Hillingdon Council's Cabinet has approved plans to close a "vital" garden centre in West London maintained by volunteers with learning difficulties, however two key decision makers were notably absent.
Both the Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Edwards, and the relevant Cabinet Member, Cllr Eddie Lavery, chose not to attend the meeting on Thursday (June 26) much to the fury of campaigners who attended en masse.
Despite a public campaign and petition with thousands of signatures to keep the Rural Activities Garden Centre open, both key decision makers failed to attend the crucial meeting where its closure was ultimately approved.
This is the first time this year that Cllr Edwards has not attended a Cabinet meeting. Speaking after the closure was rubber-stamped, Danny Beales, MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it was "disrespectful" for the councillors not to attend.
He said: "The fact they've not shown the willingness to engage with residents, or even turn up… if they're on holiday or have a valid reason this meeting could have been delayed. People deserve the decency of being spoken to. This is symbolic of how this council operates."
Prior to the meeting, a large crowd of over 100 people gathered outside the Civic Centre to protest the looming closure. The demonstration was attended by a number of opposition councillors, the local City Hall representative, Bassam Mahfouz, and two Labour MPs.
Usually, only a handful of residents attend Hillingdon Cabinet meetings. However, such is the feeling in the community, that dozens of residents were queuing outside, and some even watched the discussions in a "spill over" room.
At the meeting, Cllr Jane Palmer, the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, told the audience that the council is "dedicated" to ensuring care needs are continued for volunteers. As she said "our main goal is to ensure people are well taken care of", a number of audience members quietly chuckled and shook their heads to express their dissatisfaction.
Cllr Palmer replied "you shake your heads…" before people began to grumble in the room. She then looked to the room and snapped: "I don't want comments."
As residents dispersed from the meeting, seemingly shocked at how quickly such a decision was made, people began to shout "shame on Hillingdon Council", and "this isn't over". Another shouted "you've lost my vote!"
Andrea Scrivens, the mother of one of the garden centre volunteers, spoke to protesters about how important the centre is for her son's health. She went on to slam the council over a lack of consultation on how the closure may impact the disabled volunteers.
Cllr Jonathan Bianco spoke at the Cabinet meeting of "engaging in consultation" with employees, volunteers and their families. However, many residents are crying out for a full public consultation that would assess the impact on volunteers and the views of local residents.
Hillingdon Council has since formally announced the closure of "RAGC retail services", citing that the retail aspect of the garden centre, which it says requires a £137,000 per year subsidy to stay afloat. However, in closing the "retail services" the council is closing the entire site.
The decision comes at a time when the council is in some financial trouble. Earlier this year, the LDRS revealed that the council is at risk of bankruptcy following years of declining reserves, overspending, and under saving.
As a result, the council has examined a range of cost-saving measures, such as introducing a garden waste collection charge, removing the subsidy for the Beck Theatre, and closing the Rural Activities Garden Centre.
The Rural Activities Garden Centre will close on or before July 31, 2025. All volunteers will be moved to different spaces, including at the Civic Centre.
Have a story you want to share? Email philip.lynch@reachplc.com or @pjlynchjourno on X.
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