From specialist advice, to evidence-led insight, to systems change in Hillingdon
For over 85 years, Citizens Advice Hillingdon has provided free, confidential and impartial advice across one of London's largest and most diverse boroughs. We are an independent local charity and a member of the national Citizens Advice network, which supports our quality, governance and advice standards, while we remain responsible for securing our own funding to deliver services locally.
Over the past three years we have supported more than 22,000 residents and secured over £4 million in financial outcomes for them. Independent analysis shows that every £1 invested in our work generates £7.10 in public value for the borough.
We provide free, confidential advice and deliver targeted, specialist projects for residents facing the most complex barriers to justice, often linked to health, disability and financial insecurity.
Two boroughs in one
Hillingdon can feel like two boroughs in one. Northern wards are generally more affluent and better connected, while southern wards, including Hayes, Yiewsley, West Drayton and Wood End, experience some of the highest levels of poverty and financial instability in outer London. Over 22% of residents live in poverty, and one in three children are in low-income households.
Heathrow Airport, the UK's largest employment site, sits at Hillingdon's heart alongside major employers in aviation, logistics, retail, hospitality and construction. Yet many communities here experience real isolation, from disability, language barriers, poverty and geography, not from a lack of economic activity nearby. With over 100 languages spoken locally, reaching people in a way that genuinely works for them is central to how we deliver advice.
The value of our work
Over recent years, demand in Hillingdon has shifted. Our data shows rising complexity linked to disability, insecure housing, low-paid work, poor health and the cost-of-living crisis, and people are coming to us with more than one problem at once, not just a single, simple query.
A different model. In response to changes in our funding, we made a deliberate choice: rather than continuing to run a high-volume, generalist, open-door service, we moved to specialist, evidence-led project work. This is a different model to many other local Citizens Advice offices. We still offer generalist support, through our Adviceline, as part of our membership of the national Citizens Advice network. Alongside this, our advisers work across our specialist projects, each led by a project lead with many years of experience in that area of advice casework, including employment rights, welfare benefits, debt and benefits support.
A more connected service. This change happened naturally, driven by our funding rather than a decision made in isolation, but it has brought a real benefit: our service is now less reactive, and able to work far more closely with our community. Research and campaigning sits at the heart of everything we do, using what we learn from our casework to understand and act on the issues affecting Hillingdon residents, rather than only responding to whoever calls that day. Right now, that includes gathering evidence on the April 2026 changes to Council Tax support- Find out more and share your experience.
We're no longer as detached from our community as a purely phone-based, high-volume service could be. We're delivering outreach, attending events, and becoming more visible across the borough, read more in our News section.
It's working. Over 95% of clients tell us they were satisfied with the help they received, and every client surveyed said they were clear about what to do next and felt our service made a positive difference to their situation.
As we move into this new phase of our work, thank you for bearing with us. We love what we do, and we're looking forward to being a fresh, responsive Citizens Advice Hillingdon, shaped by our new strategy, Stronger Together: a new vision for Citizens Advice Hillingdon through the lens of vulnerability.
Sign up for our newsletter
Our Funders Past and Current
