THE COUNCIL
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND JOBS
1 The council helped 467 residents into
employment last year and 954 job
seekers gain vocational qualifications. A new
Ealing Broadway work club has been set up,
building on the existing three in Acton,
Hanwell and Northolt. The WEST (work,
education, skills and training) programme was
also set up to help people back into jobs in
Northolt, Greenford and Hanwell – with plans
to expand into other parts of the borough
2 All our secondary and special schools,
and nine in 10 of our primary schools,
were rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
3 In 2015/16, seven in 10 reception aged
children achieved a good level of
development
4 In the five years between 2011 and
2016, the average number of 16-18
year-olds not in education or training (NEETs)
in Ealing was 3.1%. The national average over
that period was 5.2%
5 In 2015/16, 126 local apprenticeships
were made available and filled. Other
apprenticeships have been created and more
are planned.
REGENERATION, HOMES AND
SAFETY
6 The council froze council tax rates for
the eighth year running
A London Living Wage business rate
7
discount scheme was set up to
encourage local employers to pay staff fairly
8 The council made a compulsory purchase
order for the old Ealing cinema site so
that the Ealing Filmworks scheme can be built
9 The much-needed restorations at
Gunnersbury Park and Pitzhanger
Manor House began
10 In the past year, 158 council homes have
been built by the council. In addition,
198 affordable homes are being built in the
borough or are in the pipeline, and at least 388
more will be constructed through Broadway
Living, a housing company set up by the council.
In total the council hopes to have been able to
deliver more than 1,700 affordable homes
between 2014-2018 (see story on pages 30-31)
A borough-wide private rented sector
licensing scheme is being introduced
to improve the standard of rental housing. In
total, 840 landlords were accredited by the
National Landlords Association in 2015/16
– the highest number for any London borough
12 A developer has been selected for the
redevelopment of Ealing Town Hall
(see Up Front, page nine); and the site of
Perceval House, the council’s main office, is
set to follow suit in the near future
13 Nearly 1,100 homes were secured
against burglary and fly-tipping
through the council’s alley gating scheme; and
burglary prevention programmes provided
tips and security measures for 6,400 homes.
Crime figures for the borough showed a 15%
reduction in burglaries in 2015/16.
11
RECYCLING. ENVIRONMENT AND
TRANSPORT
14 Energy-efficient LED lighting is
being installed in street lamps across
the borough
15 The £625,000 Transform Your Space
scheme has been funding community
projects. The council has also helped residents
with another 141 projects to improve the local
area through its community website Bubble
(www.dosomethinggood.org.uk)
16 In 2015/16, the percentage of
household waste sent for reuse,
recycling and composting stayed at 45%. The
recent change to the service, which started in
June, has already shown signs of improving
this rate (see pages 44-45) and the aim is to
reach 50% recycling by 2018
17 A pilot scheme with Kingdom Security has
targeted litterbugs by teams of officers
issuing £80 fines for dropping litter, dumping
rubbish, spitting or allowing dog fouling
18 An impressive 18 of our parks were
awarded the Green Flag, for high
standards – the highest number the borough
has ever achieved
19 The borough has been selected from
more than 600 entrants to compete in
the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in
Bloom Awards 2016
This year 1,500 new trees were
planted, the largest number in London,
as part of a street tree scheme. Community
orchards were also encouraged in our parks
– and a new one was created in Southall Park
21 Hundreds of residents saved money on
their energy bills through the council’s
participation in the Big London Energy Switch.
Since 2013 it is estimated the savings have
amounted to £119,728
22 Construction of a North Acton Cycle
Hub started
The first phase of an Ealing town
23
centre upgrade is due to start in
August (see pages 32-33)
24 The long-awaited, and innovative,
incline lift opened at Greenford station.
20
‘WORKING TOGETHER ON
COMMON GOALS’
Council leader Julian Bell said: “While
we must never be complacent this list
of achievements shows good progress.
Especially against the context of the
financial pressures we are under as a
council and the huge savings target we
have been working hard to reach.
“It has been done by working
together creatively and proactively
on common goals: With our partner
organisations like the police and NHS;
with community groups and volunteers;
but also with residents as a whole –
because what 2,000 of you tell us in our
biennial residents’ survey really does
inform what we prioritise. And how
you take part in community life makes
a huge difference – for example, the
amount we recycle only goes up if you
do the recycling.
“We live in a fast-changing world at
the moment where little is certain. But
Ealing is a great borough and we will
continue to strive, with the help of you
and our partners, to make it even better;
and this list shows how much we can
still get done by working together.”
around ealing
Autumn 2016
41