Ealing Lib Dems accuse Ealing Labour of complacency

Lib Dem Official Opposition voted against the Annual Plan.

At the recent local elections, Ealing Lib Dems more than doubled their councillors, representing Walpole, Ealing Broadway, Hanger Hill, Ealing Common and Southfield. They led all opposition parties in voting against the new annual plan presented at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. 

The Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Gary Malcolm, spoke to welcome the new councillors across a range of parties and the much-strengthened opposition to Ealing Labour, which exposed resident unhappiness with the incumbents. In terms of votes cast across the borough, seven of the top nine winning candidates were Lib Dem Councillors. 

Cllr Gary Malcolm expressed a concern regarding how children would get the best start in life when ten children's centres were closed and replaced with a single Family Hub. Also, a shortage of social care places across the borough, reduced leisure services (including swimming pools and libraries) and increasingly dirty, unkempt streets where weeds, crime and anti-social behaviour thrive. 

He observed many omissions in the Annual Plan, including another ombudsman review on housing, which showed that this area remained a critical issue alongside the lack of delivery on housebuilding, failure to address a broken repairs approach and the failure of Broadway Living, with a loss to council taxpayers, information released post-election.

Plus, the high number of maladministration concerns which led to the Housing Ombudsman opening a Tier 1 investigation following complaints from residents living in council homes, with leaks, damp and mould among the key concerns.

Cllr Matt Mellor (Walpole ward), making his maiden speech, raised the priorities of residents in Walpole ward who want to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, improve street cleanliness, turn around the fortunes of West Ealing and address issues with Walpole Park, Lammas Park and Deans Gardens.

He pushed the council to do more on street cleanliness, highlighting a lack of proposals to improve services in the council plan, giving the example of community skips to help reduce fly-tipping.

He also urged the council to go beyond what was published in the plan and commit officer time and more money for West Ealing for the full four-year council term, given the scale of the improvement which is needed.

Newly elected Councillor Adam Keenan, one of the youngest councillors across all parties, was elected in Ealing Broadway. He hailed the importance of diversity as a key Ealing strength. He has engaged extensively with local people who have called for more affordable housing, an improved street environment and a re-opening of a twenty-four-hour police station in Acton. These are essential foundation stones to the building of a thriving, diverse community across the borough. The residents' key message was for a cleaner, safer, and fairer Ealing.

Councillor Gary Malcolm - Leader of the Opposition said: "The Liberal Democrats are disappointed at this lost opportunity to go further with service delivery across the borough with a focus on issues which matter to residents. They have hidden the collapse of Broadway Living (a key mechanism for house building) until after the election. They missed out on £100m from developers, which could have been used for community facilities. Ealing Labour has done nothing to address the recent collapse of Dementia Concern, further reducing available services to residents.

Ealing Labour lacks leadership and decision-making ability in running effective and efficient services for residents. It is disappointing to see that Ealing Labour are unwilling to invest to create a step change despite a £131.8m cash injection which the Council has received from central government. Ealing Labour have run out of ideas and are complacent.”