Latest news with #HillingdonCouncil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Volunteers 'devastated' at garden centre closure
Learning disabled volunteers and their families say they are "devastated" a west London community garden centre is set to be closed down. More than 4,500 have signed a petition urging the Hillingdon Council to keep the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) in Colham open. A group of learning disabled adults help maintain the garden centre, and some have attended for decades and see it as a critical part of their routine, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Hillingdon Council says the centre is making an annual loss of £137,000 a year which is being subsidised by local taxpayers and and volunteers will be offered alternative "learning and developmental opportunities". Terry, who has been volunteering at the garden centre for several years, said he had "stopped leaving the house" before he began working there. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said: "My mum got ill with dementia and I had to look after her, when she died I was suggested to come here, it's now the only place I come to. "If this place closes I won't be doing anything again, it makes me upset." Wayne, a volunteer of over 30 years at the RAGC, says he loves the work and the people he works with. His father Stuart says it is the "one thing that gives them a purpose in life". Without it, he says, many volunteers would be "stuck at home". "All of these people will be devastated," he added. "We all need this place, what it does for people, and the community it brings. We need it." Hillingdon Council says it will continue supporting volunteers by offering horticultural placements in gardens and public areas around the borough's Civic Centre in Uxbridge. The local authority says this will provide "enriched learning and developmental opportunities" and "a wider range of activities than they currently experience at the garden centre". The report on the future of the Rural Activities Garden Centre is due to be will be considered by the council's Cabinet on 26 June. Hillingdon Council said: "We are committed to ensuring all volunteers with assessed social care needs receive enriched learning and developmental opportunities. "Unfortunately, the RAGC's retail operations are not economically viable and we cannot expect residents to subsidise a loss-making garden centre." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to London Borough of Hillingdon
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Chagos islanders flee to Britain over Starmer's giveaway
Chagossian migrants are moving to Britain en masse over Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand their homeland over to Mauritius. Major airports have seen a 'significant' influx of incoming families over recent months, many of whom appear to have rushed through their decision to move to the UK. One council has warned that dealing with the surge will require financial support from the Government. Chagossians were granted British citizenship by Sir Tony Blair in 2002, meaning that they have the right to move to live and work in the UK. Sir Keir was this week accused of betraying the islanders as he signed away the Indian Ocean archipelago after 200 years of British rule. Under the deal, No 10 has handed control of the islands to Mauritius, which has never previously owned them and is 1,500 miles distant. Britain will then lease back the biggest island, Diego Garcia, which is home to a joint UK-US military base, for 99 years at a cost of £30 billion. The pact has attracted criticism over both security concerns and the lack of consultation with Chagossians who hope to ultimately move home. Hillingdon Council, which covers Heathrow, said it had seen a surge in Chagossians arriving since talks on the deal started in October. It said that some 187 people from the islands arrived in the last quarter of last year, whilst a further 156 have come in since the beginning of this year. Many are arriving without any plans for employment or housing, suggesting that they have chosen to leave in a hurry over concerns about their future. The revelations will prove embarrassing for Downing Street and will further add to negative publicity around the deal, which critics say was unnecessary. Cllr Ian Edwards, the leader of Tory-run Hillingdon, said the influx was so great that it needed more support from the Government to cover its costs. He said that anecdotal evidence from those arriving was that they had left Mauritius because of 'the decision around the transfer' of the Chagos Islands. 'Increasingly we are hearing, and it's being evidenced, that they don't wish to become Mauritian citizens so the alternative is come to the UK,' he said. Chagossians were awarded British citizenship in recognition of the fact that they were forced to leave their homeland in the 1960s to make way for the Diego Garcia military base. Many of those evicted moved to Mauritius, with others going to the Seychelles. Hillingdon Council said it was 'seeing a significant number of families arrive from the Chagos Islands via Heathrow without onward travel plans and seeking housing support'. Because they are British citizens the council has a duty to provide them with support, but central funding only covers 10 days of housing costs. Many families are having to be put up in private rented accommodation for six months or more until they have settled, with the council picking up the tab – projected to be £1.2 million a year with further arrivals expected. It is understood that significant numbers of Chagossians have also been arriving at Manchester and Gatwick airports in recent months. Whilst some Chagossians have opposed the handing over of the archipelago others based in Mauritius have supported the agreement. The Mauritius based Chagos Refugees Group said in response to the deal that 'the majority of island-born Chagossians and their descendants' backed it. Olivier Bancoult, its president, said: 'This agreement marks the end of colonial occupation, but it must not herald the start of a new silence. 'Alongside Mauritian sovereignty, there must now be clear guarantees for Chagossian rights – for memory, for justice, and above all, for the future.' Mauritius passed a law in 2021 which criminalised 'misrepresenting the sovereignty of Mauritius over any part of its territory' including Chagos.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
London council Hillingdon 'needs more money' for asylum housing
A west London council is calling for more government funding to support asylum seekers, as it struggles to accommodate more than double the national has a much higher number than average partly because of the proliferation of hotels near Heathrow Airport - once asylum seekers are placed in the buildings the responsibility for them passes to the local borough said it was proud of its work in providing sanctuary, but the money from the government is not enough to support the 3,000 asylum seekers it currently Home Office has been approached for comment. Councillors have estimated a funding shortfall of approximately £5m over the past financial year, leaving residents to foot the Tuckwell, cabinet member for planning, housing and growth, showed BBC London a newly refurbished temporary accommodation block in the said the numbers of people it needs to house was "a huge burden and comes at a cost to the Hillingdon tax payer." Some asylum seekers are deemed ineligible for housing support after leaving hotel accommodation - and as a result the council said there had been "a significant increase" in rough number of referrals to Street Link has grown, and with "tented communities" have sprung up at several locations, including under Carter-Penrose, Hillingdon Council's head of housing needs, said: "Our rough sleeping numbers are increasing because they're impacted upon by the Home Office's evictions from hotels."She added: "We can't help [some] end up rough sleeping, unfortunately." Not too far away from the newly-repurposed temporary accommodation block, BBC London met Joe Devine from Thames Reach, a London-based charity which helps those experiencing homelessness. He and his colleagues were doing outreach work at a park in Hillingdon, where an encampment of asylum seekers were living in tents. He said they come out to engage with people who are sleeping rough, and try to help them into temporary - or other appropriate - accommodation. He added: "We can then work to address whatever support needs they might have." London Councils, the body representing London's boroughs, said asylum accommodation pressures "are felt by boroughs across the capital and are especially acute in port authorities like Hillingdon".The group said it welcomed the government's recent announcement of asylum grant funding for boroughs this financial payment will see each local authority accommodating asylum seekers on 30 March 2025 receive a £1,200 payment per asylum seeker in all accommodation London Councils said more funding is needed – especially considering high housing costs in the capital. The group added it "hoped to work with the government" to develop a multi-year funding package for asylum and solution would have to "take account of London's rising homelessness pressures... in the context of extreme pressures facing London boroughs' finances".It said it estimated a funding shortfall "of at least £500m this year, across all services".
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vulnerable man wrongly had care ended
A vulnerable man was caused "distress and uncertainty" after he was left without care for three months when a west London council wrongly cut his support, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled. Hillingdon Council withdrew care for the man, named only as Mr B in the report, after deciding he did not need it. It has made a "symbolic payment of £300" for causing distress to the man, who has a learning disability. Hillingdon Council said: "We accept the decision of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and have met all the agreed actions in its report." The ombudsman said that Mr B was receiving seven hours of weekly care, including help with meals, housework, shopping and appointments. In August 2023, he told the council he was being bullied by a resident in his shared house. Shortly after the report, the council was told by his carers that Mr B could get to the shop himself, make a simple meal and sometimes cancelled care. In May 2024, Hillingdon Council reassessed Mr B's care needs, and found that he had some difficulties saying words, memory problems, and could not always understand things said to him. The council said it was unclear whether Mr B had been diagnosed with a learning disability. It added that Mr B could give them all the information needed and decided he did not need carers to help. His care was ended in June. In August, a learning disability assessment confirmed Mr B had a learning disability, an extremely low working memory, and some problems working things out. It also found he needed help to learn new things. The council reassessed Mr B again in September and reinstated his care, stating: "Hillingdon Council can now understand how his learning disability affects him." The ombudsman found that the diagnosis of a learning difficulty was not needed to find out whether Mr B had care needs. The ombudsman said: "The council's failure to meet Mr B's care needs from mid-June to mid-September, is fault. This caused Mr B distress and uncertainty. It meant he did not have the support he needed." A spokesperson for Hillingdon Council said: "We have apologised to and compensated the complainant for the faults it highlighted. As an organisation, we regularly review internal processes, such as how we assess eligibility of care, to ensure we best serve residents and meet their needs." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Supported housing in crisis, groups tell Starmer Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indian restaurant fined almost £44,000 after customer with nut allergy suffers severe allergic reaction
An Indian restaurant and takeaway has been fined almost £44,000 after a customer suffered an allergic reaction and needed hospital treatment. The customer, who has a nut allergy, experienced a serious reaction after eating a meal containing undeclared allergens from Javitri, at 112 High Street in Uxbridge. They filed a complaint with Hillingdon Council, prompting food hygiene and safety officers to investigate the premises on June 26 last year, where they identified 'significant failings' in the restaurant's allergen information and control measures. JR Uxbridge Ltd, which operates Javitri, pleaded guilty to five offences at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, April 22. The company was fined £35,000 and required to pay a victim surcharge of £5,000 and the council's prosecution costs of £3,816. During the investigation, council officers found a string of failures in the management of allergens, including nuts stored incorrectly in the kitchen, incomplete menu descriptions and uncertainty regarding recipes despite staff having undertaken the Food Standards Agency's allergen training earlier that month. Officers provided the restaurant with a detailed report outlining the required improvements, including identifying the ingredients and allergens in every dish. A follow up inspection on July 16 found little improvement had been made, and subsequently an improvement notice was served, requiring accurate allergen information to be provided to the council by 13 August. Officers revisited the restaurant on August 14 and were presented with an allergen menu, meant for customers, that was confusing and still contained inaccurate information which would still place anyone with allergies at risk. The business was ordered to send a revised menu with clear allergen information to the council by August 21. The documents received were inadequate and despite multiple requests for clarification, no further revisions were received. Councillor Eddie Lavery said: 'It's a legal responsibility for all food businesses to provide accurate allergen information to customers and ensure what they are producing and selling is safe. 'This case shows that failing to do so can have severe consequences for people with allergies. 'Our food standards team works hard to protect residents from harm through routine inspections, educating businesses, serving improvement notices and if required taking legal action against businesses that neglect their responsibilities. 'Let this be a warning to businesses that they need to operate in line with regulations or they will be fined.' JR Uxbridge Ltd pleaded guilty to five offences in breach of health and safety at work, food information, and food safety and hygiene regulations.
