| London Borough of Hillingdon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — London borough — | |||
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| Hillingdon shown within Greater London | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | London | ||
| Ceremonial county | Greater London | ||
| Status | London borough | ||
| Admin HQ | Civic Centre, Uxbridge |
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| Incorporated | 1 April 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | London borough council | ||
| • Body | Hillingdon London Borough Council | ||
| • Leadership | Leader (Cllr Raymond Puddifoot)[1] (Conservative) | ||
| • Mayor | Cllr Mary O'Connor[2] | ||
| • MPs | Nick Hurd John McDonnell John Randall |
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| • London Assembly | Richard Barnes AM for Ealing and Hillingdon | ||
| • EU Parliament | London | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 44.7 sq mi (115.70 km2) | ||
| Area rank | 203rd (of 326) | ||
| Population (2010 est.) | |||
| • Total | 266,100 | ||
| • Rank | 41st (of 326) | ||
| • Density | 5,956.7/sq mi (2,299.9/km2) | ||
| • Ethnicity[3] | 67.9% White British 2.5% White Irish 4.8% Other White 0.7% White & Black Caribbean 0.4% White & Black African 0.9% White & Asian 0.7% Other Mixed 10.0% Indian 1.8% Pakistani 0.7% Bangladeshi 2.3% Other Asian 1.5% Black Caribbean 3.1% Black African 0.3% Other Black 1.1% Chinese 1.4% Other |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postcodes | HA TW | ||
| Area code(s) | 01895, 01923, 020 | ||
| Police force | Metropolitan Police | ||
| Website | www.hillingdon.gov.uk | ||
The London Borough of Hillingdon () is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census.[4] The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the historic county of Middlesex. Today, Hillingdon is home to Heathrow Airport and Brunel University, and is the second largest of the 32 London boroughs.
Hillingdon Council governs the borough, with its headquarters in the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. For administrative purposes, the borough is split into North and South Hillingdon with more industrial units to the south and residential suburban areas in the north. Much of the residential areas were expanded with the extension of the Metropolitan Railway from Harrow on the Hill to Uxbridge in the early 1900s and the gradual establishment of stops along the line, becoming known as "Metro-land".
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The borough was formed in 1965 from the Municipal Borough of Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington Urban District, Ruislip-Northwood Urban District and Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex.[5] The councils involved were initially unable to decide upon a name, with Keith Joseph suggesting "Uxbridge" in October 1963, later revised to Hillingdon.[5]
The coat of arms for the London Borough of Hillingdon were granted on 22 March 1965.[6] Between 1973 and 1978, the borough's civic centre was built in Uxbridge.[7]
The borough is governed by a democratically elected council, known interchangeably by the full name and as Hillingdon Council.[8] It is split into wards represented by 65 Conservative, Labour and independent councillors.[9] A cabinet and leader are elected annually.[10] The present leader of the council is Councillor Raymond Puddifoot of the Conservative Party.[1] Elections for councillors are held every four years.[10]
A Mayor is chosen yearly by councillors and is largely a ceremonial role.[11] The present mayor is Councillor Mary O'Connor, who was selected in May 2011.[2]
The British Government's UK Border Agency have two immigration removal centres, Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in Harmondsworth.[12][13]
The borough includes the areas:
The borough also includes RAF Northolt and the former sites of RAF Eastcote, RAF South Ruislip, RAF West Drayton, RAF West Ruislip and RAF Uxbridge.
The borough maintains over 200 green spaces, totalling around 1,800 acres (730 ha).[14] Since much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt, and as it is one of the least densely populated of all the London boroughs, there are large areas of land properly called open space. They range in size from the Colne Valley corridor to the smallest gardens and playing fields.[15]
Harmondsworth Moor, a park owned by the borough, is administered by British Airways on behalf of the borough.[16] After British Airways planned to create a new headquarters in 1992, the airline agreed to restore a former landfill site to what is now the moor.[17]
The Grand Union Canal passes through parts of the borough, including Uxbridge, Yiewsley and West Drayton. Ruislip Lido was built as a feeder reservoir for the canal, but was eventually disconnected and changed to become a recreational lido. Two Sites of Special Scientific Interest next to the canal, Frays Farm Meadows and Denham Lock Wood, are managed by the London Wildlife Trust.
The borough also operates children's centres, recreational areas for children of under five years of age and their families. The centres include Barra Hall, Belmore, Cherry Lane, Colham Manor, Cornerstone, Cowley St. Laurence, Harefield, Hillside, McMillan Early Childhood Centre, Nestles Avenue, Oak Farm, Uxbridge College (Hayes Campus).[18]
There are three theatres owned by the borough: the Compass Theatre, Ickenham, the Winston Churchill Hall (part of the Manor Farm site) and the Beck Theatre, Hayes, which is operated on behalf of the borough by HQ Theatres Limited.[19]
The borough is split into two divides, North Hillingdon and South Hillingdon, the latter being home to large industrial units, while North Hillingdon remains predominantly an affluent and leafy part of London, with towns of Ickenham, Ruislip and Northwood boasting high incomes per capita.[15]
British Airways is headquartered in Waterside, Harmondsworth, in Hillingdon.[20] The building officially opened in 1998.[21] Prior to the opening of Waterside, the airline's head office was the Speedbird House at London Heathrow Airport.[22]
In 2007 Cadbury Schweppes announced it would be moving to Uxbridge from Mayfair to cut costs.[23] The company later split and Cadbury plc moved to its new head office in Cadbury House in the Uxbridge Business Park in June 2008.[24]
Guoman Hotel Management (UK) Limited has its head office in the Thistle London Heathrow in West Drayton.[25][26]
British Midland International has an office in Stockley Close, West Drayton, Borough of Hillingdon.[27] In July 1999 Sir Michael Bishop formally opened the British Midland Training Centre, which is located in Stockley Close.[28] Hellenic Imperial Airways has its United Kingdom offices in the Axis House in Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon.[29] China Airlines has its UK office in the Hyde Park Hayes 3 (HPH3) in Hayes in the borough.[30]
One of the predecessor organisations of British Airways, British Overseas Airways Corporation had its head office in the Speedbird House.[31] The other predecessor, British European Airways had its headquarters in Ruislip,[32] as did BEA Helicopters.[31] During its existence the airline British Eagle had its head office on the grounds of Heathrow Airport.[33]
The borough maintains several libraries: Charville, Eastcote, Harefield, Harlington, Hayes End, Hayes, Ickenham, Manor Farm, Northwood Hills, Northwood, Oak Farm, Ruislip Manor, South Ruislip, Uxbridge, West Drayton, Yeading, and Yiewsley.[34]
In May 2011, Hillingdon Council received the Library Innovation of the Year award at the 2011 Bookseller Industry Awards.[35]
Also within the borough is Brunel University and Uxbridge College's Uxbridge and Hayes campuses.
London Bus routes 81, 90, 105, 111, 114, 140, 195, 203, 207, 222, 282, 285, 331, 350, 395, 398, 423, 427, 482, 490, 607, A10, E6, E7, E9, H11, H13, H26, H98, U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, U7, U9, U10, X26, night routes N9 and N207 and school routes 696, 697 and 698 operate in the borough. The routes 58, 60, 61, 71, 75, 76, 77, 305, 441, 555, 557, 581, 615, 724, 740, A30, A40, R21, W7 and W9 are run by other operators.
The numerous National Rail and London Underground stations in the borough are:
The council announced in June 2011 that it would be lobbying Transport for London to have the Central line extended from West Ruislip station to Uxbridge station. Such a project would require a business case approved by TfL and the completion of signal upgrade work on the Metropolitan line.[36]
The Royal Air Force station, RAF Northolt, is situated in South Ruislip near the A40 and the tube station. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station; in this case Northolt Junction, the original name of South Ruislip station. The station has been redeveloped in recent years to house a number of additional military capabilities besides the RAF operations, and is popular with business people and politicians for private flights.[37]
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