New Local Panel Set Up To Review Ealing Riots


Public meeting to be held on Monday 17th October

Ealing Council has announced the panel that will oversee the local inquiry into the riots that took place in August.

The cross-party panel is tasked with investigating why the riots happened in Ealing, where the rioters were from, how local services and the community responded and what can be learnt for the future.

The Ealing Riots Scrutiny Review Panel is made up of seven councillors: Cllr Shital Manro (chair); Cllr Ann Chapman (vice chair); Cllr Jon Ball; Cllr Jason Stacey; Cllr Chris Summers; Cllr Philip Taylor and Cllr Lauren Wall.

As part of its evidence gathering process the panel will hold a series of meetings as well as visiting different sections of the community and those businesses directly affected by the riots. The scope of the inquiry will include:

· The riots and their impact
· The police response and actions taken during the riot
· The response after the riots
· Learning from the riots

The inaugural meeting of the panel will be held on Tuesday 11 October at 7pm in Ealing Town Hall to agree the panel’s work programme.

To ensure that the local inquiry feeds in to the national inquiry set up by the government a joint public meeting is being held on Monday 17 October from 6pm at Ealing Town Hall.

Members of the independent national Riot and Communities and Victims Panel, chaired by the council’s former chief executive Darra Singh, will join members of the local panel and representatives from the police and the council to listen to the views of local people.

The Ealing Riots Scrutiny Review Panel is expected to submit its draft report with recommendations to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 15 December 2011.

Councillor Shital Manro, Chair of Ealing Riots Scrutiny Review Panel, said: “The violence and destruction that took place in Ealing on 8 August was truly shocking.

“The panel has been set up to better understand what happened and why and review if everything possible was done in response to the riots so that we learn from the experience and ensure we do everything possible to avoid it happening again.

“We are keen to hear from as many people as possible and so I would urge residents to come along to the public meeting on 17 October. If people cannot attend the meeting and talk to us in person, I would ask that they send us their contributions by email or post.”

People wishing to submit evidence to the Ealing Riot Scrutiny Panel should email scrutiny@ealing.gov.uk or send it to Scrutiny, Ealing Council, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London W5 2HL.

Anyone wishing to speak at the public meeting on 17 October must contact Keith Fraser, head of scrutiny and committees, on 020 8825 7497 or email fraserk@ealing.gov.uk by midday on 13 October.

 

 

4th October 2011