The view from the Lido this spring is, well, a tad bleak. Residents living on Reservoir Road woke up on the weekend of the 12th December to a slightly new view, due to the installation of a new gate. To say opinion was less than enthusiastic would be rather an understatement. The gate seems to not have a single redeeming feature.

The Budget Consultation is open until Wednesday.  You can have your say by completing the very short form on the Council’s website.  Unlike the Council's own introduction to the budget consultation, where they didn't even include a link to the budget itself, or any suggestion that there was anything to see, we encourage you to read it.  Flick through and see what you can find. 

This series of articles brings together recent, documented failures at Hillingdon Council.  Individually, each might be dismissed as an error or an oversight.  Taken together, and set alongside formal audit warnings and resident complaints, they raise a more serious question about whether the Council’s systems of governance, financial control and accountability are functioning as they should. Should we be worried?

Finally, we must ask whether the administration is listening to its own auditors.  Last summer, Ernst & Young (EY) issued a rare Section 24 Recommendation, warning of “systemic weaknesses” in financial governance and “unreliable forecasts.” Crucially, this warning came after the Council had already launched its £1.8 million Finance Modernisation Programme and Governance Review in April.  Yet when the warning was formally considered, the Council’s response was not to pause, reset, or acknowledge failure, but effectively to continue as before. 

To make sound decisions - whether on multi-million pound budgets or local planning applications - a Council must rely on accurate, up-to-date evidence.  Yet, we are seeing a recurring pattern where significant decisions in Hillingdon are being driven by data that is demonstrably wrong, cherry-picked, or simply does not exist. This is not just a matter of differing opinions or careful selection of which other London Boroughs to compare ourselves against in press releases; it is a failure of basic competence that mirrors the “systemic weaknesses” and "unreliable forecasts" flagged by the Council’s own auditors. 

Just last month, the Cabinet approved a massive spend to replace the Council's Planning IT system.  Despite assurances over recent years that our feedback would be taken into consideration and that we would be involved in working on the new system to avoid the bugs of the current one, the decision to purchase a new system was buried in a confidential "Part 2" paper.

Most residents know when their home insurance is due; they shop around in good time. Yet for the second year running, the Council has used "Special Urgency" powers to renew the Council's insurance policy at the last minute in November, automatically waiving the usual scrutiny period. What does “Special Urgency” actually mean? Special Urgency is an emergency power that allows the Cabinet to make a decision immediately, bypassing the usual 28-day notice and - crucially - removing the right of Councillors to "call-in" (scrutinise) the decision.

The refusal to be straight with residents extends beyond Officers to elected Councillors.  One local resident who has shared their correspondence with us has spent January trying to participate in the Budget Consultation, only to be met with obfuscation. In early January, having written to their ward councillors (including Deputy Leader Cllr Bianco) asking for the methodology behind specific line items in the budget, specifically:

Because the accounts were published late, the lawful "Public Inspection" period was pushed back to autumn.  When three residents visited the Civic Centre during this delayed window to inspect the books - an appointment confirmed by the council - nobody was there to meet them, except, after almost an hour of waiting, an untrained junior staff member with a notebook but no answers.

While the Council aggressively pursues residents for Council Tax arrears, a different standard was applied to a former colleague.  Investigative reporting by the LDRS revealed that former Conservative Councillor Alan Deville was allowed to accumulate rent arrears on the Cowley Meeting Hall. Mr Deville leased the hall from the Council for £5,655 a year, but sublet it to the popular Theo’s Café for…

The Council’s ability to meet basic deadlines seems in danger of collapsing. By law, councils must publish their draft accounts by 30th June. Hillingdon failed to do so until 22nd September, making it the last borough in London to publish. The lateness was blamed on the Oracle accounting system being “a bit of a car crash” (as described by the Chief Finance Officer at an Audit Committee meeting) but it has extended through the year, despite Oracle supposedly now being much improved. 

Perhaps the most worrying disconnect from reality concerns the Council's request for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS). To put this £150 million figure into perspective: there are 106,874 Band D equivalent properties in Hillingdon. This loan effectively places over £1,400 of new debt onto every household, which we will be paying back for 20 years - without residents having had…

Hillingdon Council is asking for a £150 million government bailout but it isn't free money. It represents more than a £1400 debt for every single household in the borough, a burden we will be paying back with interest for the next 20 years—money that will service debt rather than fund local services.  While the Council blames external factors like Heathrow, their own records tell a different story: one of systemic failure, disclaimed accounts, late-filed reports, and 'unreliable' figures…

In July 2025, Hillingdon Council's then-Cabinet Member for Community & Environment, Cllr. Eddie Lavery, cited "survey data" as a key reason for not implementing an entrance fee at Ruislip Lido.  However, a subsequent Freedom of Information (FOI) response, email correspondence and a rejected follow-up question have cast significant doubt on the existence - and the accuracy - of that data.

Residents were rightly alarmed last week after news spread of a public notice in the Uxbridge Gazette announcing the closure of Breakspear Road South for four months, starting at the end of March. Given the obvious chaos this would cause, we immediately sought clarification.  We can confirm that the notice was published in error! “The Map...  makes no sense” Following our challenge to the published plans, Rick Connors (LBH Project Manager) confirmed to us by email that the official paperwork was fundamentally flawed.

Planning Applications APPROVED: Ref Address Application Date of Decision 10837/APP/ 2025/2798 14 South Drive Erection of single-storey part side part rear elevation 08/01/2026 14922/APP/ 2025/2853 10A Church Avenue Details pursuant to the discharge of Condition 3 of planning permission ref. 61347/APP/2024/383 (Appeal ref: APP/R5510/D/25/3368950). 14/01/2026 43889/APP/ 2025/2693, 2688 & 2691 21 Midcroft a)      Erection of rear conservatory b)     Erection of fencing to front and side with sliding gates…

Planning Applications Submitted within CA in January 2026 Ref Address Application Date of Application 14226/APP/ 2025/3062 54 High Street Barclays Bank Change of use of part ground & first floor from a financial and professional services (Use Class E (c)) to residential. Erection of rear dormers, raising of roof ridge on rear section of the building and installation of 7 rooflights to provide an additional floor of residential (Total 5 flats Use Class C3) 04/12/2025 47351/APP/ 2025/3229 …

Hi further to the last update in July 2025 What is happening at 2 Midcroft in Ruislip? | Ruislip Residents’ Association The planning application to demolish the old petrol station at 2 Midcroft and built a block of 7 flats was approved by LBH planning on 30th January. This ends 18 years of uncertainty concerning this site.

The Public Inspection of Accounts allows residents to scrutinise council finances and ask questions, but Hillingdon’s late publication of its accounts and failure to answer valid inspection questions raise concerns about how effectively this legal right works in practice. What is the Public Inspection of Accounts? Each year, councils are required by law to prepare and publish their annual Statement of Accounts and to make them available for public inspection.

Your residents’ association attends the quarterly Thames Regional Flood & Coastal Committee to ensure we have an eye on any changes to flood risk management and the activities of statutory authorities beyond our local Council, as Lead Local Flood Authority, to include the Environment Agency and Thames Water. Consultation now open There is a current consultation, closing date 20 May 2026; ‘significant water management issues’.

Planning Applications APPROVED:   Ref Address Application Date of Decision 71603/APP/ 2025/2769 19 Bury Street Installation of solar panels on rear and side of roof and on the existing rear extension   18/12/2025   Planning Applications REFUSED: Ref Address Application Date of Decision 11021/APP/ 2025/2587 33 High Street Boots Opticians Replacement shopfront and entrance door to first floor 02/12/2025 Planning Application with SPLIT DECISION:

Ref Address Application Date of Application 14922/APP/ 2025/2853 10A Church Avenue Details pursuant to the discharge of Condition 3 (Materials) of planning permission ref. 61347/APP/2024/383. 12/11/2025 34752/APP/ 2025/2879 7 Bury Street Installation of roof lights to rear roof slope and erection of outbuilding to rear garden (Application for Listed Building Consent) 14/11/2025 57788/ADV/ 2025/52 106 High Street (Old Alforno) Installation of 1 internally illuminated fascia sign and 1 internally illuminated projecting sign 25/11/2025 49461/APP/

Ref Address Application Date of Application 43889/APP/ 2025/2691 21 Midcroft Erection of side infill extension. 19/10/2025 14252/APP/ 2025/2753 73 High Street Old Santander Bank Change of use of ground floor class E (bank) to sui generis (bingo hall), following amendments to fenestrations 29/10/2025 71603/APP/ 2025/2769 19 Bury Street Installation of solar panels on rear and side of roof and on the existing rear extension 31/10/2025 10837/APP/ 2025/2798 …

Planning Applications APPROVED: Ref Address Application Date of Decision 38232/APP/ 2025/1007 & 1011 10 Church Avenue a)      Installation of 2 drop kerbs and vehicular crossovers to the front of the dwelling. b)     Installation of vehicular gates and new horizontal timber slats between the existing front garden pillars. 30/10/2025 30013/APP/ 2025/2369 20 Ickenham Road Variation of Condition 2 (Approved Plans) of planning permission ref.

Planning Applications APPROVED:   Ref Address Application Date of Decision 62868/APP/ 2025/2195 & 62868/APP/ 2025/2342 34 South Drive a)      Conversion of integral garage to habitable accommodation, erection of a 1-storey extension to the rear, erection of a 1-storey infill extension to the side/rear, amendments to fenestrations b)     Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a rear dormer with 2x juliette balcony, and conversion of roof from hip to gable end, and 2 front roof lights.