Opposition Says Tree Care in Ealing Borough 'a Scandal'

Council dismisses claims of fraud in management of new planting

Contractors are supposed to mark dates of watering on tree stakes

July 24, 2025

The opposition on Ealing Council has branded the current arrangements for tree care in the borough are ‘a scandal of epic proportions’ going so far to suggest that there may even be fraud in the management of new plantings

The Liberal Democrats say that residents have raised concerns that some contractors employed by the council may not be fulfilling agreed responsibilities, particularly with regard to the regular watering of newly planted trees.

They claim that residents across several areas of the borough have observed young trees being neglected, including instances where saplings appeared to be planted in sand and not watered during dry weather. It is widely understood that regular watering is essential during a tree’s “establishment phase,” typically the first one to three years following planting. During this time, consistent moisture is necessary for young trees to establish healthy root systems, with some requiring up to 50 litres of water per week in hot conditions.

The borough uses a monitoring system in which contractors are expected to write the date of each watering on a stake beside the tree. However, residents have reported multiple instances of stakes lacking entries, or dates being added retroactively. In some cases, residents claim to have witnessed contractors marking stakes without carrying out any watering. These allegations follow the dismissal of previous tree contractors in 2022 due to widespread complaints about underperformance.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Gary Busuttil, Opposition Spokesperson on Finance and Council Honesty, stated, “Sadly for residents, Ealing Labour seems to be repeating its failings time and again with no appropriate oversight or management of contractors resulting in a misuse of public funds which are going to line contractors’ pockets for services they do not provide! This is a scandal of epic proportions especially as our Council Taxes go up every year. Ealing Labour been in for 15 years and things have simply got worse for residents. This is a sign they have failed their residents as they are not getting the basic services like this right.”

A spokesperson for Ealing Council provided the following statement, “Due to the sharp increase in the number of trees planted since 2023, our contractors have faced challenges keeping up with the watering schedule – with over 5,000 trees requiring watering every fortnight. In response to the recent hot and dry weather, we have increased the watering frequency and all street trees are now being watered weekly.

“Contractors are required to write the date of each visit on the tree stake, which are checked during routine inspections and where they are missing the issue is raised with the contractor and payment may be withheld. Trees that die due to a lack of watering are replaced at the contractor’s cost, which happened in 16 cases last year and 2 this year.

“We are also grateful to residents who have joined our ‘Ealing Watering Champions’ scheme where more than 200 trees are receiving extra care from local volunteers. Find out more or sign up at www.treesforstreets.org.

“We are committed to improving how we manage our contractors and ensuring our trees are well cared for.”