Campaigns
Community Campaigns in Southall & Ealing
Defending Democracy, Protecting Communities
Overview
Residents across Southall and Ealing have mounted numerous grassroots campaigns to protect community assets, public health, and democratic accountability. These campaigns reveal a consistent pattern: top-down decisions made without meaningful consultation, disproportionate impacts on the borough’s most deprived communities, and resilient community organising in response.
Currently Active Campaigns
⚖️ Save Ealing’s Children’s Centres (ongoing)
Issue: Closure of 10 out of 25 children’s centres, hitting Southall hardest (3 of 6 centres)
Legal Action: £5,000+ raised for judicial review challenge
Key Argument: Disproportionate impact on most deprived communities
Council Contradiction: £1M on councillor pay rises vs. £750K “saved” from closures
Support: CrowdJustice legal challenge
🏛️ Save Ealing Victoria Hall (ongoing)
Issue: Changes to historic performance venue operations
Status: Community advocating for cultural facility protection
Heritage Value: Important Victorian civic building under threat
🏢 Ealing Stop The Towers (ongoing)
Issue: Overdevelopment across Ealing with inappropriate high-rise buildings
Focus: Protecting local character and infrastructure capacity
Website: stopthetowers.info
Scope: Borough-wide campaign with multiple local groups
🏗️ Ealing Cap The Towers (ongoing)
Issue: Height restrictions and density controls for new developments
Approach: Policy-focused campaign for planning reform
Target: Preventing Manhattan-style overdevelopment
📰 Ealing Matters (ongoing)
Issue: Independent local journalism and democratic accountability
Focus: Investigating council decisions and providing alternative media coverage
Role: Filling gaps in mainstream local news coverage
🏠 Southall Residents Alliance (NEW)
Issues: Fly-tipping, antisocial behaviour, councillor accountability
Approach: Direct resident organizing and pressure on local representatives
Platform: WhatsApp organizing groups
Evolution: Now using CASH campaign’s social media presence
🗳️ Ealing Community Independents (NEW)
Issue: Standing independent candidates against Labour Party machine politics
Approach: Electoral challenge to one-party dominance
Focus: Genuine community representation over party politics
Council-Managed Initiatives
🏃 Southall Active Communities Team (2019-ongoing)
Programme: Part of Let’s Go Southall project
Funding: Lottery funded, council managed
Description: Officially described as “social movement” but top-down initiative
Website: accteams.uk | letsgosouthall.org.uk
Note: Contrasts with genuine grassroots community organizing
Recent Successful Campaigns
✅ Save Warren Farm Nature Reserve (2022-2023)
Issue: Council leader’s proposal to build sports pitches on rewilded nature reserve
Victory: Proposal withdrawn after sustained community opposition
Environmental Impact: Protected habitat supporting 25% of London’s skylark population
Method: Environmental arguments combined with community mobilization
✅ Save Southall Young Adult Centre (2022)
Issue: Proposed demolition for 60 residential flats
Victory: Centre saved through sustained community pressure
Method: Independent organizing outside official consultation processes
Impact: Only youth facility in Southall remains operational
🚗 Ealing Residents Against LTNs (2020-2021) ✅
Issue: Opposition to poorly implemented Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across Ealing
Key Problems: Traffic displacement, emergency access, consultation failures, no baseline data
Outcome: Most LTNs removed after comprehensive failure
Validation: Independent review confirmed “far from best practice” engagement
Report Finding: Council “lost control of the public narrative” and failed to follow proper consultation processes
Legacy: Exposed systematic democratic deficits in council decision-making
The independent review [pdf] is particularly valuable because it provides official validation of residents' concerns. The report’s conclusions are scathing:
- The council had “no formal corporate guidance” for meaningful engagement
- Public engagement was predominantly “technocratic (top-down)”
- The LTN implementation was “far from best practice”
- The council “lost control of the public narrative”
- There was “limited foresight” about public reaction to bypassing normal consultation
- The approach “could and should have rapidly turned its attention to addressing the public engagement deficit”
This represents a significant victory where community organising forced the council to commission an independent review that completely vindicated residents' position and led to policy changes. It’s a template for how effective opposition can expose and defeat poorly planned council initiatives.
✅ Hands Off Tudor Rose (2020)
Issue: Closure threat to nightclub and wedding venue
Victory: Venue remains open under community management
Community Links: Facebook campaign | Local news coverage
Innovation: Community ownership model preserving cultural infrastructure
✅ Save Ealing Libraries (2019)
Issue: Proposed library closures and service cuts
Partial Victory: Libraries kept open, though some now volunteer-run or outsourced
Result: Service model changed but physical infrastructure preserved
✅ Save Southall Town Hall (2018)
Issue: Proposed sale of Grade II listed civic building
Victory: Building retained in public ownership
Method: Heritage arguments combined with community value case
Mixed Results Campaigns
🔄 Clean Air for Southall and Hayes (2018-2024)
Issue: Industrial-scale toxic air pollution from Southall Gasworks soil remediation
Health Impact: Air pollutants including benzene at 11x legal limits; community respiratory illness
Key Victories:
- Won independent air quality monitoring around Southall Gasworks site
- Successfully challenged local and regional narratives about pollution
- Collaborated with research scientists at Brunel University, Imperial College
- Co-produced Community Health Impact Assessment toolkit with Centric Lab
Legacy: Extensive public record of regulatory failures; influenced subsequent organizing methods
Archive: Internet Archive link (original website hijacked by Vietnamese gambling/porn site)
Evolution: Social media now supports Southall Residents Alliance campaign
🔄 Save Southall Sports Centre (2022)
Issue: Closure and proposed redevelopment
Outcome: Building closed, but alternative provision secured
Alternative Solutions: Women-only sessions at Dormers Wells leisure centre; outdoor gyms in public parks
Impact: Service model changed rather than complete loss
Historical Campaigns
❌ QPR Training Ground Opposition (2016-2018)
Issue: Queens Park Rangers proposed training facility at Warren Farm
Outcome: Supreme Court rejected QPR appeal (2018), but QPR relocated to Heston instead
Result: Technically unsuccessful in court but achieved practical outcome
Legacy: Established legal precedent for subsequent Warren Farm protection
What These Campaigns Reveal
Democratic Deficits
- Consultation Theatre: Formal processes don’t genuinely influence predetermined decisions
- Petition Rule Changes: July 2025 restrictions removed residents' right to ask follow-up questions
- Access Barriers: Complex data provision designed to prevent scrutiny
- Top-down “Community” Initiatives: Council-managed programmes mimicking grassroots organising
Resource Imbalances
- Developer Influence: £30,000+ in hospitality to council leaders documented
- Community Capacity: Volunteer residents competing against professional lobbying
- Legal Costs: Significant barriers to judicial review for community groups
- Institutional Support: Council resources for preferred “community” groups vs. independent campaigns
Geographic Inequality
Southall Disproportionately Affected:
- Environmental health: Gasworks poisoning targeted minority community
- Service cuts: Children’s centres closure rate above borough average
- Asset disposals: Consistent pattern affecting most deprived areas
- Infrastructure: Sports centre closure with limited alternative provision
Evolution of Campaign Tactics
Successful campaigns increasingly feature:
- Early mobilisation before decisions finalised
- Independent organising outside official consultation processes
- Professional partnerships (universities, legal charities, research institutions)
- Evidence-based arguments with thorough documentation
- Cross-campaign learning and shared resources
- Alternative media strategies bypassing mainstream coverage
Campaign Networks and Resources
Active Campaign Websites
- Ealing Stop The Towers: stopthetowers.info
- Southall Residents Alliance: southallresidentsalliance.co.uk
- Warren Farm Nature Reserve: warrenfarmnaturereserve.co.uk
- Save Ealing Children’s Centres: CrowdJustice legal fund
Community vs. Council Initiatives
Genuine Grassroots: Self-organised, resident-led, challenging council decisions
Council-Managed: Top-down, funded initiatives presenting as “community movements”
Key Difference: Independent campaigns often achieve concrete victories; council initiatives focus on participation without power
How to Get Involved
Current Priority Actions
- Support Children’s Centres legal challenge: Donate to crowdfunding
- Join resident-led groups: Southall Residents Alliance, area-specific campaigns
- Distinguish genuine from astroturf: Independent community organizing vs. council-managed initiatives
- Support independent media: Ealing Matters and community journalism
- Consider electoral involvement: Independent candidates challenging party politics
Emergency Response Protocol
When new threats emerge:
- Immediate documentation of proposals and impacts
- Coalition building with existing independent campaign networks
- Legal advice through established partnerships (universities, legal charities)
- Media strategy using independent journalism and social media
- Sustained mobilisation until resolution
Contact & Information
Democratic Participation:
- Ealing Council meetings
- FOI requests
- Connect through established independent campaign networks listed above
This page documents community campaigns based on publicly available information, council documents, and direct participant reports. All claims are supported by verifiable sources and documented evidence.
Last updated: 20 September 2025