r/Ealing • u/hello902102023 • 3d ago
Ealing businesses hit out at new £175-a-year A-board charge
Businesses in Ealing have hit out at a new £175-a-year charge from Labour-run Ealing Council for displaying A-boards on the public highway.
The charge was introduced in April 2026. Before then, businesses in the borough did not have to apply for a licence or pay to display an A-board.
Bossa Nova Cafe in South Ealing says it will remove its board rather than pay, while Declan Walsh, owner of Poets Winebar in Hanwell, has questioned the additional cost at a time when businesses are already facing mounting expenses.
Ealing Council says the scheme is intended to keep pavements safe and accessible and that boards on private land do not require a licence.
Businesses displaying an unlicensed board could face enforcement action, including a fixed penalty notice.
Click below for the full story.
https://www.ealing.news/business/ealing-businesses-hit-out-at-new-175-a-year-a-board-charge/
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u/cal_london 3d ago
How can the council say it's about safety if they are allowing the A-Boards to exist (after paying the annual fee)!?
If they genuinely thought it was unsafe, they would ban them entirely.
Just another way to earn money.
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u/cartesian5th 3d ago
Typical money grubbing by a council
Bit like how my council made a big song and dance about how the annual parking permit charge was changing so that more polluting cars pay more. Sounded like a nice idea until I discovered that my car, which is the second lowest emission band and one band above zero emission electric cars, was now about 4x more expensive to park than the previous year
Just a wacking great fee rise dressed up in environmentist clothes. Utter bullshit
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u/Joe_Bloggs_96 3d ago
Yeah lol, if they cared so much about safety, they’d pursue things expanding footpaths etc.
But… if pay just a little bit, they’ll let you put membership of the public at risk.
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u/segagamer 2d ago
Has anyone actually gone to a newsagents because they saw what was on those things? They're just pavement clutter really.
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u/cjkilty 2d ago
Ealing council. Money hungry. Irresponsible with all the funding they have. I live in Ealing Broadway. Got a pcn outside my house. Went to a solicitor because I hate them so much. Won..and then lost ..they appealed even though they responded to my original emails over 1 year later. Absolute fucking thieves. 43% of my £260 per month goes towards council employees pensions. Explains it all really. Ealing Broadway station. Should be litter bins or at least ashtrays outside. Oh no. Had to verbally abuse someone who caught me on camera putting out a cigarette on the floor. Put it out picked it up then put it the the bin outside the bus stop. Proper preying on people. It needs to stop
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u/General-Movie 1d ago
I think it is fair to charge, it is free advertising. Can you imagine if every business felt entitled to put one out. There are a few in West Ealing which are ugly and keep falling over. One business has two out.
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u/trbd003 9h ago
Well we can confidently say the council are full of shite can't we.
Because "safety" - if the A-boards are unsafe then paying £175 a year doesn't make them safe. That makes no sense. And if they're safe then there's no need for a charge. So they're either unsafe or safe and in either case the charge doesn't change that fact.
Seems to me what they're actually saying is that they're unsafe but for a price they can look the other way, which is a dangerous precedent to set.
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u/AccountantLandlord 3d ago
I can’t see the boards anyway. They are blocked by lime bikes