Following last year’s Talk Future Ealing roadshows on the council’s financial challenges and how it has been responding, its chief executive Paul Najsarek has been visiting local neighbourhoods to update people on the Future Ealing programme – and ask for their help.
Mr Najsarek has already spoken at several ward forum meetings, with more to come. Other Ealing Council officers have also been at meetings to provide the latest picture to residents and to answer their questions.
He said: “These sessions are really important. Local people have seen services change over the last few years and they rightly want to know the background. They are a great opportunity to tell people where we stand in terms of finances and how we are evolving as an organisation to make sure we can carry on delivering the services people depend on, despite the financial challenges.
“I’d like to thank everyone who came along to the sessions. As usual, residents were very well informed. I was grateful to have the opportunity to explain to them how Future Ealing is starting to make a difference and how the community can help us.”
To find out more about the council’s financial challenges, visit www.ealing.gov.uk/budgetcuts
To find out more about your local ward forum, visit www.ealing.gov.uk/wardforums
FINANCIAL CHALLENGE IN NUMBERS
Ealing’s financial grant has gone down by 64% over the past decade. This means for every £1 the council used to get from central government to fund local services, the council now gets just 36p. At the same time, demand for the council’s services is growing. Especially in adult social care, protecting vulnerable children and homelessness:
4,000 approaches to the council’s homelessness service every year
£216,300 spent every day supporting Ealing’s vulnerable adults
In the public spending review for next year, Ealing was given an increase in funding. But this will not be enough to bridge the gap and the council still has more savings to find in the years to come. And the rise is only for one year, which makes long-term planning hard.
