservative 1998 2000
Ray Puddifoot Conservative 2000 14 Jan 2021
Ian Edwards Conservative 14 Jan 2021

Composition

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Following the 2022 election and a change of allegiance in February 2024, the composition of the council was as follows:[17]

Party Councillors
Conservative 30
Labour 22
Independent 1
Total 53

The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

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See also: Hillingdon London Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 53 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[18]

Premises

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The council is based at Hillingdon Civic Centre on the High Street in Uxbridge. The building was purpose-built for the council in phases between 1973 and 1978, and also incorporates an earlier building of 1939 which had been shared by Middlesex County Council and Uxbridge Urban District Council.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ "New Mayor welcomed at Hillingdon Council". Hillingdon Council. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Councillor Ian Edwards". Hillingdon London Borough Council. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Council minutes, 18 November 2021" (PDF). Hillingdon Council. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Council minutes, 13 July 2023" (PDF). Hillingdon Council. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. ^ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1978 c. 33, retrieved 16 May 2024
  6. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  7. ^ "Planning advice, fees and application forms". Hillingdon Council. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  8. ^ Constitution of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Uxbridge: Hillingdon Council. May 2022. p. 13. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  10. ^ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  11. ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Council minutes". Hillingdon Council. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  15. ^ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  16. ^ a b Peters, Dave. "Defeat in victory". Uxbridge Informer. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive. He lost a leadership vote to Chris Rogers by 24 votes to 19 at the party's annual general meeting
  17. ^ Boothroyd, David (16 February 2024). "Will you ever win?". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  18. ^ "The London Borough of Hillingdon (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2020/71, retrieved 16 April 2024
  19. ^ Historic England. "Hillingdon Civic Centre and integrated hard landscaping, including paving, planters, steps and walls (Grade II) (1451218)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  20. ^ Cotton, Carolynne (1994). Uxbridge Past. London: Historical Publications. pp. 121–125. ISBN 0948667303.
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