Ealing Labour cabinet member for housing, Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, under direct questioning by Conservative Cllr Fabio Conti, refused to tell Ealing’s public Full Council Meeting the extent of the backlog of private landlord license applications.
Conservatives have been made aware that license applications submitted as far back as January 2023 are yet to be processed. This raises concern about how tenants in Ealing can have confidence in Labour's much-trumpeted licensing scheme, over which Cllr Mahfouz appears to have lost control.
At a meeting on 19th December, Ealing Conservative Councillor Fabio Conti gave Cllr Mahfouz two opportunities to inform both councillors and the public of the extent of the backlog. On both occasions, Cllr Mahfouz did not answer and instead became rattled.
This raises questions about what Ealing’s Labour administration are trying to hide regarding the length of the backlog and whether they are able to grip the problem.
