The local elections will be held in just a few days, with millions of voters heading to the polls.
But what are the options for Hillingdon locals, and what is going to happen in the borough?
Where is Hillingdon?
Hillingdon is located in the West of London, and encompasses areas like Ruislip, Hayes and Uxbridge. It is the second-largest borough in London, and has a population of over 305,000 people. It is probably best known for being the borough that hosts Heathrow Airport.
What happened at the last election?
Currently, Hillingdon council is under Conservative control – the latest local election of 2022 saw the party win 30 of the 53 seats, with the Labour Party winning the remainder of the 23 seats. Most of the Tory losses can be put down to boundary changes, as Hillingdon went down from having 65 seats in 2018 to 53.
Political make-up at the end of the 2022 election
Conservatives: 30 (-14)
Labour: 23 (+2)
Since then a scattering of defections, resignations and the usual carousel of local political manoeuvres has seen the picture change.
Labour has been reduced to just 16 councillors, the Greens have one and the new Hayes Independent Party, formed earlier this year, with five councillors defecting to their party. The Conservatives still control the council, now with 31 councillors.
Political make-up now
Conservatives: 31
Labour: 16
Hayes Independent Party: 5
Green: 1
Local Issues
Hillingdon has been in Conservative control since 2006 but, before then, had been a regular battle ground for Labour. The divided nature of this year’s elections in the capital mean the Tory 20-year reign continuing is far from guarenteed.
Along with national issues concerning the cost of living crisis likely feeding into this election, Hillingdon is one of many local authorities that is facing financial issues and has had to go to the government for support via their ‘Exceptional Financial Support’ process. And last month at a digital hustings event hosted by Hillingdon Alliance of Residents Associations, the issue of HMOs (House in Multiple Occupation), fly-tipping and the issues of Heathrow’s expansion all came to the fore.
Who are the ones to watch?
According to Professor Tony Travers of LSE, via the BBC, there are likely to be big Reform UK gains in Hillingdon as the borough voted leave in 2016 – but not enough to take control of the council.
Travers predicts that it may become a no overall control borough, with the Conservatives, Reform UK and Labour all sharing seats on the council.
All candidates of the election can be found on the borough’s website.
Featured Image Credit: Nigel Cox/Hillingdon: Long Lane CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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