UP FRONT
Crossrail train
Influence the map
Local people are being asked to help draw-up new political
boundaries within the borough.
It is part of an electoral review by the Local Government
Boundary Commission for England, which has already confirmed
Ealing Council should continue to have 69 councillors. But it
is now looking at re-drawing local ‘ward’ boundaries across
the borough to try to make sure each of these councillors
represents roughly the same number of people. The 2022
local elections will be held using these new boundaries.
A consultation is now asking for your opinions on where
boundaries should be – including whether there you think
there are natural barriers or ‘natural communities’ that
should be considered. You have until 5 November 2018
to submit your views
n Find out more at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk and
www.lgbce.org.uk
n Email your views to [email protected] or
[email protected]
Cinema progress
Piling work was due to start soon on the cinema
site in central Ealing as Around Ealing went to
press, preparing way for the foundations of the new
buildings that will make up the much anticipated, new
‘cultural quarter.’ It will include restaurants, homes,
shops and an eight-screen cinema.
Council leader Julian Bell said: “It has been a long road
and lots of hard work to get into the position where Ealing
will finally get its cinema back and I’m so pleased that
people will start to see physical evidence of the progress
that has been made behind the scenes. I will be making a
site visit in October and am looking forward to it.”
Crossrail delay
Council leader Julian Bell said he was ‘irritated and
annoyed’ at further delays to Crossrail.
It was announced that Crossrail, to be known as the
Elizabeth Line, would not begin operating its central
section this year and would, instead, start to run trains
in autumn 2019. Services would not reach our borough’s
five stations on the new line until later (at Southall,
Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton
Mainline). All of these stations were meant to have been
rebuilt or improved in preparation for Crossrail.
Councillor Bell said: “I have become increasingly irritated
and annoyed.
“We were originally promised Ealing Broadway station
would be built by the end of 2016. When this date was
missed we were told that we would get all our new
stations at Acton Mainline, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing
and Southall by the end of 2019 when the entire line
would be opened. The news this week that the opening
of the central tunnel section of Crossrail will now not
open this December but in autumn 2019 inevitably
means the full opening won’t happen by the end of 2019.
“For some-time my confidence has been low that our
stations would be built on time. Worse still we are now
having to crack heads together to prevent backsliding over
the delivery of the Ealing Broadway station canopy design,
which the community and council fought so hard for.
“I will have meetings with Crossrail, Network Rail and TfL
to fight Ealing’s corner and demand assurances but, after
the warm words I have received previously and the reality
of the delays and overspends that followed, I fear any
promises I receive will be worthless.”
6
around ealing October 2018