Ealing London Borough Council

Ealing London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Ealing in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London.

Ealing London Borough Council
Whole council elected every four years
Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor of Ealing
Cllr Tejinder Dhami, Labour
since 4 June 2018
Leader of the Council
Cllr Julian Bell, Labour
Chief executive
Paul Najsarek
since 24 February 2016
Structure
Seats69 councillors in 23 wards
Political groups
Majority Party (57)
  •   Labour (57)

Opposition (10)

Elections
First past the post
Last election
3 May 2018
Next election
2022
Meeting place
Ealing Town Hall, New Broadway, Ealing
Website
www.ealing.gov.uk

History
A map showing the wards of Ealing since 2002

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Ealing area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Ealing on 1 April 1965. Ealing replaced the Municipal Borough of Ealing, the Municipal Borough of Southall and the Municipal Borough of Acton.[1]

It was envisaged, in accordance with the London Government Act 1963, that Ealing as a London local authority would share power with the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council it has been an education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Ealing London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[2]

In April 2018 it was announced that anti-abortion protesters who regularly campaign outside the Marie Stopes clinic will be prevented from doing so close to the clinic. There will be a buffer zone between the clinic and the protesters to prevent women going into the clinic being harassed. Ealing Council is the first council in the UK to introduce such a buffer zone and other councils may well introduce similar measures.[3]

In January 2019, the council decided to stop the smoking cessation service in the borough, to save £395,000 over the following two years, as part of its plan to deal with an overall budget gap of £57 million as a result of reduced funding.[4]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation. Ealing has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, and it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. It is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. The council shares responsibility with the Greater London Authority for strategic policies including housing, planning and the environment.[5]

Finances

Ealing London Borough Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, and collects precepts on behalf of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.[6]

See also

References
  1. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  2. Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  3. "Ealing council votes for UK's first 'safe zone' around abortion clinic". The Guardian. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. "Council ceases NHS-provided smoking cessation service". Health Service Journal. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  5. "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
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