ULEZ and Hillingdon Hospital among Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election concerns

Crime rates, Hillingdon Hospital and, of course, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion; Uxbridge residents have had plenty to weigh-up as they prepare for a by-election this Thursday (July 20).

The Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat has been vacant since June 9, when former Conservative prime minister and local MP Boris Johnson dramatically stood down after a damning report into whether he deliberately misled parliament over illegal lockdown parties.

The seat has been held by the Tories since it was created in 2010, with Mr Johnson winning by more than 7,000 votes in the 2019 General Election.

However, polling has suggested that may be about to change, with Labour ahead by 10 points in a Britain Predicts survey published last month.

Labour’s candidate Danny Beales, currently a Camden Council councillor who was born in the nearby Hillingdon Hospital, recently made headlines after saying he wants to see the ULEZ expansion to outer London suspended, a scheme headed by the capital’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Mr Khan recently weighed in on the proposed closure of Uxbridge Police Station, writing to the Met commissioner that there was a “strong case” for retaining stations. Critics have accused the mayor of playing political games, just before a by-election Labour increasingly seems to think it can win.

On a busy midweek day just prior to the vote in Uxbridge town centre, Helen McMahon told LondonWorld she has decided not to back any of the candidates, due to feeling “disillusioned” by the process.

Ms McMahon supports the planned ULEZ expansion, describing it as “a good thing really, because there’s too many cars on the road”.

“If it’s ULEZ compliant it’s safer anyway,” she said. “It’s better for the environment.”

Others were less enthused. Brian Duffy, who for years worked as a black cab driver, described the scheme as “disgusting”.

“They’re only having a go at the ordinary person. They can’t afford to drive,” he said. “It’s not on for the average person.”

Mr Duffy, who said he intends on voting Labour, added the nearby Hillingdon Hospital is “falling apart”, and a key issue for local people.

“I don’t think it’s fair to the people that work there, to tell you the truth,” he said. “The facilities are nothing.”

On how he feels about Uxbridge more generally, he said: “In this area alone, I think it’s pretty good, employment and all that. But this lot that’s in power now, I’ve got no time for them, especially the man that’s just gone.”

Adding that he has voted Conservative previously, he said: “Now, it provokes you. When they’re standing there telling you stories when you know they’re not true.”

Peaches, who did not want to give her surname, said she is against the ULEZ expansion.

“Quite a few people are not happy about the ULEZ,” she said. “I think that’s quite disgusting, really. You pay your taxes already to drive on the road, so why pay more, just to have your car driving on the road?”

One worker in the town centre, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she has recently upgraded her vehicle to make it ULEZ-compliant, not something she was intending on doing otherwise.

ULEZ was far from the dominant topic of conversation, however, with policing also among the key concerns raised over the day.

Debbie Cusmans, a long-time Uxbridge resident, said she will be voting Conservative largely due to her fears about rising crime in the area.

Conceding Mr Beales is “a nice guy”, she accused Mr Khan and the Labour Party of preventing him talking about key issues. She further claimed she did not believe the police station had been saved, despite the mayor’s recent intervention.

Ms Cusmans was defensive of Mr Johnson’s time as the MP, saying it is “completely wrong that they’ve taken our votes away from us”, even though the former prime minister stepping down voluntarily.

For others, including Deborah Yhip, the cost-of-living crisis is firmly front-of-mind as voting day looms.

Asked what factors matter most to her, Ms Yhip said: “Cost-of-living, how people are managing with increased mortgage and rents, food bills, fuel bills, uncertainty about where we’re going, the future.”

Saying there appears to be “short-term headline grabbing more than long-term vision”, Ms Yhip expressed concern about “a lack of leadership” in government, with little confidence in the process governance.

“People don’t know what to do anymore.”