UP FRONT
1
Ealing Council services will only
have essential or critical cover over
Christmas, between 25-27 December,
and for New Year’s Day on 1 January.
Limited services will run between 28-31
December. Check www.ealing.gov.uk for
more information.
2
Your usual collection day for
rubbish and recycling may change
over the Christmas and new
year period. See the back page of this
magazine or visit www.ealing.gov.uk/
recycling
3
The borough’s beautiful parks
and green spaces struck gold in
the London in Bloom Awards
for a fifth year in a row. An amazing
total of 17 sites were recognised in
the annual awards in October, with
a mixture of Gold, Silver, Silver Gilt,
Thriving and Outstanding. Read more at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/latest-news
4
Do you know your alcohol
limit? You may be surprised by
how many units your favourite
drink might contain. Be prepared for
the festive season and read more at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/features/
alcohol-numbers
5
Burglars are usually opportunists
and winter nights tempt them with
their longer hours of darkness,
people being out at festive get-togethers
and the lure of Christmas presents. So,
do not make it easy for them: Make
sure presents cannot be seen through
windows, put lights on timers if you go
out and tear up packaging for pricey gifts
before putting them in the recycling bin.
Visit www.police.uk/crime-prevention-
advice/burglary for more tips.
speedread
4
around ealing December 2018
Big funding gap
Ealing Council’s first round of budget plans for
2019/20 will be published in December as it
grapples with a 64% government funding cut
and a £57million hole in its finances.
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet
member for finance and leisure, said:
“The £57million gap is more than
double the council’s total annual
budget for children centres, libraries,
street cleaning, rubbish and recycling
collections combined.
64p 36p
“Despite what has been said
elsewhere, austerity has not ended.
We are facing our toughest financial
challenge in living memory with around a
two-thirds cut in government funding since 2010 and spiralling demand
for services, especially in social care and dealing with homelessness.
“By 2021, our government grant will completely disappear but the
64% cut we are already dealing with means we have to radically
change the way we work or go bust.
“Despite these extreme pressures, the council is investing in building
2,500 genuinely affordable homes (see page 18) to help tackle the
housing crisis. And it is redesigning services to improve people’s lives to
help prevent expensive and life-changing problems before they happen.
“Through our Future Ealing programme, we want to protect the most
vulnerable people and to target our shrinking resources at those parts of
our communities that need them most. But we can’t do this alone. More
than six out of every 10 people who responded to the Talk Future Ealing
survey told us they want to do more, and we need them to come forward
and help us support community‑run services.
“Given the depth of the government’s cuts, we are starting from the
drawing board and looking again at how we deliver frontline services.”
MORE INFORMATION
n From 12 December, keep an eye on ealingnewsextra.co.uk for
more details on the council’s budget plans
n For updates, sign up to receive Ealing News Extra email now at
www.ealing.gov.uk/register
n For ideas on how to make a difference in your area turn to page
nine or visit www.dosomethinggood.org.uk