Ealing Council Leader Looks Ahead to the Coming Year

The Leader of Ealing Council has not ruled out increasing council tax in this year’s budget, despite his assertion that council finances are in a “good position”.

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Councillor Peter Mason outlined his plans for the borough in 2026 as we asked him about council tax, housing and what residents can expect over the next 12 months.

The number of councils requesting Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from the government has more than doubled per year since 2021/22. In West London, Hillingdon Council entered discussions with the government for support in order to avert the risk of having to issue a Section 114 notice – the local government equivalent of declaring bankruptcy.

According to Cllr Mason, this is not something that residents of Ealing have to worry about in 2026. He told the LDRS that the council’s finances are in good shape ahead of the 2026 budget.

He said, “The council finances are in a good position, unlike other boroughs that perhaps haven’t taken the tough but necessary decisions to weather the storm of 15 years of austerity under the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

“We’ve always made a priority of being sensible with taxpayers’ money, being ruthlessly efficient with how we use it and get the best value for money for the taxpayer… and so while other councils are going bankrupt and seeking EFS from the government, we’re able to stand on a basis of stable finances.”

Given Cllr Mason’s assertion that the council finances are in a good space, the LDRS asked whether residents can expect to see council tax, or fees and charges such as parking, increase in the 2026 budget. He did not rule this out.

He responded: “That’s all subject to a budget process in February. So that will all come out in the wash in the new year.”

It is typical for councils to increase council tax by the maximum 4.99% allowed each year. Last year Ealing Council joined the majority of other London councils in doing just that.

In July, LDRS reporting revealed that private rents in Ealing had increased more than any other borough in London. At the same time, Ealing Council was still taking more than 100 days to survey mould issues in council properties – something which under new legislation must now be completed within 24 hours.

This was put to Cllr Mason, and he was asked how in 2026 Ealing Council intends to tackle housing issues across the borough. He described how the council had recently received a good grade from the social housing regulator as something he is proud of.

He said, “The recent inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing has given us a grade 2 which, when you compare it to other London boroughs, are mostly grade 3 or 4, it shows a really good record of improvement and we are hoping to sustain that and work even harder.”

Cllr Mason goes on to say that the council will undertake a “stock condition survey” in 2026, to assess the quality of council-owned buildings and ascertain where the council needs to invest more, or whether buildings are fit for purpose. In 2026, the council is moving forward with the regeneration of High Lane, in Hanwell, which will provide over 500 new homes.

Last year, work started on only 1,200 affordable homes in London, way below the Mayor’s targets. This has been put down to costs and new regulations which developers say are pricing them out – however, Cllr Mason described this as a “great opportunity” for the council.

“[This] means that there are developments that have stalled, because developers can’t sell them for the prices that they thought they would, and we can go in and, doing it prudentially so we make money not lose money, but buy up an awful lot of stock for a very, very steep discount.”

A new leisure centre is set to begin construction in Ealing in 2026, something Cllr Mason described as “very exciting”. He says that in the early stages of this year the council will “break ground and get the early works underway” with the Gurnell Leisure Centre set to open between 2027 and 2028.

He added, “We’re really looking forward to finally getting nature reserve designation for Warren Farm and for Horsenden Hill… and we’ve got some really exciting announcements, probably aligned to the budget, around where we’re going to be focussing our efforts.

“And that’s on top of finishing off opening one of our 10 new parks, planning our 50,000th new tree, and many many more things to come, so exciting times ahead.”

Something else taking place this year is the local elections. The electoral landscape has changed drastically since the 2022 local elections, in which Labour maintained its stronghold on Ealing Council.

With the rise of Reform and the Greens, coupled with poor polling for Labour, Cllr Mason says he remains intent on making sure that Labour will win in Ealing. He said, “The good people of Ealing will decide who they want to lead the borough and I’m not complacent. We have held their trust since 2010…

“We will head into the election in a new environment, in which working together, a Labour council, a Labour Mayor, and a Labour government, can finally start reinvesting in the vital public services that our residents know that they need. And it will be for them to tell us whether we have done a good job on their behalf.”

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter

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