Forum Topic

Council blocked over Town Hall ‘sale’

As per the article on the front page the Charity Commission has said today Ealing Council’s scheme to gift the Town Hall to developers Mastcraft is unsatisfactory and must be reviewed.Essentially, handing over the building on a 250 year lease and disposing of the Victoria Hall (which is held under a charitable trust) is unacceptable. At the very least the Council is told it has to provide another building in central Ealing for community use if the gall is lost. Don’t see much scope for that anywhere.Of course the Council will have to pay Mastcraft up to £350,000 as an indemnity if the project doesn’t go ahead. I wonder which genius in Perceval House cane up with that idea when the scheme was in doubt from the very start. That’s money from us, by the way.Needless to say the council is taking its usual arrogant tone in response: a spokesperson said: '' The council has received the report and are pleased that the Charity Commission agree in principle that a scheme is required and can be made. The Council both as landowner and Trustee will be working to answer some additional points that the Commission has raised.”It’s like they completely missed the point and will spend more of our money to benefit their pals!

Simon Hayes ● 1845d26 Comments

Very well put and accurate Mr Hayes.BellEnd OUT!!!!

Rosco White ● 1753d

What’s noticeable about much of the redevelopment of Ealing is how little of it is designed to benefit the existing residents. Tower blocks are proposed for residential areas characterised by traditional two storey housing. Most of the new flats are marketed overseas for investment, pricing out local buyers. New services such as doctors and schools are omitted.The Town Hall scheme is typical. A boutique hotel that might bring some revenue in, but I suspect most guests would be more likely to be lured by the bright lights of the West End than the less glamorous offerings of Ealing Broadway. There’s certainly no cultural core to the area (not even a cinema yet!)Meanwhile the use of the public buildings is reduced and is reliant on the whims of the developers. That’s what the Charity Commission correctly picked up on. The Victoria Hall is held in trust for the benefit of the people of Ealing. It’s not the council’s plaything to dispose of as it wishes.

Simon Hayes ● 1753d

Because Towns are nothing without community and a sense of belonging. It has a growing population and yet very little in terms of places for societies and organisations that make up part of a good healthy and thriving community.You can throw money and resources at various social issues but without places for people to use and be part of you may as well burn it in the pizza oven.Ealing has enjoyed this place from Weddings, Events, of all sorts, even model railway exhibitions and it is in the heart of the town.The Town Hall id for the people of the town not just politicians and administrators. Hotels can be anywhere it's a room for a few days. When its a nice room in a well run hotel it matters not what it looks like outside.But for a Town and it's community it's the mark of pride of all those who paid for it for us.

Raymond Havelock ● 1754d

James, it is a public asset being sold with no firm plan for a replacement.
If there was a sound economic case for the sale then Ealing has not made it. They do seem hell bent on the disposal of community assets and spending the resultant income on vanity projects.
I make no secret of being a Conservative voter but I would be equally, if not more, critical of a Tory administration trying to deprive taxpayers of assets which, incidentally, are held in trust rather than owned,

N V Brooks ● 1754d

A genuine question, and not seeking politics (am not a labour voter). Why is the idea of turning largely council used (prime real estate) property into a boutique hotel that sees people stay in Ealing, use local restaurants, go shopping, and generally boost the local economy a bad thing?I do not know the details on the spaces currently used for public purposes, so if good community space is being taken away and not established elsewhere, then understandable. Otherwise I am struggling to see why boosting the local economy is bad.Again, asked as a question rather than stating an opinion...

James Putland ● 1754d

I also recall Jon Ball (LIBDEM) not paying his Council Tax in 2016 and was apparently taken to court - "Cllr Ball, who represents Ealing Common, was taken to court owing over £1,175 of costs."https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/three-ealing-councillors-failed-pay-11679420I wonder if The Local Labour Party paid his Council Tax Bill for him?!  😁

Rosco White ● 1760d

Brainwashed and uninformed perfectly describes the current composition of the council.I wonder if Virendra Sharma’s acquaintance with Mastcraft boss Joginder Sanger has had any bearing on the very favourable terms given to the developer of the hotel? They’ve known each other for years, and Sharma is also Bell’s political boss.....

Simon Hayes ● 1760d

Absolutely agree, however I fear The Brainwashed and/or Uninformed will still blindly vote BellEnd and his Southall Posse back in, in droves.And I'm not saying the Conservatives and/or LibDems would necessarily be any better, but, By God, do we need City Hall to be thoroughly fumigated and the windows left open for a month or two.On a side note, I see that the LibDems (Jon Ball) on the Planning Committee are also very often partial to voting "Grant" on Towers and Various Other Monstrosities, what the hell is going on there you have to ask?

Rosco White ● 1760d

Sadly the Labour cohort fail utterly to abide by the Nolan principles or the guidelines from the Local Government Association, where they are supposed to act as a bridge between the executive and the electorate in the ward they represent.There are any number of instances where the overwhelming opinion of residents has been ignored because the Labour members simply voted as they were told. It happened with the imposition of massively increased CPZ charges (which did nothing to address the pollution issues they claimed they would solve). It happened with the destruction of our library service (which is only kept at a bare minimum because it’s a legal requirement). It’s continually happening with any number of planning applications across the borough.Ask yourself if you want genuine representation of your local area or simply someone who rubber stamps whatever fancy emanates from the dark recesses of Julian Bell’s head (I hesitate to use the word brain). Then ask your neighbours if they are happy with it. Then remember that next time you head to the ballot box in 2022.

Simon Hayes ● 1760d

Yep, totally agree Mr Havelock.

Rosco White ● 1761d

I wouldn't hold your breath about a new council taking over next time. This Labour council have out-Toried the Tories in dealing with planning permission (in my opinion). In my area we have an outstanding planning application in the area of my block of flats in Northolt and I (like 17 other people) have objected. I wrote to the three councillors in Northolt West End about this and never received an acknowledgement. Sadly, I suspect this is typical for entrenched councillors.

Ian Fergus ● 1761d

Too many students registered to vote in Ealing is the problem and why several wards inaccurately represented.I have no issue with Students voting ( I was one once, as were many of us) but I do fully object to them having a vote in a place that most do not live  as full time residents or pay any council tax.Oddly, students can vote in two places at the same time except in a general election, but can vote in their parental home town as well as their study town.This is so very wrong and the interests of full resident council tax payers is being usurped by these anomalies.Students traditionally vote Labour and it's no coincidence that Labour Activists are all over students staying locally like a rash and have been for a while. I might add that if Students were Tory voters en masse and Tories were doing the same I would find that equally wrong.Needs to be serious reform of the electoral system which has gotten so messed up that different borough electoral offices have differing  understandings of the regulations.

Raymond Havelock ● 1761d

I wouldn’t bank on them being ousted in 2022. There’s a lot of entrenchment going on in wards such as Northfields by the Labour councillors elected last time. Appearing to make themselves indispensable despite utterly failing to represent the voters wishes to the council (Northfields library being a case in point).Don’t forget they have a publicly subsidised propaganda sheet distributed borough wide in the form of Around Ealing, which tells everyone exactly how marvellously they are doing, while omitting entirely anything that smacks of failure(Warren Farm anyone?)One can only hope there might be some enforced retirements ahead of then.

Simon Hayes ● 1761d

Hopefully, these shenanigans will take at least another two years and we will have the opportunity to eject Bell's Buffons' via the ballot box.

N V Brooks ● 1761d

Hopefully, these shenanigans will take at least another two years and we will have the opportunity to eject Bell's Buffons' via the ballot box.

N V Brooks ● 1761d

Hopefully, these shenanigans will take at least another two years and we will have the opportunity to eject Bell's Buffons' via the ballot box.

N V Brooks ● 1761d

The council’s cosy relationship with the hotel developer, Mastcraft, is interesting. You can read more about Mastcraft here:https://www.standard.co.uk/news/revealed-the-asylum-tycoon-6943075.html

David Marshall ● 1761d

Interesting to see that the ‘cash-strapped’ council has spent almost TWO MILLION QUID pursuing its aim of handing over the Town Hall for hotel redevelopment. How on earth can this be justified when we’re constantly told there’s no money for local services?And it looks like yet more of our money is to be spent on this vanity project despite the Charity Commission deeming the plans unacceptable.Once again it’s the people of Ealing who lose out to Bell and co’s hubris.

Simon Hayes ● 1761d

Good question, hopefully they'll respond!

Rosco White ● 1844d

Still if the hall does not make a profit, there is no money to fix it. Do you suppose that the pressure group trying to convert it into a theatre (with a club bar) realises this?

Mark Julian Raymond ● 1844d

When has "legality" stopped this Council from doing ANYTHING it wants?

Rosco White ● 1844d

Arthur,One of the interesting things that came out of my research into the trust was that central government allowed the hall to be built using the applied funding and operational model so long as NO MONEY FROM THE RATES was used for the maintenance or operation of the hall, it all had to come out of the operational profit of the hall. I do not think that Ealing Council can legally spend public money, i.e. council tax revenues on its maintenance. Who was the councillor that you spoke to then? I don't think that the Victorians were keen on the public subsidy of boozing and entertainments even then

Mark Julian Raymond ● 1844d

Mr Breens, we ALL know what's going on at City Hall, and this is yet another example of it.There will be a reckoning.

Rosco White ● 1844d

When this plan was first mooted I asked my councillor why and was told that it had to go ahead because there was a backlog of repairs. I asked to see a copy of the repair schedule. It was never offered me. I asked how come there was a backlog of repairs when there was clearly an income stream. Again no answer. As for compensating the hotel promoter in the event of a no-deal. Only an idiot would have signed that one off. The smell wafts all the way across Walpole Park such that even the ducks are wearing face masks.

Arthur Breens ● 1844d

Nothing of course to stop this community asset being transformed into a day centre, support centre library etc.
Certainly of far more use to the community that yet another hotel.

N V Brooks ● 1844d

Simon, look at what is going on around you man! The last thing we need to be spending public money on now is a theatre with a club bar where there can be subsidized late night sozzling by entertainment professionals. We need day centres, mental health support centres, libraries, drop in centres, NOT hedonism

Mark Julian Raymond ● 1844d