A Hillingdon Council motion to pause rent increases for local businesses and review the council's approach to commercial tenants has been defeated.
The proposal, put forward by Councillor Jan Sweeting, was lost by 19 votes to 30 at a Council meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Councillor Sweeting argued that the council's approach to commercial rents had led to significant backdated costs for businesses, potentially causing closures and damaging community cohesion. She highlighted instances of businesses facing rent increases of over 100%, with some backdated for up to four years.
Responding to the motion, Councillor Nick Denys, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing & Property, stated that a pause would create uncertainty and chaos. He reiterated the council's commitment to market rents and supporting shop owners through negotiated terms.
Councillor Denys explained that the council's obligation is to manage its commercial property portfolio in a manner that secures commercial value for residents and taxpayers.
This is linked to the statutory best value framework, which requires local authorities to make the best use of public resources. The council states that seeking rents not aligned to market rates would mean giving commercial shop owners a subsidy, which would have to be covered by taxpayers' money.
The council determines 'market rents' by considering evidence of transactions for comparable shops in the area and the level of demand for retail units in equivalent shopping parades. The amount offered by the landlord also takes into account local and individual factors.
Rent reviews are described as 'individual negotiations and hopefully agreements between a shopkeeper and a landlord'. The council advises shop owners to obtain advice and representation from a qualified charter surveyor during these negotiations. If an agreement cannot be reached, the dispute can be referred to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors for independent arbitration, with the fee for this stated to be under £450.
The council did commit to supporting shopkeepers facing financial difficulties. They will consider practical operational suggestions to assist businesses in improving trading performance. Furthermore, they will consider agreeing to a reasonable start date for when new market rents are paid, meaning new rents will not automatically be backdated. Officers will also consider arranging a stepped increase in rent, incrementally over the beginning years of a contract, to give shop owners time to gain income to pay the new market rates. However, this is all predicated on shop owners agreeing to pay market rates at some point during the lease contract.
The motion for a pause and review was ultimately unsuccessful. The meeting agenda and public reports pack can be found on the council's website here and here respectively. Minutes from previous meetings are available here.