Ealing Lib Dems challenge extension of GEL contract to 2035!

Lib Dem Councillor Jonathan Oxley, Shadow Spokesperson for Finance, challenged Ealing Labour at the OSC meeting on Thursday, 22 October 2026, as they wave through a contract extension of Greener Ealing Limited (GEL) until 2035. This means that GEL will deliver an increasingly broader range of services for the borough for fifteen years without any recourse to a competitive tender to test value for money! GEL are effectively the monopoly delivery mechanism for many services, including street cleaning, clearing fly-tips, parks, recycling, rubbish collection and parking enforcement.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Jonathan Oxley asked that this contract extension be reconsidered on the basis that it has failed to meet targets for assisted collections which are used by disabled and elderly residents who require additional help.

Over the last two years, residents have persistently complained to Councillors about dirty streets and fly-tipping. It seems that Ealing Labour are just waving through their preferred public sector supplier without testing it in the marketplace through a formal procurement process. 

The Council commissioned Shadow Bid and Value Assessment appears to show that GEL's cost compares favourably with benchmarks and is used to justify the extension. However, the assessment is fundamentally flawed as it ignores the future investment requirements of GEL. 

The Shadow Bid is of course confidential and cannot be seen or reviewed by residents. However, we do know that it is backwards-looking and does not take into consideration major costs, such as fleet renewal or other capital investment. This is important because the provider needs to operate a large fleet of rubbish and recycling vehicles which are at the end of their life and need to be transitioned to electric vehicles. Yet there seems to be little or no information or costings on this major aspect of spend, which remains a concern for scrutiny purposes and decision-making. This is financially imprudent and speaks of complacency of Ealing Labour. 

Councillor Jonathan Oxley, Shadow Spokesperson for Finance, said: “Liberal Democrats are shocked that Ealing's Labour administration has rejected the option of a competitive tender in favour of extending GEL's contract until 2035. GEL's performance is distinctly average, and a competitive tender is a missed opportunity to test the market for innovative new approaches and better value for money. Instead, Ealing Labour justifies the extension based on a flawed consultant report that fails to consider the multi-million cost of renewing GEL's huge fleet of trucks and vehicles. The administration's inability to provide any projection of the cost of vehicle renewal demonstrates a reckless disregard for financial prudence.”

ENDS

Notes to editors
¹ Call in form for GEL at OSC, Thursday, 22 October 2026: https://ealing.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s37971/Appendix%201%20-%20Reasons%20for%20Callin%20Greener%20Ealing%20Limited%20Contract%20Extension.pdf