EALING Council has councillors from three political parties – Labour which forms the majority, along with a number of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

The leaders of the opposition, Greg Stafford from the Tories and Gary Malcolm from the Lib Dems, have both issued statements following Monday's (May 10) news that Peter Mason will replace Julian Bell as leader of Ealing Labour and Ealing Council.

Cllr Stafford said: "On behalf of the Conservative Group, let me send my congratulations to Cllr Mason on his election as Leader of the Labour Group.

"Following over a decade of Cllr Bell's tenure, Ealing has been crying out for a change of Leader and direction.

"Labour simply haven't been listening to local residents and this is their opportunity to correct this error.

"However, Cllr Mason was a prime architect of the disastrous Low Traffic Neighbourhoods; under his tenure as Housing Cabinet member, the blight of skyscrapers across Ealing accelerated; and as a local councillor he has ignored the plight of people in Southall.

"Labour don't just need a change of Leader but a change of leadership."

"To have any chance of rebuilding the trust of local residents, Cllr Mason needs to scrap LTNs, stop the skyscraper overdevelopments and bring in proper independent monitoring of air quality in Southall.

"If he doesn't, Ealing will vote for its own change at the ballot box next year."

Cllr Malcolm said: "On behalf of the Ealing Liberal Democrat Group, I send my congratulations to Councillor Peter Mason on his election to Leader of the Labour Group.

"He said that 'Ealing will be an open, inclusive and transparent council that engages and involves residents in tackling the big challenges we face.'

"I hope therefore that on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) he will do the honourable thing and either listen to the vast majority of residents who want to see the LTNs removed - or hold a referendum to settle the argument once and for all.

"Under his leadership, Ealing Labour needs to clean up our dirty streets and light up our streets properly so that residents are safer from being a victim of crime after the Labour cuts to lighting made over the past few years.

"Cllr Peter Mason needs to ensure that our open spaces are protected such as Warren Farm, which includes a rich, diverse range of flora and fauna.

"Open spaces are essential to the mental health of Ealing's residents as we have seen during three coronavirus lockdowns.

"He also needs to listen to residents and ensure that the planning process is clean, transparent, and builds homes that are suitable for both families and those who need social housing, rather than large numbers of towers that people do not want under the false pretence of 'affordable housing'.

"The Ealing Liberal Democrats look forward to work with you to achieve these aims."

Peter Mason and his new leadership team will formally take office on Tuesday, May 18.