Ealing London Borough Council serves around 365,000 residents in west London. Known as the 'Queen of the Suburbs', Ealing includes Southall's vibrant South Asian community, Acton and Hanwell, and has benefited significantly from the Elizabeth line.
The meeting focused on school determinations for collective worship, SACRE membership gaps, the RE work plan, and a substantial national/local update on religious education. The main procurement-relevant thread was the agreed syllabus refresh, including new online resources, Oak Academy mapping, and possible use of remaining SACRE finance for training or dissemination of Farmington scholarship findings. Members also discussed persistent teacher shortages and the need for better support, CPD, and school visit arrangements.
The committee approved two planning applications with procurement-relevant implications. Smiths Farm Northolt involved amendments to an affordable housing scheme to improve fire safety and building safety compliance, while Pollet Way Industrial Park was approved for redevelopment into smaller industrial units with substantial parking, EV charging, transport contributions, zero-carbon measures, and a section 106 agreement. The meeting also raised practical concerns about building control capacity, parking management, power supply, and future transport improvements.
The committee received a detailed licensing enforcement and policy update covering premises volumes, application trends, compliance activity, test purchases, gambling inspections, safer venues training, and the new mayoral call-in power. Members also approved a new licensing fee and delegation arrangement for the animal welfare primate licence regime, though officers said no applications are expected locally.
The meeting covered progress on adult social care transformation with CQC assurance, a significant financial and workforce pressure profile, and ongoing public health priorities. Procurement-relevant elements include major recommissioning of public health services (sexual health, substance misuse, Not-to-19), new prevention programs (weight management, falls prevention, drug checks) and a broader T-27 transformation agenda (housing, tech, carer support). Budget measures include £5m savings in 2025-26, £3.4-4m savings planned for the current year, and £2m cost avoidance. A ring-fenced public health grant (~£35m) underpins commissioning, with emphasis on prevention, equity, and voluntary-sector collaboration. The panel explored governance, leadership stability, and the role of co-production in delivering outcomes, plus challenges around fair pay and a national pay framework due in 2028.
The Shareholder Committee discussed the long-term viability of Broadway Living and Broadway Living RP, confirming external reports show it is not viable to continue. The committee approved shareholder consent to transfer the whole business of BLRP and BL2 and to sell the properties, with residents' rights safeguarded and affordable housing protected. A delegation was granted to the lead officer to complete the wind-up and related decisions, expected by year-end.
This cabinet meeting covered several procurement-relevant items: confirmation of a £1.5m GLA grant for West London Regional Park with governance structures, an extension to external refurbishment contracts (roughly £5m per supplier over 2 years), and a policy shift involving winding down Broadway Living and Broadway Living Registered Provider Limited. There are strong statements on boosting social housing delivery (700 new placements this year) and on budget resilience with an additional £60m funding over three years.