Ealing Council Blasted Over 'Six-figure Spin Doctor'

Labour says Lib Dems 'haven't got the foggiest idea' how to run a borough

Councillor Gary Busuttil, the Lib Dem spokesperson for Finance and Council Honesty

January 15, 2026

A political row has broken out in Ealing after the borough’s Liberal Democrat group criticised the Labour administration for recruiting a senior communications director on a six-figure salary at a time when residents face rising living costs and increasing council tax.

The role of assistant director of communications was advertised in the Guardian jobs page for an annual salary range of £104,784 - £110,703. The deadline for applications was 8 January.

The Liberal Democrats argue the hire reflects misplaced priorities by the Labour administration, which has run the council for 15 years. They say the borough is experiencing deteriorating services while residents shoulder what they describe as the highest tax burden since the late 1940s.

In a strongly worded statement, the opposition said Labour councillors were “focused on hiring a six-figure spin doctor” instead of protecting frontline services.

They highlighted concerns about a range of issues including the expected closure of up to ten children’s centres, declining town centres, reduced street-cleaning frequency, an “unsafe” approach to housing repairs and claims of rising reports of anti-social behaviour

Councillor Gary Busuttil, the Lib Dem spokesperson for Finance and Council Honesty, said residents were being let down.

“Labour-run Ealing Council seems to be focusing on the wrong things,” he said. “They are prioritising spin-doctor recruitment instead of reducing the council tax burden, keeping the streets clean and safe, and keeping open children’s centres.”

The Labour group rejected the criticism, arguing that communications roles are standard across local government and essential for keeping residents informed.

Councillor Peter Mason said the Liberal Democrats were misrepresenting a routine appointment.

“Every council across the country, including every council led by the Liberal Democrats, employs someone to run their communications,” he said. “Councils are large organisations that need to communicate both internally to staff and externally to residents about bin collection days, public health information, public safety, responding to press enquiries and so much more.”

He added that the Lib Dems “haven’t got the foggiest idea about how to run a council” and suggested they “need to sack their spin doctor” if their press release was an example of their communications strategy.

Publicly available salary data shows that senior communications leaders in London local government typically earn between £90,000 and £110,000, according to London Councils’ senior staff disclosures.

According to PayScale the median salary for a senior communications professional is £82,979, with a broad range from £60,000 to £140,000 depending on organisational size and responsibilities.