Labour-run Ealing Council has come under fire from the borough’s Liberal Democrats, who claim the local authority is failing to meet its own standards on cleanliness, waste collection and recycling.
The opposition group says Labour, which has run the borough since 2010, is presiding over “poor delivery and broken promises”. In a statement, the Lib Dems highlighted figures showing that the council cleared just 55% of fly tips in the third quarter of 2024–25, well below its own target of 95%.
According to the LibDems, reduced street sweeping has left neighbourhoods untidy and at risk of deterioration. Streets that were once swept four times a year are now cleaned twice annually, with a single additional sweep in autumn for leaves. If that is poorly timed, the Lib Dems argue, residents are left with rotting foliage on pavements until spring.
The statement also criticises Labour for cutting spending on what it calls “basic universal services”, such as parks, playgrounds, refuse collection and fly-tip removal. The Lib Dems claim the proportion of the council’s budget allocated to these areas has fallen from 43% in 2020–21 to 25% in 2024–25.
Ealing’s recycling rate, at around 50%, has been “stagnant for years”, the opposition says. The closure of the Stirling Road recycling site in Acton has left residents reliant on a single facility in Greenford, which is only open five days a week and requires pre-booking.
Councillor Gary Malcolm, Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Ealing Labour are complacent and inefficient in the delivery of basic services for residents. They have let the borough deteriorate across a range of self-proclaimed targets where there is a trail of broken promises.”
In response, an Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “Keeping the borough’s streets and parks clean is a top priority for us, which is why we launched our ‘This is our home, not a tip’ campaign back in June to help tackle fly-tipping.”
They added: “This campaign has already led to a 55% reduction in fly-tipping in targeted areas across the borough and we have allocated more time and resources to street cleaning. The results from our Ealing Resident Survey in 2024 showed 80% of residents are satisfied with the way the council is run, and the majority were satisfied with street cleaning and the quality of parks and open spaces.”
