Hillingdon Council's Controversial £113,000 Rent Discount to Former Tory Councillor
The Conservative-led Hillingdon Council has come under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that the authority granted a substantial £113,100 rent discount to a former Tory councillor, despite his voluntary organisation being defunct and therefore ineligible for such financial benefits. This arrangement allowed the ex-councillor to sublet the property for significant personal profit, raising serious questions about governance and transparency within the council.
Details of the Discount and Subletting Arrangement
Alan Deville, who previously served as a Conservative councillor for the Yiewsley ward, was the Chair of the Hillingdon Foster Carers' Association (HFCA) until March 2021. Under council policy, voluntary organisations are entitled to an 80 percent discount on council leases. However, the HFCA became inactive after Deville stepped down, with no one willing to take over the chairmanship, effectively rendering the group defunct by January 2022.
Despite this, Hillingdon Council renewed Deville's lease on Cowley Meeting Hall in 2023, granting him the 80 percent discount for another five years. The lease was officially in Deville's name as Chair of the HFCA, supposedly qualifying for the discount due to its intended use by the voluntary sector. However, during this period, Deville sublet the building to a nursery and later to Theo's Café, generating £18,000 annually from the café alone—over £12,000 more than he was required to pay the council.
If charged the full market value, Deville would have owed £28,275 per year. Instead, he paid only £5,655 annually, resulting in a total discount of £113,100 over five years. The subletting violated the terms of the lease, yet the council initially planned to write off Deville's rent arrears in a private Cabinet meeting in December 2025, a decision that was later reversed after exposure by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
Council's Response and Lack of Transparency
In response to a Freedom of Information request, Hillingdon Council acknowledged that the HFCA had been inactive since March 2021, with no foster carers willing to revive the association. The council also requires voluntary organisations benefiting from the discount policy to provide annual accounts, but it remains unclear how closely officials monitored the lease after the HFCA's dissolution.
When pressed by the LDRS to explain why the discount was granted despite awareness of the group's defunct status, the council cited legal reasons and commercial confidentiality, stating, "The issue is, however, being fully investigated and all available avenues for resolution, including legal remedies, are being actively explored." Notably, Cowley Meeting Hall did not appear in any Cabinet documents or decisions between 2015 and 2022, despite three leases being granted to Deville during that time.
Political Fallout and Calls for Investigation
The revelation has sparked fierce criticism from opposition figures, particularly Cllr Sital Punja, Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Labour. Punja condemned the lack of transparency, stating, "This latest revelation raises serious and deeply troubling questions about how public assets are being managed. A Conservative-run Hillingdon Council appears to have renewed a lease at a peppercorn rent, with full knowledge, to a defunct association previously run by a Conservative councillor. That alone demands scrutiny."
Punja has formally requested all communications with Deville, due diligence documents on the HFCA, and a full account of costs incurred by the council, but this information has not been provided. She emphasized, "This goes far beyond poor governance. It points to a pattern of behaviour that risks undermining public trust and raises the spectre of cronyism at the heart of decision-making." She called for a full, transparent, and independent investigation, suggesting that the matter may involve misconduct in public office or violations of the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Defense from Council Leadership
Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Property, defended the council's position, noting that professional officers are examining all options, including potential legal action. He accused Punja of stirring unnecessary concern for political purposes, linking her actions to forthcoming elections and competition from Reform and Green Party candidates in her ward.
Alan Deville was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication. The ongoing investigation by Hillingdon Council aims to resolve the issue, but the scandal has already ignited debates over accountability, cronyism, and the management of public resources in the borough.
