Ealing Council is asking residents, businesses, and workers for their views on its new draft strategy for the borough’s economy after 6pm.

A consultation is now open about the plan, which aims to make the borough a more prosperous and inclusive place to live, work, visit, and run a business after 6pm, and to foster growth in the evening and night-time economy.

Sometimes misunderstood as being only about alcohol and food, the 6pm–6am economy in fact covers a range of industries and activities, from 24-hour health and social care services through to supermarkets and local restaurants.

Over a quarter of local spend is done in the evening and night-time, and across London the sector is projected to grow by £2 billion a year by 2029.

17% of the borough’s population work in the 6pm–6am economy, including at major 24-hour employers like Heathrow and Ealing Hospital. It also plays an important role in the social and cultural life of the borough.

Meeting the needs of the borough’s 7 towns

The draft strategy lays out a plan to ensure each of the borough’s 7 towns has a unique and diverse offer after 6pm. It will seek to:

• diversify and protect the existing offer in Ealing
• curate and steer future investment in Southall and Acton
• nurture an improved local offer, including new services and amenities, in Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale, and Greenford

The plan is designed to deliver access to new and existing jobs, services, and amenities in evenings and night-times for all residents, within a 20-minute round trip from their homes by walking or cycling.

“A vibrant and sustainable evening economy that benefits all”

Councillor Kam Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Our goal is to create a vibrant and sustainable evening and night-time economy that benefits all of Ealing’s diverse communities. There is already so much on offer here, and we want to work with residents and businesses to ensure we can build a strong and bustling 6pm-6am economy for our borough.

“We’ve promised to create 10,000 good, well-paid jobs by 2026, to help more residents access a decent living income. We’re already over halfway to that target, and this new plan will help us reach it.

“We’ve already listened to views from 3,000 local people about what they want from their local economy, and their opinions have helped to inform this plan. We encourage all residents to take part in these surveys and help shape the future of our borough.”

Take part

The strategy has been put together after a previous round of consultation on what residents thought about the evening and nighttime economies of the borough’s seven towns.

Residents, businesses, and workers can now view the draft strategy and share their feedback.  There is a survey for each of the borough’s 7 towns, ensuring that the unique needs and perspectives of every community are considered.

The consultation period will run until Thursday 22 August.

Read the draft strategy and have your say on the plans for each town.

Only got 5 minutes? Read an extract of the strategy and complete a short survey.