Last Thursday, Hillingdon Conservatives set out a motion to work with the UK Government and use our local influence to achieve a series of aims on behalf of Hillingdon residents. 

These included obtaining full funding for the cost of Asylum Seekers that Hillingdon unfairly is penalised for, for having Heathrow as a point of entry within our Borough.  The aims also included amending national aviation policy to remove the threat of a Third Runway, as well as opposing the reclassification of our green belt land and retain the existing Localism powers to over-ride planning policies that would be detrimental to our area.

Whilst the motion was approved by Hillingdon Councillors, the majority of the Labour group abstained from voting, with Cllr June Nelson, the Labour Chief Whip, representing Heathrow Villages voting against the aims.

Following the meeting, Leader of the Council, Cllr Ian Edwards commented, “I was surprised that the Hillingdon Labour group did not support this motion, which was published before the recent General Election, and the Government were known.  Their refusal to defend local residents’ ability to influence local housing and planning decisions is particularly worrying, and signals that housing targets proposed by the Labour Government will put our local green spaces at risk and Labour Councillors in Hillingdon complicit with this.”