Hillingdon Council is facing renewed pressure to reconsider its decision to close the retail operations of the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC), following a motion proposed by Councillor Sital Punja, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, at a council meeting on Thursday, 10 July 2025. The RAGC, described as a 'hidden gem', has provided vital life-changing services for adults with learning difficulties for over 40 years.
The motion from Councillor Punja seeks to have the decision to close the retail operations reconsidered, citing several failures in the decision-making process, including inaccurate financial analysis, a lack of exploration of alternative providers, and an inadequate assessment of new provision for gardeners with social care packages.
The future of the RAGC was a key point of discussion during the meeting, with several members of the public submitting questions regarding the closure. Andrea Scrivens and John Scrivens, representing the Friends of the RAGC, questioned whether the council had examined the option of a Community Asset Transfer to transfer management of RAGC to their organisation or another community group. Isabel Stevenson raised concerns about the safety of the Civic Centre gardens as an alternative provision for her son, who has been attending the RAGC for many years, questioning how the open aspect of the Civic Centre gardens allocated as the alternative provision to RAGC could be made safe for her son.
Councillor Tony Burles also questioned why the Cabinet Member for Community & Environment did not seek alternative providers for the RAGC, similar to the approach taken with the Beck Theatre and Early Years Nursery Centres.
Councillor Punja's motion specifically highlights concerns over:
- Failure to accurately analyse financial income. The motion cites
failure to accurately analyse or calculate financial income year on year income under Financial Implications
as a reason to reconsider the closure. - Failure to seek and cost alternative providers.
- Failure to properly assess and consult on new provision for gardeners with social care packages to ensure a safe environment.
- Misleading information regarding the £1.2m investment needed for health and safety standards.
- Failure to provide reasonable adjustments for adults with learning disabilities, as per the Equalities Act guidance.
If Councillor Punja's motion is successful, the Cabinet Member for Community and Environment would be required to reconsider the decision to close the retail operations of the RAGC, instruct officers to provide an updated report, and submit it to the relevant Select Committees for scrutiny before a final decision is made. If the motion fails, the decision to close the retail operations of the RAGC would likely stand.
The motion calls for Councillor Eddie Lavery, Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, to instruct officers to provide an updated report addressing these concerns and submit it to the relevant Select Committees for scrutiny before a final decision is made by the Cabinet.
The agenda and public reports pack for the meeting are available online.
