Two months ahead of a potentially seismic local election, Labour and Tory councillors spent an evening throwing accusations at each other, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

The council chamber during the budget debate with (inset left) Dr Dre and (inset right) Paul Simon — The council chamber during the budget debate (credit LDRS) with (inset left) Dr Dre and (inset right) Paul Simon

Enfield Council’s new budget containing a combination of investment, cuts and pledges to “protect frontline services” has been passed by councillors.

The civic centre’s 2026/27 financial plans were approved at a meeting of the full council on Thursday (26th) after a two-hour debate which saw heckling, references to Paul Simon and Dr Dre, members frequently shouting at each other – and one side describing itself as “sexy”.

The final budget will see council tax rise by 4.99%, the maximum amount allowed – despite a recent cash injection from the government to the council.

In December, the local authority learned it would enjoy a 58% rise in ‘core spending power’ over the next three years following the government’s Fair Funding Review into council finances across the country.

The figure is the largest financial boost for any London borough, but Enfield Labour councillors emphasised this was only the start of much-needed support following years of austerity.

These arguments were criticised by opposition Conservatives. Speaking ahead of the vote, leader of the opposition Alessandro Georgiou said: “There’s a song that I love, it’s called 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover [by Paul Simon].

“They [Labour] have found 50 ways to make Enfield bankrupt.

“If we think about having a lover and comparing it to budgets: theirs is blacked-out, bloated, bankrupt, and nobody wants them anymore.”

In reference to the upcoming May election Cllr Georgiou said, if voted in, his party’s budgets would be “slim” and “sexy”.

Council leader Ergin Erbil responded: “There’s a song that I love as well: Still D.R.E [by Dr Dre]. They’re desperate for us to go bankrupt – we’re still here.

“We’re still building homes. We’re still creating jobs. We’re still creating cleaner, safer streets, with crime down in Enfield.

“After 15 years of managing [government] cuts to our council we’re still going strong.”

Tory councillor Andy Milne said the council had repeatedly “failed to balance the budget for future generations”.

He referred to plans to increase burial fees as “fleecing the dead” and an increase in baby and children burial fees as “absolutely disgraceful”.

Cllr Erbil reiterated his arguments: placing blame for the council’s budget woes at the foot of previous Conservative government’s cuts to council funding.

He said the new budget means that the local authority “can finally invest in children’s services, in youth services, tackle crime and the causes of crime”.

The Labour leader added: “We can do the basics better because we’re no longer in survival mode. We’re in investment mode.”

Citing budget issues inflicted by previous governments, the council also voted to make £12million of “savings” through various department “efficiencies” and income-raising ideas, at the same time as making guarantees there will be no reduction in essential council services.

In a report published before the vote, Olga Bennet, the council’s chief finance officer, wrote: “The council’s reserves have progressed from a critically low position to a low but improved position.

“This budget allocates a proportion of the annual growth specifically to strengthen risk reserves, aiming to reach adequate levels within the next three years.”

This follows a warning Enfield Council received from its auditor in November urging it to “take action” to reduce its debt.

The council is forecast to be in £1.5billion of debt by the end of the current financial year and will need to make more than £30m in interest and debt repayments in 2026/27. The local authority is predicting it will need to spend around £175,000 alone for legal support in managing this shortfall over the coming year.

Around one third of the £1.5bn debt is linked to the council’s flagging Meridian Water development. The local authority hopes to deliver 10,000 homes through the project – but only around 300 have been built so far and fewer than 6% are set to be finished by the end of 2027.

In a bid to cut some of its losses, the local authority announced earlier this month that it would be stepping down from its role as ‘master developer’ of Meridian Water and inviting offers from the private sector to take over the majority control – and financial risks – of delivering the project.

In a meeting earlier this month Tim Leaver, deputy leader of the council, maintained that the Labour-led council is committed to seeing Meridian Water fulfil its ambition of deliver high-quality homes and jobs for local people at the numbers originally planned for. It is not yet clear how this will be done.

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