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Is Democracy Dying in Ealing? by
Simon Hayes
The Covid-19 crisis has seen a terrible toll of human life, with Ealing particularly hard hit, but there’s another casualty of the virus that has passed rather unnoticed by the majority of the population – local democracy. The imposition of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in parts of the borough under the guise of Covid-19 powers is just the latest in a string of moves by Ealing Council that have steamrollered the idea of local democracy. There has been huge majority opposition, with the lack of notice and the piecemeal siting of road blocks angering many. The promise of ‘consultation’ in six months is rightly viewed with suspicion. Keen to take the Government’s money the Council has jumped into bed with Boris Johnson, and yet our Councillors still blame the Tories for the controversial schemes. LTNs – No Engagement or Consultation I’ve written in these pages before about the sham of consultation in Ealing and this scheme looks likely to be no exception. Requests for baseline data against which success or failure can be measured is ignored, probably because there is none. Requests for details of how the consultation will be carried out, and what criteria will be assessed, are similarly stonewalled. Little wonder nobody trusts this Council. Residents want a say before their roads are blocked off, not months later when there may be no money to remove them anyway.
ignored by the Committee, while crowded agendas meant applications were not given proper scrutiny. Good Bye Ward Forums Last year the Council announced it was scrapping Ward Forums, citing its usual line of cost cutting. These forums are generally well attended and give residents an opportunity to air their concerns on local issues and try to get Councillors to answer. What was clear latterly was Labour Councillors packing the agendas with irrelevant items and then filibustering, leaving very little time for the real issues to be debated. Public outcry earned the forums a reprieve but they have effectively disappeared under Covid-19 rules. Nobody really knows what’s going on where they live any longer. Time and again the Council ignores the wishes of the majority local population, simply saying it knows best. However, as the cases of Southall Town Hall, Warren Farm and the ongoing saga
of Ealing Town Hall prove, that’s not always the case. The last matter has seen the council spend £2 million on a scheme that essentially hands over a public asset to a private company to be turned into a hotel. Little wonder we are told there’s no cash for services such as libraries. Unsurprisingly that figure hasn’t been trumpeted in ‘Around Ealing’, which like all good propaganda sheets only tells us how great the Council is. As Noam Chomsky said: ‘Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.’ Dissent is ignored. The Voice of the People We are not asking a lot from the Council, just the opportunity to be heard and listened to, on matters that directly affect the everyday lives of thousands of residents. At present Ealing Council isn’t listening. In 2022 they will be asking for our votes again. One wonders if they’ll suddenly start listening then.
Incompetent Technology Use in Council Virtual Meetings The lockdown saw Ealing’s Planning Committee move to virtual meetings, but these have been unsatisfactory in the eyes of many. Residents feel excluded in meetings due to either ‘technical issues’ or simply being
P rotest at Southall Town Hall Putting the People of Ealing First
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