On 7 May 2026, residents in the Norwood Green 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 Mark Benjamin, standing for Ealing Community Independents in Norwood Green has to say:
Tell us a bit about yourself, your priorities for the ward and why you want to be councillor for Norwood Green?
I joined the Ealing Community Independents to try and make a difference. I have always lived within the borough and have lived in Southall for over 30 years.
I am a civil servant and have been a customs officer in the past, protecting our borders. I am an active disabled trade union campaigner for better public services and was part of the Save Ealing Tax Office campaign.
I am a stroke survivor so was involved in the local Trades Council campaign to stop Ealing hospital A&E being downgraded to an Urgent Care Centre.
I want to negotiate with the local NHS to reopen the closed GP surgery on the Windmill Park Estate so locals do not have excessive travel to a GP surgery in West Ealing or Cranford. If elected, I will campaign for free parking increased from 30 minutes to 60 minutes in designated parking bay areas for local shopping increasing support for local businesses and the local economy. I would arrange more free festivals for residents sponsored by local restaurants or caterers – with free food, drink and music for all residents in the various parks within the Borough to bring the community together.
I currently work from home so I can dedicate the time and communicate with residents more often than the current elected councillors.
What motivates you?
I have always wanted to make my community better by engaging more with the locals. I am on first names terms with my neighbours and I want to bring this community vibe to the rest of my ward.
What is your personal connection to the ward or borough?
I would describe my relationship with Ealing as ‘home’. I have always lived within the borough – for home, school and work.
What do you consider to be your 3 top political, work or personal achievements and what impact have they had?
I was an activist in successfully stopping the downgrade of Ealing Hospital A&E to an Urgent Care Centre, which would have meant no ‘blue light’ emergency ambulance services.
A personal and work achievement for myself is being able to continue to work after becoming disabled, which has boosted my confidence as I am able to continue my career and not rely on state benefits solely.
What do you consider to be the top 3 challenges Norwood Green faces and how will you as a councillor address them?
First is how Ealing Council spends its budget, for example not building enough affordable housing. I will ask where the £100m for 1138 affordable homes was spent, why only 180 homes (16%) were completed and what went wrong with failed contractors?
I will campaign to restore weekly waste collections because the data shows it would save the council money and clean up our streets. Fly-tipping doubled the year weekly collections were cut.
I will lower petition thresholds to improve smaller matters and eliminate bureaucracy.
What do you love about Norwood Green and Ealing Borough?
The amount of talented people who came from Ealing, such as film director Steve McQueen, England footballer Bukayo Saka and England Lioness Chloe Kelly amongst others.
How accessible will you be to Norwood Green residents and how can they get in contact with you now and if elected how will you ensure you are accessible to them in the future?
I will hold a face to face councillor ward surgery meeting every month, open to all residents. Plus I will hold a monthly online meeting for disabled residents unable to travel and create a dedicated phoneline with messaging service for pensioners who do not use the internet. For social media users I will circulate a monthly newsletter using WhatsApp. During this election campaign, I can be contacted by email via info@ealingindependents.org.
Click here for all Norwood Green candidates standing.
Full coverage of the 2026 Ealing Council local elections and candidates standing can be found here.
