Around Ealing Summer 2019 | Page 4

UP FRONT 1 2 The European Parliament elections took place on 23 May and the local results were due to be published at www.ealing.gov.uk/euelections The council is advising residents to be aware of, and avoid, oak processionary moth caterpillars. They could be nesting in oak trees in June and July. Their tiny hairs can cause itchy skin rashes and, less frequently, eye and throat irritations and breathing difficulties in people and pets. Read more at ealingnewsextra.co.uk/latest-news/ opm-caterpillars 3 Better organised health care, closer to home, is the aim of a new partnership of local organisations, including the NHS, Ealing Council and an array of charities and voluntary groups. Read the full story on Ealing Community Partners at ealingnewsextra.co.uk/ features/health-partners 4 Community groups and residents have been submitting proposals to the council’s Transform Your Space scheme for projects to improve neglected or under-utilised spots in the borough. The winning proposals, which will receive support and funding, were due to be revealed at the end of June. You can read about past successes at ealingnewsextra.co.uk (search for ‘Transform Your Space’) or, for more on the scheme itself visit www.dosomethinggood.org.uk/ fundraising/transform-your-space 5 Following the 100th Ealing Mile race in Lammas Park, there will be a new, weekly Ealing Summer Mile Series every Friday evening in July at 7.30pm to add to the monthly lunchtime runs. Visit ealingnewsextra.co.uk (search ‘Ealing Mile’) for more. speedread 4 around ealing    Summer 2019 What you told survey A survey showed almost eight out of 10 people living in the borough as being happy with the local area and nearly three-quarters of people satisfied with Ealing Council. People in the borough also scored their personal well-being higher than in other parts of the capital and the country. BMG Research was commissioned to carry out the independent survey on behalf of the council. A representative sample of 1,253 local people was interviewed face-to-face and asked a series of questions to find out what they thought about living in the borough and council services. The top reasons people gave for being satisfied with the area were the friendly people, quiet neighbourhoods and good access to public transport. The top three reasons for dissatisfaction were rubbish and litter, crime and parking problems. Since the start of austerity many other areas of the country have seen a significant decline in the overall satisfaction with local councils. Despite Ealing Council’s government funding being cut by 64% since 2010, which is a slightly higher reduction in funding than both the national and London averages, overall satisfaction ratings for the borough continued to show a robust performance. Personal well-being compared well to other areas of London and the UK. Results were taken from scores showing levels of life satisfaction, happiness, life being worthwhile and levels of anxiety. Four out of five people reported being in good health and 81% of people said they were happy. Community cohesion continues to be strong with 86% of people saying that people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well – although this is a drop of five percentage points from the last residents’ survey carried out in 2014. When asked about individual council services, many results mirrored national trends with drops in satisfaction reported on the 2014 residents’ survey. Among the results for council services, 76% of people were satisfied with rubbish collections, 62% satisfied with recycling, 64% happy with parks, and 53% satisfied with street cleaning. Read the full story – and find the whole report – by visiting ealingnewsextra.co.uk/latest-news/happy-and-well-in-ealing