Politics and democracy

Who are the local candidates in the council elections on 5th May? What are their policies? And how does Palmers Green fit into the new Enfield wards?

Ahead of the council elections on 5th May, Enfield voters are being invited by London Jewish Forum to an election hustings on 11th April at 8pm at an undisclosed venue in Southgate. Publicity for the event suggests that the only two politicians being scrutinised will be the leaders of the Labour and Conservative groups, Nesil Caliskan and Joanne Laban - no mention of the Greens or Lib Dems, both of whom currently are represented on Enfield Council

Notes from the 23rd November meeting of Palmers Green ward forum, the first since January 2020. Issues discussed included: the one-way system in Windsor Road, Osborne Road, Lightcliffe Road and New River Crescent; continuing failure to stop dangerous rat-running at the bottom of Hazelwood Lane; and consultation on a controlled parking zone.

Residents of some Enfield wards - I'm looking at you, Palmers Green councillors! - would be grateful if they had more than a few hours notice of upcoming ward forums, while minutes of previous meetings would be looked upon as a wholly unrealistic luxury, but the Winchmore Hill ward forum has always been exemplary in both respects. This week it has outdone itself by publishing not one, but two versions of the minutes of its most recent meeting, on 4th November.

The Green Party gained its second Enfield councillor last week, when during the full council meeting on 22nd September Cllr Anne Brown announced that she had become a member. She represents Southgate Green and joins Cllr Charith Gunawardena, from neighbouring Southgate ward, who announced his move to the Greens in May.

This month's Enfield Dispatch carries a report and photograph of a rocket attack on Palmers Green station. And a photo of this month's Enfield Community Hero thigh-deep in water, also in Palmers Green.

Among recently recorded GlobalNet21/Enfield Voices webinars is an interview with Charith Gunawardena, a councillor representing Southgate ward who recently left the Labour Party and joined the Green Party.

The Boundary Commission for England's proposals for new parliamentary constituencies would replace the Enfield Southgate constituency by a new constituency - Southgate & Barnet East - incorporating two Barnet wards - East Barnet and Brunswick Park. Some areas in the east of the current constituency would be moved into Edmonton or Enfield North constituency.

A councillor representing Southgate ward has this week resigned from Labour and joined the Green Party, calling for more transparency and committing to defend and preserve strong local democracy

If you haven't already decided who you're voting for and have a couple of hours to spare, you can watch the online environmental hustings that were held last month.