The Ealing Council meeting on 10 June 2025 addressed several key issues, including a review of the council's constitution, a debate on the proposed closure of several children's centres, and a declaration of war on fly-tipping. Councillors also discussed special urgency decisions and appointments to committees and other bodies.

Opposition Motion: Children's Centre Closures

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to debating an opposition motion regarding the proposed closure of more than a third of the borough's 24 children's centres. Councillor Jonathan Oxley proposed the motion, which was seconded by Councillor Jon Ball. The motion highlighted the critical support these centres provide to parents, including childcare, health visits, nursing, midwifery, and mental health services.

The motion listed the specific centres facing closure: Greenfields, Grove and Windmill Park in Southall; Hathaway and Log Cabin in Ealing; Northolt Park in Northolt; Windmill in Greenford; Copley Close in Hanwell; and Maples in Acton.

The motion argued that these closures would disproportionately affect deprived families, increase health and education inequalities, and contradict the council's Connected Communities and 20-minute towns policies. It also criticised the consultation process as flawed and not transparent.

The motion stated:

Ealing Labour passed a budget at full Council in March 2025 that baked in savings from closing the Centres while the consultation process was still underway. This suggests a closed mind or at best indifference to the result of the consultation.

The motion called for the withdrawal of the current proposal and a cross-party approach to future policy processes.

Majority Group Motion: War on Fly-tipping

The council resolved to declare a 'War on Fly-tipping' and crack down on waste criminals. The motion recognised fly-tipping as a growing issue across Ealing, negatively impacting the environment and quality of life for residents.

The council noted that it spends £3 million per year on clearing and disposing of fly-tipping, and that it is the leading borough in London for issuing fly-tipping fines, with 2,353 Fixed Penalty Notices¹ issued between 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2025.

The council resolved to increase fines from £400 to £1000 and launch a This is our home, not a tip campaign to educate residents about fly-tipping and how to dispose of waste correctly. The council also committed to strengthening its approach to reducing fly-tipping through community partnerships.

Review of the Constitution

The council approved an amendment to the Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs) within its constitution. The amendment addresses the process for awarding contracts using a Dynamic Market², Open Framework or Framework. The original wording of Rule 7.7 was replaced with the following:

A decision at the appropriate level will be required to commence a mini-competition using a Dynamic Market, Open Framework or Framework. A second decision will be required to award a contract following a mini-competition. Only one decision will be required where a direct award will be made under a Dynamic Market, Open Framework or Framework.

The report author, Rhian Davies, Interim Director of Legal and Democratic Services, stated that the amendment aims to avoid confusion on the process for awarding contracts.

Special Urgency Decisions

The council noted a quarterly report on special urgency decisions. The report notified the council of urgent key decisions where the council had to utilise the special urgency procedure, as set out in rule 16 of the Access to Information Rules.

The report highlighted one urgent key decision exempted from call-in since the last report: Green Quarter Bulk Acquisition of New Homes.

Appointments to Committees and Other Bodies

The council agreed to the appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies as outlined in Appendix 1 of the Appointments to Committees and Other Bodies.pdf report. These appointments are made annually, but can change due to vacancies, by-elections, review of political balance and changes in Councillor availability.

Public Questions

Members of the public posed questions to various cabinet members. Angela Fonso asked Councillor Blerina Hashani, Cabinet Member for Thriving Communities, about progress in sourcing funding to refurbish the MUGAs in Southall Recreation Ground, following an injury to a young person.

Clare Welsby, Minni Dogra, and Craig Smith all directed questions to Councillor Josh Blacker, Cabinet Member for A Fairer Start, regarding the proposed closure of several children's centres.

Questions from Members of the Council

Councillors also posed questions to cabinet members. Councillor Gary Malcolm asked Councillor Steve Donnelly, Cabinet member for inclusive economy, about his support for the government's policy on Winter Fuel payments.

The Labour Group asked Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal, Cabinet member for decent living incomes, for an update on the council's work to create good and well-paid jobs for Ealing residents.

Councillor Jon Ball asked Councillor Shital Manro, Cabinet member for good growth and new homes, about her support for uncontrolled building on parts of greenbelt land.

The Labour Group asked Councillor Louise Brett, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, for an update on the council's work to improve conditions for private renters in the borough.

Councillor Anthony Young asked Councillor Paul Driscoll, Cabinet member for climate action, about the capital cost of proposed changes to Stop and Shop Parking across the Borough.

The Labour Group asked Councillor Blerina Hashani, Cabinet member for thriving communities, for an update on plans for the new regional park.

The Labour Group asked Councillor Paul Driscoll, Cabinet member for climate action, for an update on the Visions for Northolt project.

Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor (from previous meeting)

The minutes of the previous meeting on 13 May 2025, which were approved as a correct record, included the election of Councillor Anthony Kelly as Mayor for the municipal year 2025-26, and the appointment of Councillor Faduma Mohamed as Deputy Mayor for the year 2025-26.