Businesses in Ealing have reacted angrily to a new £175-a-year charge from Ealing Council for displaying A-boards on the public highway, adding to concerns among traders about the mounting cost of running a business in the borough.
The charge, introduced by Labour-run Ealing Council in April 2026, has prompted criticism from businesses which use pavement advertising to attract passing customers. Until April, businesses in the borough did not have to apply for a licence or pay to display an A-board.
A letter dated 10 August 2026 and seen by EALING.NEWS warns businesses that displaying an A-board on the public highway without a licence could lead to enforcement action, with boards potentially “removed and disposed of”.
The letter told businesses: “In February this year you were notified in the business newsletter that if you wished to display an advertising board outside your premises from the 1st April 2026 you will need to apply for a licence. The £175 licence will last for 1 year and will cover one A-board or similar free standing advertisement structure.”
Businesses displaying more than one board need a separate licence for each.
Bossa Nova Cafe in South Ealing is among those objecting to the new charge and has said it will get rid of its A-board rather than pay.
Posting on Facebook, the cafe said: “Small independent businesses are already being crippled by rising costs. We pay business rates, licences, utilities and countless other expenses. We are NOT paying another £175 a year just to put an A-board outside.”
The cafe said it would instead use its shop window to advertise its specials and events.
Declan Walsh, owner of Poets Winebar on Greenford Avenue in Hanwell, said he received the council’s letter earlier this month.
Mr Walsh, who said his business pays around £8,000 a year in business rates, questioned why he should have to pay another £175 for an A-board used to promote the venue.
He said: “What do I actually pay business rates for?”
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “The requirement for businesses to obtain a licence for advertising boards on the public highway forms part of the council’s wider approach to ensuring pavements remain safe and accessible for everyone.
“Businesses were informed in February that licensing for A-boards would be required from April 2026.
“A licence is only required for A-boards placed on the public highway. Boards on a private forecourt, that forms part of a business’s premises, do not require a licence. The annual fee is £175 per board and helps cover the cost of administering and enforcing the scheme.”
On how the new charge was approved, an Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “The A-board licence was discussed in the High Streets Task Force and subsequently it was agreed under delegated officer powers to roll this out from April 2026.”
The 10 August letter also tells businesses with their own forecourt that an A-board “should be placed within that area”.
Ealing Council has separately confirmed to EALING.NEWS that if an A-board is on private land, a licence is not required.
Under the council’s conditions, A-boards can be no larger than 1,000mm high, 500mm wide and 650mm deep. A clear and unobstructed footway of usually at least 3.5 metres must remain in town centres and two metres on other streets.
The council has yet to clarify whether there was a grace period between the introduction of the new licensing requirement in April and the follow-up letters sent to businesses in August.
On enforcement, Ealing Council told EALING.NEWS: “The business may receive a fixed penalty notice which, if left unpaid, may result in prosecution. For persistent non-compliance above and beyond what has been explained, additional steps may be considered.”
The council has also yet to confirm to EALING.NEWS the amount of the fixed penalty notice.
Research by EALING.NEWS found that rules and charges for A-boards vary considerably between London councils.
Hammersmith & Fulham charges £275, Harrow £213 and Kingston £170 for a new licence, while Bexley’s current application form lists £73 per board.
Hounslow uses a different system, with A-boards covered by street-trading licensing. Its 2026/27 fees include a £125.46 application charge plus £55.08 per square metre.
Westminster does not authorise A-boards on the public highway. Its published enforcement policy says businesses can receive a £100 fixed penalty notice, reduced to £50 if paid within 10 calendar days.
Councillor Julian Gallant, leader of Ealing Conservatives, described the new charge as “another tax on businesses in physical premises, already in heavy competition with online trading”.
He added: “Ealing’s Labour leadership needs to empathise with the Borough’s SMEs, provide help wherever possible and minimise regulation. Charging for A-boards is just going to make life a bit harder. We will be strongly opposing this new measure.”
