Ealing Labour Vote Down The Lib Dem Budget Amendment Which Would Have Saved 10 Children's Centres
Ealing Liberal Democrats focus on supporting front line services to make our area cleaner and safer, save 10 Children's Centres and would cancel Stop and Shop Plus.
Ealing Liberal Democrats found funds to keep open all the borough's Children's Centres. Ealing Labour voted down the amendment to save them and for the closure of at least 10 children's centres, reducing resources to the most vulnerable in our society.
A fully costed list of Liberal Democrat amendments was presented at Full Council on Tuesday, 3rd March 2026. We found £1.6m in savings to fund the following additional benefits for residents:
- Keep open all Children's Centres the council plans to shut (10 of them).
- Cancel Stop and Shop Plus to help our high streets.
- Cleaner streets with less dirt and leaves.
- Community skips to reduce fly-tipping.
- More recycling facilities added across the borough.
- More pavement repairs and road resurfacing.
- Introduction plan for lockable bins for flats above shops to reduce waste on streets.
- Independent review of Lammas Park SUDs scheme.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Gary Busuttil, Shadow Finance Spokesperson for Performance and Council Honesty said: “Ealing Labour have shown their true colours by voting down these fully costed and practical measures to improve the lives of many in Ealing. They have complained, made excuses and cut services resulting in many vulnerable residents being denied access to critical services, such as children's centres and have accelerated the decline of the high street by implementing ill-conceived Stop and Shop Plus. Liberal Democrats have listened to residents and outlined an alternative budget which is one that helps many residents and businesses in Ealing.”
Councillor Gary Busuttil added: “We believe that investing in essential well-run front line services for residents are criticial to improving the local environment through more services to address fly tipping, street cleaning and leaf removal, as well as, critical pavement and road repairs. We also want to expand recycling for hard to reach locations, such as flats above shops and increase collection of small electrical waste items across the borough. Sadly, for the last 15 years, Ealing Labour has presided over a spiral of decay in which residents and the local economy has been taken for granted. People want change and many are looking to vote Liberal Democrat as we will give them a cleaner and safer Ealing.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. See Annex A below for Liberal Democrat Amendment for 2026/27
2. Council Agenda and Papers for 3 March 2026
Annex A: Liberal Democrat Amendment for the Budget Strategy & Council Tax 2026/27
Moved by Councillor Gary Busuttil | Seconded by Councillor Gary Malcolm
“Council agrees to the following in relation to this year’s Capital and Revenue budgets and amends the recommendations accordingly:
| Revenue alterations | Change |
|---|---|
| Reduction in Agency and Contractor staff* | Saving of £1,181,000 |
| Reduction in the non-statutory printing budget** | Saving of £453,750 |
| Keeping Children's Centres Open (10 scheduled for closure) | Cost of £368,000 |
| Additional street sweeping and removal of fly tips to keep our streets cleaner. | Cost of £500,000 |
| 24 additional WEEE bins (one per ward) to drive up more recycling. | Cost of £48,000 |
| Revenue to cover the £1M capital spend growth for pavement repairs and road resurfacing. | Cost of £100,000 |
| Fund for residual waste community skip events to reduce fly-tipping. | Cost of £10,000 |
| Targeted introduction plan for lockable bins for flats above shops with initial stage of about 20% of flats above shops targeted. | Cost of £252,315 |
| Independent review of Lammas Park SUDs scheme. | Cost of £10,000 |
| Reverse stop and shop plus across borough. | Cost of £200,000 |
| Capital alterations | Change |
| Additional pavement repairs and road resurfacing. | Cost of £1,000,000 |
* This is a saving on the fees of agency staff excluding Adult Services and Public Health, Children’s Services and Housing &; Environment. The Council review agency spending over the next year by reducing agency staff and focusing on permanent roles.
** The reduction in printing costs means that all statutory printing like Council Tax or parking letters will still get sent.