Recently, a poster was seen on a desk in Southall library regarding the Southall Town Forum meeting that took place there on Saturday 22 July 2023.

However, it appears that the event wasn't widely publicized by the Ealing Council.

The content of the poster was as follows:

EALING Council: Town Forum

These town forums will replace the ward forums.

Town forums will possess direct spending authority over the £2 million generated from the developer tax.

Join together to establish local priorities and collaborate towards enhancing the community.

Express your perspectives on local services, activities, and concerns.

Date: Saturday, July 22nd
Time: 1 pm
Venue: Dominion Centre, 112 The Green, Southall, Middlesex UB2 48Q

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There's uncertainty if this event indeed took place. Questions arise as to why so little is known about it and why no councillor has mentioned it. There was no mention of it at the recent Southall Community Alliance meeting on 27 July 2023. The dismissive attitude from the elected official resembling "I know nothing" from Fawlty Towers is unsatisfactory."

Does anyone know about or attend this town forum?

One resident said "I didn't know anything about it."

Another resident said "Same here. The town forum seems somewhat surrounded in mystery. How do residents have their say? Can we retrospectively influence s106 funding?"

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Another resident said "Not knowing anything about such a gathering is unacceptable. Did our Southall Councillors know ? Did Southall Community Alliance know? Did Lets Go Southall know?"

"How come despite people like us taking part, the council leave us out completely?"

Another resident said "During a Southall Community Alliance meeting, the notion of Town Forums was introduced, with two councillor in attendance. Yet no mention was made of this elusive meeting the previous week."

Another resident said "They are audacious people and they know they can get away with it hence why there is no engagement of proper stakeholders. This is ludicrous."

Another Ealing resident said "Questions arise about the £2 million developer tax: What does it entail, and what portion of developer profits does it represent? If this inconspicuous leaflet isn't noticed at the local library, who determines the allocation of such a substantial amount? Why do councillors assert insufficient funds for Ealing's essential needs?"

The above is an example of transparency and accountability that residents were promised.