Ealing London Borough Council, which styles itself Ealing Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Ealing in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The council meets at Ealing Town Hall and has its main offices in the adjoining Perceval House.

The first elected local authority for Ealing was a local board, established in 1863.^[3][4] Such boards were reconstituted as urban district councils under the Local Government Act 1894. Ealing was then incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1901. The borough was significantly enlarged in 1926, when it absorbed the neighbouring urban districts of Greenford and Hanwell, and in 1928, when it absorbed the parish of Northolt.^[5]

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the former Municipal Borough of Ealing, the Municipal Borough of Southall and the Municipal Borough of Acton. The area was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs.^[6] The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Ealing".^[7]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (incluing Ealing) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Ealing has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.^[8]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.^[9]

In 2018 Ealing Council was the first council in the UK to introduce a buffer zone to prevent anti-abortion protesters campaigning near a Marie Stopes clinic, with the aim of preventing women going into the clinic being harassed.^[10]

In January 2019, the council decided to stop the smoking cessation service in the borough, to save £395,000 over the following two years, as part of its plan to deal with an overall budget gap of £57 million as a result of reduced funding.^[11]

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.^[12] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.^[13]

The council meets at Ealing Town Hall on New Broadway, which had been completed in 1888 for the old Ealing Local Board.^[17][18]

The council's main offices are at Perceval House (initially called the Civic Centre), which was completed in 1983 on a site immediately west of the Town Hall.^[19][20]

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 70 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.^[21]