Forum Topic

Accessing Council services.

My road hasn't seen a street sweeper since Spring. Also, I noticed a cracked/open cast iron manhole cover in the pavement in Greenford Broadway.Does anybody know how best to contact Ealing Council to report such issues?  Thanks.

Tony Heath ● 2517d11 Comments

Hi, Libby. Thank you for your suggestion. I think there is a street residents association, but I get the feeling that most locals feel beaten into submission by the incompetent and corrupt council. But I will persevere.

Tony Heath ● 2512d

Hi Tony, forgot to mention/ask, do you have a local Resident's Association? sometimes a complaint from them carries more weight.

Libby Kemp ● 2512d

Libby, thanks for your reply and suggestions.

Tony Heath ● 2516d

This administration are just taking the proverbial, yes they are short of money, some of it of their own doing and there is always money for pet projects.In your situation I would speak with all your neighbours and all of you should email your ward councillors to complain within the same time span every day until you get the work done, NOT a holding email. For those who do not email ask if you can email on their behalf, set up an email address for them and then show them the email before you send it. If the work has not been carried out within one week, email Keith Townsend Executive Director of Environmental Services townsenk@ealing.gov.uk and Mik Sabiers SabiersM@ealing.gov.uk who has the Chair of Environmental Services and again all email daily. The Chief Executive will not help until you have been through the system.Still no success come back to me. And remember numbers count, this is a great way of building a community and meeting your neighbours. Not sure if you have a residents Association.

Libby Kemp ● 2516d

Hello, Philippa. Thank you for your further reply. Regarding street sweeping, although time does play tricks with me, it doesn't seem too long ago when we were promised that a street sweeper would follow the day after every weekly refuse collection had taken place. That's obviously now not happening. My road hasn't been swept since Spring. No doubt the council will shout 'Central government grant reduction'.  Yet the council can still find funds for the vanity project 'Ealing residents questionnaire survey'.  And I see that Julian Bell, in the quarterly propaganda 'magazine', is now starting to wave the spectre of possibly avoiding 'Council bankrupcty'. I know that he's always grinning, but I think he's actually having a laugh at council tax payers' expense.

Tony Heath ● 2516d

Well I hope you do get some replies and/or action.  I know that Libby isn't very optimistic!You can also report through your Councillors particularly if you don't get any action or the matter is urgent.When I walk around Ealing I know there are several places that I have been where the mashed up leaves have made the pavements very slippery.  I do wish that people who look out of their windows or walk out of their front doors and see this every day would report them to the Council before there is an accident.  The leaves get blown around and don't fall to fit in with any schedule. They can also block drains and then we'll have flooding and a layer of ice when it freezes.By the time I get home there are always 1001 other things demanding attention and I'd probably have to think hard about which streets had the problems and then look up their names on the map (why I liked the easy map on Fix My Street).

Philippa Bond ● 2517d

donotreply@ealing.gov.ukI wish you luck, don't expect a speedy response

Libby Kemp ● 2517d

Philippa, again many thanks for your reply. Yes, it was 'Fix My Street' that was in the back of my mind. From what you write, I won't bother with it. Like you, I don't have a smartphone (it's one step too close to 'smombification' for me LOL), but this afternoon, using my laptop, I did log into the Council's 'My Account' page where I reported my two issues.  Again, many thanks for your replies, really appreciated.

Tony Heath ● 2517d

You can also use the Council's website to Report it.  https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201153/street_care_and_cleaning/220/report_a_street_cleansing_problem(I found the above system rather clunky.)You can also use the Council's "My Account"page where you can email the info.  I was told the Customer Services email was no longer available for transmission of messages - I think they've cut the costs by cutting the staff and that is why they don't want us to use Fix My Street as they don't want to keep on forwarding the messages - they want them to go direct to the company dealing with the problems.I haven't got a smartphone - and I'm not the only one but I'm told that using the Ealing 24/7 app on one is the easiest way.

Philippa Bond ● 2517d

Philippa, thank you for your reply, appreciated.  I'll have a noodle around the Council website link that you included in your reply.On the same subject, did I read somewhere that there's another way to stir the council into action using a website called 'My Street' or 'Up My Street' or somesuch?  Cheers . . .

Tony Heath ● 2517d

Do you have a smartphone because I think the Ealing 24/7 free app this is supposed to be the best way:https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201230/myaccount/2263/ealing_council_247/1This I believe also allows you to send a photo of the problem.

Philippa Bond ● 2517d