Local Lib Dems believe that residents in the borough of Ealing have in recent years not been consulted or informed properly about important issues that affect them.

Therefore this week saw local Lib Dems launch the first of their three main election priorities – Listening To Ealing – that deals with how the council consults and communicates with residents.

Included in the mini-manifesto, Lib Dems are pledging they will:

1. Increase the frequency of area committees to eight times per year (they used to be six times a year, now they have been cut to only four times a year).

2. Listen to what Ealing residents have said especially when they want the council to recycle both cardboard and plastics AND not to introduce a tram scheme that will harm the borough. Also people want the council to campaign to scrap Council tax and replace it with a fairer tax.

3. Introduce ‘Welcome Packs’ for new residents. This will give useful information including the council, local transport, and the locations of the nearest police station and recycling points.

4. Pioneer a simple system so that residents can be kept informed or consulted by email, which they can do by opting-in using a short form they receive in the annual council tax bills and other council literature.

5. Produce Council documentation in ‘Plain English’ and in bigger print so that more people, especially those with reading difficulties or the large numbers of people in the borough for whom English is not their first language, can understand the information more easily.

Cllr Gary Malcolm said “Lib Dems want to see residents involved in how their borough is run. Labour currently only consult because they have to. Lib Dems would reverse the cuts made to area committees and introduce welcome packs to new residents so they people know what is going on in their area.”