On 7 May 2026, residents in the Southfield ward will vote to choose who represents them at Ealing Council.
EALING.NEWS has asked all candidates standing to become a councillor, 7 questions about who they are, what they hope to deliver and why they want residents to vote for them.
Here’s what Helen Pattison standing for Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Southfield, has to say:
Tell us a bit about yourself, your priorities for the ward, and why you want to be councillor for Southfield?
I have lived in Ealing for 7 years. In that time Ealing has lost half its libraries, it’s about to lose half its children’s centres. That whole time Labour have been in power. I am standing because I want an alternative to austerity politics. TUSC is a coalition of socialists, trade unionists and activists getting organised for ourselves. We aren’t establishment politicians, but real community activists.
In 2024, millions of people voted to get rid of the rotten Tory government. Here we are nearly 2 years later and I cant really tell the difference. What is worse is that Labour are now in power at both in the council and in national government, but our council tax goes up, our services are slashed and thousands of luxury flats are built but nothing that is actually affordable! I want to be part of an alternative to the Labour austerity agenda and the building of a real voice for working class people.
What motivates you?
London is one of the wealthiest cities in the world, so why are people in Ealing (and across London) going without? From the cost of living crisis, rising rents, and cuts to services, it doesn’t make sense to me. That’s what has motivated me to stand. We need a real alternative to the crisis facing our communities and services.
What is your personal connection to Southfield, or to any other part of the borough?
I’ve lived here for 7 years and been part of community campaigns. I also stood in the council election previously.
What do you consider to be your three main political, professional or personal achievements, and what impact have they had?
When I first moved to London, I had a zero hour contract. Not knowing how many hours you will have each week makes life really hard. Along side others, I was part of campaigning for union rights for low paid workers and against exploitative bosses, particularly in the hospitality industry. At the time we won improvements on workers rights around their tips. Today, some of the positive changes to workers rights which we are seeing are a product of our campaigning. Of course there is always more to do.
What do you consider to be the three biggest challenges facing Southfield, and how would you address them as a councillor?
TUSC is the only party standing in this election where every councillor is committed to putting forward a “needs based” no-cuts budget. This means that I will fight for any and all the services which our community needs. I was part of the campaign to stop the closure of half our libraries. I know we have lost youth clubs in the borough too. Class sizes in schools are growing and this has to be opposed. We need to build council homes to help end the housing crisis. I would campaign on these issues. But I would also launch a Peoples Budget meeting in the area so that you can tell me what else the community needs.
What do you love about Southfield and the borough of Ealing?
I think Ealing is a great place to live. But under Labour austerity it will continue to decline unless we get organised and fight back against cuts to our services.
How accessible will you be to residents of Southfield? How can they contact you now, and if elected, how will you remain accessible in
future?
Very. Establishment politicians seem to think they can get voted in and then disappear until elections come around again. To me, that isn’t very democratic. I would organise a Peoples Budget to give residents a say. I would also involve residents in democratic decisions and campaigns throughout my time in the council.
Click here for all Southfield candidates standing.
Full coverage of the 2026 Ealing Council local elections and candidates standing can be found here.
