Council Gives Ex-Tory Councillor $113K Rent Discount

0:00On April 1st, Hillington Council handed a former Tory councillor, Alan DeVille, a 113,000 pound discount on rent for Cali, meeting Hall. That's an 80% cut under their policy for voluntary groups, even though his Hillington Foster Care's association went inactive back in March. 2021, the full market rent would have been 28,000, all 75 pounds a year, but he only paid 5,655 pounds. In 2023, they renewed his 5-year lease with the same sweet deal, despite knowing the group was defunct. Meanwhile, he sublet the place against the rules first to a nursery, then to Theo's cafe for 18,000 pounds a year, pocketing over 12,000 pounds profit annually after his council bill. He even fell behind on payments and the council quietly planned to wipe this late clean. Local reactions are blowing up, especially from Labour's deputy leader, Sid O'Poonia, who's slamming it as cronism and demanding a full probe into.

1:02Communications, due diligence, and costs. She says the timeline from lease renewal to debt write-off stinks of poor governance and erodes public trust. Now the council's reversed that debt forgiveness after reporters dug in and they're investigating all angles, including legal action. They won't spill details due to confidentiality, but insist they're on it. This mess highlights how oversight slipped on voluntary leases, and as the probe unfolds, residents are watching close to see if accountability sticks, or if it's just more smoke.