Hillingdon Conservatives held onto control of the council but the group has voted in a new leader
Hillingdon is set to have a new council leader for the first time in four years.
On Thursday (May 14), Hillingdon Council will hold its annual general meeting where councillors elect who will lead the council. It is widely expected that former MP and Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, Councillor Steve Tuckwell, will become the new Leader of the Council.
After their gains in the local elections, the Hillingdon Conservatives met this weekend to elect a new group leader, following the announcement that Cllr Ian Edwards would be resigning. A majority of Tory councillors voted for Cllr Tuckwell to lead the party, with Cllr Richard Mills as his deputy.
The position of Council Leader will be formally voted on by councillors on Thursday, and with a Tory majority in the council chambers Cllr Tuckwell and Cllr Mills are set to become the Council Leader and Deputy Leader respectively.
In a statement, Cllr Tuckwell said: “I’m incredibly honoured to have been elected Leader of the Hillingdon Conservative Group, alongside Cllr Richard Mills as Deputy Leader.
“Richard and I will formally take on the roles of Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council at Thursday’s Annual Council Meeting, and I look forward to setting out my vision for the future of Hillingdon and continuing to deliver for residents across our borough. I also want to thank Councillor Ian Edwards for his leadership, support and an incredible 50 years of service to Hillingdon.
“Few people have dedicated as much of their lives to the borough as Ian has, and the council is in a far stronger position because of the work he has put in over many years. Thank you to colleagues for placing their trust in me. Time to get back to work, keep putting residents first and getting things done for Hillingdon.”
Cllr Edwards will continue to serve as a ward councillor, after being re-elected to his Eastcote seat last week.
Cllr Tuckwell has been a councillor for South Ruislip since 2018. He maintained the role during his 12-month stint as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip before losing re-election in 2024 to current Labour MP, Danny Beales.
There has also been a change to the leadership of Hillingdon Labour. Cllr Stuart Mathers has been re-elected as Leader of the Labour group, however, Cllr Mand is the new Deputy Leader, replacing Cllr Sital Punja.
Hillingdon Labour lost seats to all sides at the local elections, seeing losses to Reform UK, the Greens, and the Conservatives. The party has lost seven seats compared to the 2022 election, though Cllr Punja did retain her seat in the Belmore ward.
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