Indicative of one party state methods, closet party members 'approved and selected ' residents and exclusion of all those who for decades do huge service to residents from those who sweep streets and clear debris to those who scour and expose planning and other politically messed with services and, as those who have lived and grown up here for generations know all too well, corruption, ineptitude and total incompetence not just in this borough but neighbouring ones have been exposed.When the Ealing Gazette was a proper independent Newspaper not reliant on council notice income, it exposed this kind of Town Hall overreaching constantly and the one consequence was very few got away with it and the more ludicrous schemes and characters were nipped in the bud.That prevented one party dominance of councils and Ealing was very much a windscreen wiper borough with small majorities either way. It was far more accessible, had far better standards of genuine Senior Officers dedicated to Borough and not career climbers.It was far, far better and the local paper far more effective than In-house policing and flushing out the wrong unsafe elected or other. Even then that did not stop many bad decisions but at least it was fully reported in a far more open and clear way.
Raymond Havelock ● 1h