Latest news with #Hillingdon
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Moment angry driver gets in road rage row with rival motorist while armed with golf club
It's almost certainly the wrong type of 'driver' for the middle of the road. But a bizarre road rage row has been filmed in west London that saw a motorist seemingly fish a golf club from the back of his car before getting into a row with another road user. The man, driving a grey Skoda Kodiaq, could be seen remonstrating with the driver of a black hatchback. As he rests the club on his shoulder, one of the men says: 'If you come near me I'm going to hit you.' Both cars can be seen sitting stationary in the middle of Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon during the incident, reportedly filmed on Saturday May 31. It took place immediately outside Hillingdon Primary School. The boot of the Skoda is wide open as the pair heard arguing over who started the fight as one yells: 'You approached me.' In the video, filmed from the opposite side of the dual carriageway, the men can be seen squaring up to one another over an unspecified disagreement on the roads. 'Go f*** yourself,' said the driver of the black car, as he challenged the other motorist on his decision to approach him with a golf club. As the club-toting driver begins to walk away, he shouts: 'Big man with a stick in your hand - big man aren't you?' The other driver raises his voice as he yells: 'Yeah, I am. I'm f****** bigger than you when I've got this. I know that.' During the bizarre encounter, shocked motorists can be heard beeping their horns and yelling at the pair. It ends as the golfer, in a grey shirt, light shorts and white trainers, walks towards the back of his car, the golf club slung over his shoulder. The video was shared on X, where it has been seen 22,000 times.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Tory-run council considers legal action against Labour government over asylum seeker costs
A Tory-run council with the highest concentration of asylum seekers in the country is considering legal action against the Labour government after it was refused a claim for more money for housing. Hillingdon accommodates the highest proportion of asylum seekers - 94 in every 10,000 residents - in the UK because of the number of hotels near Heathrow Airport. Some 3,010 people are being supported by the Home Office, according to latest figures, but when their cases are decided, they are evicted from six hotels in the borough and become the responsibility of Hillingdon Council. The local authority is paying for more than 100 asylum seeker families in temporary accommodation, while others are sleeping rough in tents in the area. Council leader Ian Edwards said the demand on council services had left the authority with a £5.3m shortfall in 2024/25 - but this week, the Home Office refused a claim for the money, claiming cash already provided under a grant was sufficient. Speaking to The Independent, Mr Edwards said: 'We are now in discussions with our lawyers, my expectation is that we will have to challenge that decision. 'This is not about attacking asylum seekers, they need the support... but the idea that the government can intensify the locating and housing of these people in our borough, and then expect our residents to pay for it is just breathtaking.' After coming to power, Labour pledged to speed up asylum seeker applications in a bid to bring down the backlog and save money on hotels. Figures published last week showed the number of people waiting for a decision on an asylum application in the UK had fallen 12 per cent in three months to 109,536 in March this year. However, this had led to a higher number of people needing council support, such as housing, said Mr Edwards. With a 3,000-household waiting list for social housing in the borough, the local authority is buying up more homes for temporary accommodation in an attempt to meet demand. Further strain is also felt by the council's services in education and health. Now, following the government's refusal to make up last year's shortfall on supporting asylum seekers, bosses at the local authority are considering cuts to services for this financial year. Mr Edwards said: 'It is the expectation from the government that the council has staff sitting around waiting to deal with this increase in work. 'It is putting intolerable pressure on our employees. We just aren't configured to deal with this enormous pressure let alone the cost, which is falling onto the shoulders of our residents. 'Once they're evicted and they come to our door, we pay from that moment on. 'The government needs to stop burdening a local authority with the cost of a national problem. This is a national issue. It should be funded nationally. It should come from government and they should be stumping up this cash for us.' London Councils, an organisation representing London's boroughs, told the BBC more funding was needed, with the group estimating a funding shortfall of at least £500m this year across its councils. During a debate in the House of Lords last month, Labour Baroness Taylor said the government was working to ensure a smooth transition for asylum seekers leaving hotels after being granted refugee status. She said: 'We are working hard to make sure that asylum seekers get a decision quickly and that we help local authorities plan more effectively as we reduce the number of asylum seekers waiting for the decision.' The burden on the council from supporting asylum seekers is strained further by arrivals to Heathrow Airport from the Chagos Islands, which were handed over to Mauritius as part of a deal last week. With some Chagossians resistant to Mauritian control, it's not yet clear how many more will come. But last week, 129 British nationals arrived from the Chagos Islands in the London borough, said Mr Edwards, and the council is supporting 93 households. Mr Edwards said: 'The concern for the local authority is that the government, having made that deal, provide the right support to local authorities who will now have to manage the consequences of that decision.' The Home Office said it was working with councils to reduce its reliance on hotels and funding has been announced to support local authorities. A spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money. We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so we can end the use of hotels, and save the taxpayer £4 billion by 2026. 'We remain committed to working closely with local authorities to work towards a fair and equitable spread of accommodation and provide the financial support required.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The migrant tent cities springing up in the suburb where one in every 112 residents is an asylum seeker
Mini 'tent cities' have sprung up in a West London borough where councillors say they are struggling to cope with housing thousands of asylum seekers. Hillingdon had supported 89 asylum seekers out of every 10,000 residents at the end of last year – or one in every 112 – and residents told MailOnline the taxpayers' money which the council is having to pay to house them was 'disgraceful'. Councillors say they are £5million short of the funds they would need to support everyone asking for help - putting a 'huge burden' on taxpayers and local services. With some deemed ineligible for housing support after leaving hotels, there has been a 'significant increase' in rough sleeping - with 'tented communities' springing up in parks and under bridges. Hillingdon accommodates a higher number of asylum seekers than average because of the large number of hotels it has near Heathrow Airport. Some of these are used as taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation – and, once a migrant moves into a hotel, they become the local council's responsibility. Residents said they think central government needs to fork out more money, but were equally sympathetic to the plight of the asylum seekers fleeing war and famine. Lisa Stevens, who lives in Cowley, a village within the borough of Hillingdon, admitted she did not know how much the council was spending on asylum seekers. 'I see them all at the hotels [near Heathrow],' the 49-year-old told MailOnline. 'I didn't know it was that much we were spending on them. 'I just pay my bills. My daughter's in temporary accommodation and can't get a council house, and she's lived in the borough for 18 years.' Margaret, another Hillingdon resident, said she was 'fed-up' with the current migrant situation, and couldn't understand how authorities were unable to stop small boats crossing the Channel in the first place. The 76-year-old fumed: 'I find it absolutely appalling. My husband's in a nursing home and has been for three years. All I get to help is the attendance allowance of £435 a month. The rest comes out of our savings and my husband's state pension. 'I find it incredible that they can't stop the boats coming over. I can't understand why they can't and what the French are doing. I worked all my life, sent my kids to university and now I am paying for my husband's care. It's absolutely disgraceful.' Meanwhile Gina Forse sympathised with migrants making the perilous journey across the Channel to Britain, but believes central government should be footing the lion's share of the bill for migrants, not individual local councils. 'I work for the mental health trust,' the 66-year-old said. 'We have a lot of asylum seekers in hotels who come across with a lot of mental health problems to do with their homes and their traumatic journeys across. '[The money to house them] should come from central government. Asylum seekers should also have a separate mental health service for them as well, because it's draining on our already-drained mental health services. 'Some people obviously need help more urgently than others, so we should triage them.' Sharon Harries, who works at Hillingdon Hospital, said asylum seekers often shoulder the blame for wider failures in services in Britain. 'It's nothing to do with asylum seekers,' the 68-year-old, who lives in Uxbridge, said. 'The National Health Service is not what it used to be. Waiting lists are getting longer and longer. People wait so long for one appointment that they don't even turn up.' Councillor Steve Tuckwell, cabinet member for planning, housing and growth at Hillingdon Council, said the strain on local services could soon increase due to the large number of asylum seekers currently staying in local hotels. He told MailOnline: 'We estimate there's around 3,500 asylum seekers in hotels in Hillingdon at the moment, which is the largest concentration in the country.' 'These asylum seekers will eventually become the responsibility of the London Borough of Hillingdon. 'And that doesn't include the additional asylum seekers that the Home Office is processing and will put in hotels.' The Conservative councillor said Government funding was not enough to cover the costs lumbered on the council, resulting in it having to stump up £5million a year from its own funds. 'Five million pounds would cover the entire library and heritage service for the year,' he said. 'The government provide some funding, but we are way, way, way beyond that. We estimate the funding [for this year] will run out by November. 'After that, the entire burden of asylum seekers will be with the Hillingdon taxpayer. That's unacceptable, particularly because some companies are making record profits from processing asylum claims.' Mr Tuckwell added that their asylum seeker burden was also being added to by British Nationals Overseas (BNOs) arriving from the Chagos Islands, which is expected to be handed over to Mauritius under a controversial new deal agreed by Labour. 'This week alone, we had 129 individuals arrived from the Chagos Islands,' he continued. 'They arrive at Heathrow Airport and, if they have dependants, we are obliged to house them. The Government have said they will only cover the costs for the first ten days. 'We are putting as much pressure on the Government as we can to provide adequate funding for processing asylum claims. It's a huge burden and it also diverts our attention from the services we provide our residents. 'Hillingdon is a welcoming borough, but the volume of asylum seekers being given permanent settlement means we need the funding from government to carry out their policy. 'It's not right that the Hillingdon taxpayer is to fund all of that. It's not acceptable.' Mr Tuckwell added that the council were housing some asylum seekers in newly refurbished temporary accommodation blocks in the borough, but admitted that rough sleeping had risen among asylum seekers deemed ineligible for housing. Outside the Holiday Inn near the airport, Afghani asylum seeker Tory Alai said he had been living in Hillingdon for over a year, after spending his first year in Colchester, Essex. The 23-year-old said he took a small boat across the English Channel from France along with 18 other people, and insisted that he would not go back to Afghanistan, where the 'dangerous' Taliban now rule. 'I am not worried about being thrown out of the hotel,' he told MailOnline. 'I am going to a friend's home. I am not going back to Afghanistan.' Another man named Carlos, from Cali in Colombia, said he had been paying to stay in the same Holiday Inn hotel since arriving in the UK last August. London Councils, which represents the capital's boroughs, told the BBC that asylum accommodation pressures 'are felt by boroughs across the capital and are especially acute in port authorities like Hillingdon'. The group said it estimated a funding shortfall 'of at least £500million this year across all services. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money. 'We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so we can end the use of hotels, and save the taxpayer £4 billion by 2026.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What James Corden's reign as London mayor will look like
It is hard to know for certain what put James Corden onto the idea of seeking elected office. Perhaps he craves a new challenge now that Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa have ridden off into the sunset. Or maybe, having returned to the UK after nearly a decade in the US, he realises how many lessons this history boy has to teach his motherland. We cannot discount the possibility that Corden has been inspired by the example of Volodymyr Zelensky, who has shown that there is a clear route from comedian to heroic wartime leader. All Corden needs is an election victory or two and an invasion by a large, hostile foreign power and he, too, could be on track to earn the respect of Ben Stiller. Attending the TV Baftas last weekend, Hillingdon's finest Peter Rabbit met the three hosts of the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: Sky News's political editor Beth Rigby, former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson and the former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman. According to one onlooker, Corden told the women he was a 'regular listener' and enjoyed the 'cut and thrust of politics'. In the same conversation, the onlooker told the The Mail on Sunday: 'It was suggested that he should step into the political arena and stand in the future. There was talk that he should run for Mayor of London.' Sadiq Khan is expected to step down before the next Mayoral election, scheduled for 2028, so Labour will need a new candidate. Corden is believed to be a supporter of the party, and criticised Jeremy Corbyn's leadership after the 2019 election defeat. 'I can't shake the feeling that if Tom Watson had been leader of the Labour Party the outcome of this could've all been so different,' he tweeted. 'Jeremy Corbyn has now lost two elections to opposition candidates who could've and should've been beaten.' The implication is clear: it would not have happened on Corden's watch. So, what might the Corden regime look like? He has kept his political cards close to his chest, although he supported Remain, so he might continue Khan's pro-EU agenda. There would surely be arts grants. If he is truly devoted to Harriet Harman, we can expect him to be pro the winter fuel allowance, which would put him out of kilter with Sir Keir Starmer. He has also suggested Donald Trump's agenda isn't simply 'politics', arguing opposing the US president is about 'good versus evil'. In that regard, a Corden mayoralty would follow in Khan's mould. Khan has also made many enemies with his aggressive anti-car policies. Corden, who gave the world Carpool Karaoke, a popular interview format in which he shout-sings over celebrity guests, might continue in this vein: what could be a worse advert for a car than the prospect of him singing in it? Cycling uptake would soar. Corden certainly has many of the attributes needed for a modern political career. He is famous, for a start, which is increasingly the main thing voters look for in a leader. The example of Trump shows that there is no ceiling to success, whatever your other personal qualities, provided you have been on telly a bit. Corden has broad appeal too. Granted, it is comic appeal. But it is broad. Gavin & Stacey and The Late Late Show pulled in vast audiences. He also has no shortage of famous friends, who he might rope in to the mayoralty. Harry Styles would be a good tsar for the capital's ailing nightlife. There's also Brooklyn Beckham, a man who has held a dizzying number of jobs – photographer, chef, hot sauce entrepreneur, racing car driver – without succeeding at any of them. In this regard, is he so different from Chris Grayling? Beckham without portfolio. And could Corden be the man, finally, to get his pal Prince Harry home? He has shown that after years of self-inflicted exile in California, it is possible to move back to the UK and bring a long-running family comedy-drama to a satisfactory conclusion. Harry take note. Anna Wintour, another friend of Corden's, was said to have been disappointed not to be Barack Obama's ambassador to the UK. She'd be a natural deputy mayor for culture, but it would be more interesting to see what she would do at Transport for London. The uniforms would be good, at any rate. Perhaps most importantly, Corden is also thick-skinned, having endured years of criticism about his character. There are many anecdotes about the star's rudeness and petulance in person. Last year Lily Allen said he had come on a bit strong, to which he – sorry, sources close to him – replied that he was 'over people talking about him in a negative way'. Then there was his much-publicised feud with the New York restaurateur Keith McNally, who called Corden a 'cretin' for his behaviour in the Manhattan brasserie Balthazar. Corden apologised and has been readmitted to McNally's restaurants. You know who else was rude in person but popular with the voters? Winston Churchill. The man himself has yet to confirm his ambitions either way. But it would be foolish to write Corden off. As Bob Monkhouse might have said, we laughed when James Corden announced his mayoral ambitions. Will we still be laughing when he wins? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
What James Corden's reign as London mayor will look like
It is hard to know for certain what put James Corden onto the idea of seeking elected office. Perhaps he craves a new challenge now that Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa have ridden off into the sunset. Or maybe, having returned to the UK after nearly a decade in the US, he realises how many lessons this history boy has to teach his motherland. We cannot discount the possibility that Corden has been inspired by the example of Volodymyr Zelensky, who has shown that there is a clear route from comedian to heroic wartime leader. All Corden needs is an election victory or two and an invasion by a large, hostile foreign power and he, too, could be on track to earn the respect of Ben Stiller. Attending the TV Baftas last weekend, Hillingdon's finest Peter Rabbit met the three hosts of the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: Sky News's political editor Beth Rigby, former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson and the former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman. According to one onlooker, Corden told the women he was a 'regular listener' and enjoyed the 'cut and thrust of politics'. In the same conversation, the onlooker told the The Mail on Sunday: 'It was suggested that he should step into the political arena and stand in the future. There was talk that he should run for Mayor of London.' Sadiq Khan is expected to step down before the next Mayoral election, scheduled for 2028, so Labour will need a new candidate. Corden is believed to be a supporter of the party, and criticised Jeremy Corbyn's leadership after the 2019 election defeat. 'I can't shake the feeling that if Tom Watson had been leader of the Labour Party the outcome of this could've all been so different,' he tweeted. 'Jeremy Corbyn has now lost two elections to opposition candidates who could've and should've been beaten.' The implication is clear: it would not have happened on Corden's watch. I can't shake the feeling that if @tom_watson had been leader of the Labour Party the outcome of this could've all been so different. Jeremy Corbyn has now lost two elections to opposition candidates who could've and should've been beaten. — James Corden (@JKCorden) December 12, 2019 So, what might the Corden regime look like? He has kept his political cards close to his chest, although he supported Remain, so he might continue Khan's pro-EU agenda. There would surely be arts grants. If he is truly devoted to Harriet Harman, we can expect him to be pro the winter fuel allowance, which would put him out of kilter with Sir Keir Starmer. He has also suggested Donald Trump's agenda isn't simply 'politics', arguing opposing the US president is about 'good versus evil'. In that regard, a Corden mayoralty would follow in Khan's mould. Khan has also made many enemies with his aggressive anti-car policies. Corden, who gave the world Carpool Karaoke, a popular interview format in which he shout-sings over celebrity guests, might continue in this vein: what could be a worse advert for a car than the prospect of him singing in it? Cycling uptake would soar. Corden certainly has many of the attributes needed for a modern political career. He is famous, for a start, which is increasingly the main thing voters look for in a leader. The example of Trump shows that there is no ceiling to success, whatever your other personal qualities, provided you have been on telly a bit. Corden has broad appeal too. Granted, it is comic appeal. But it is broad. Gavin & Stacey and The Late Late Show pulled in vast audiences. He also has no shortage of famous friends, who he might rope in to the mayoralty. Harry Styles would be a good tsar for the capital's ailing nightlife. There's also Brooklyn Beckham, a man who has held a dizzying number of jobs – photographer, chef, hot sauce entrepreneur, racing car driver – without succeeding at any of them. In this regard, is he so different from Chris Grayling? Beckham without portfolio. And could Corden be the man, finally, to get his pal Prince Harry home? He has shown that after years of self-inflicted exile in California, it is possible to move back to the UK and bring a long-running family comedy-drama to a satisfactory conclusion. Harry take note. Anna Wintour, another friend of Corden's, was said to have been disappointed not to be Barack Obama's ambassador to the UK. She'd be a natural deputy mayor for culture, but it would be more interesting to see what she would do at Transport for London. The uniforms would be good, at any rate. Perhaps most importantly, Corden is also thick-skinned, having endured years of criticism about his character. There are many anecdotes about the star's rudeness and petulance in person. Last year Lily Allen said he had come on a bit strong, to which he – sorry, sources close to him – replied that he was 'over people talking about him in a negative way'. Then there was his much-publicised feud with the New York restaurateur Keith McNally, who called Corden a 'cretin' for his behaviour in the Manhattan brasserie Balthazar. Corden apologised and has been readmitted to McNally's restaurants. You know who else was rude in person but popular with the voters? Winston Churchill. The man himself has yet to confirm his ambitions either way. But it would be foolish to write Corden off. As Bob Monkhouse might have said, we laughed when James Corden announced his mayoral ambitions. Will we still be laughing when he wins?
