LEADER ’ S NOTES
“ The council has taken in 10 of the most vulnerable children from the ‘ jungle ’.”
Councillor Julian Bell Leader of the council
In August , I visited the refugee camp in Calais that is often referred to as ‘ the jungle ’. It confirmed what I already knew : Ealing needed to do something to help . That is why Ealing Council has taken in 10 of the most vulnerable , unaccompanied children from the ‘ jungle ’. It follows a pledge by the council to back a campaign by Liberty and Help Refugees to bring lone children to safety in the UK . The council ’ s move followed action from Citizens UK to assess 30 such children who qualified for resettlement in the UK . The jungle camp was demolished at the end of October and we couldn ’ t simply stand by and turn our backs on the plight of these children on our doorstep . We are one of several London councils to have stepped forward and now the government needs to support us all with funding , and back up its agreement of the Dubs amendment to the immigration bill . In Ealing we have said we could offer up to 10 social care places for some of these young people classified as ‘ Dubs children ’, who were all unaccompanied minors . We have also offered two residential and two foster placements for other young people . Meeting some of these children in Calais , some as young as nine and 10 , was heart-breaking . All they wanted was somewhere safe to sleep at night and be able to go to school . Yes , we are already facing big financial challenges in Ealing , but it was the right thing to do and we know many of you agree . There was standing room only at a summit held at Ealing Town Hall to discuss how we , as a community , could provide a safe haven . There were many offers of help . If you are interested in helping unaccompanied children , one way to get involved is to become a foster carer . You can find out more about fostering at www . ealing . gov . uk / fosteradopt or by turning to page 44 . Read my article in full , and watch a video , at ealingnewsextra . co . uk / blog
We have had a long battle to get our cinema back in Ealing and there have been many false dawns and twists in the road . But I now finally believe the end is in sight and we will finally see a glorious new cinema rising out of the ground – with some work due to begin on it in December this year . Read more at ealingnewsextra . co . uk / blog
With Christmas being such a critical time for small and medium sized businesses , it is more important to shop locally now than at any other time of the year . It helps our towns , and our borough as a whole , to thrive . This latter aim is one we all share . You can see in this very magazine how we , as a council , work constantly with other organisations in a myriad of ways to help make it a reality : Regeneration , growth , skills , housing and career opportunities . We can all do something , however small , to aid that process . It is Small Business Saturday on 3 December . I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year .
around ealing Winter 2016 / 17 5