How the council works

Political control and how we work

Hillingdon Council is one of the 32 London boroughs which run most of the day-to-day services across Greater London. As the council, we are responsible for housing, social services, street cleaning, waste disposal, roads, local planning and many arts and leisure services. 

Councillors

Councillors (who are also referred to as 'Members') are democratically accountable to the residents in their ward. The duty of councillors is to the whole community, but they have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them.

Each year a Mayor is appointed to lead the ceremonial and civic duties of Hillingdon. The council also appoints a Leader who oversees the overall management and direction of the council in consultation with senior officers. Councillors have agreed a code of conduct to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their duties.

Political control

Following the May 2022 borough elections, the Conservatives retained control of Hillingdon and its administration. The Cabinet is therefore made up of councillors from the Conservative Group. There is an opposition Labour Group. 

The council is made up of 53 councillors:

Conservative:30 
Labour:22
Independent1


All councillors meet together as the full council and meetings are normally open to the public.

At these meetings, councillors decide the council's overall policies and set the budget each year. They debate issues of current interest, consider and approve proposals from the Cabinet and appoint councillors to sit on the various council committees and outside bodies.

Page last updated: 12 Feb 2024