Minority Conservative administration takes power at Enfield Civic Centre

The Tories won control of the council at tonight’s annual meeting after Enfield Greens decided to abstain, reports James Cracknell

The Conservatives have formed a minority administration at Enfield Civic Centre after the Greens decided not to block the election of Alessandro Georgiou as council leader.

After the inconclusive outcome of the election on Thursday, 7th May, with the Tories falling one seat short of a majority, the balance of power was held by five new Green councillors.

Talks have been ongoing for the past three weeks but no formal coalition deal was reached with either the Conservatives or Labour, meaning everything hung on the outcome of the vote tonight (Wednesday 27th) as both Cllr Georgiou and former council leader Ergin Erbil put themselves forward to lead the council.

In the end, the Greens abstained, allowing Cllr Georgiou and his 31-strong Enfield Conservatives to finally form a minority administration.

“The people of Enfield voted for change,” Cllr Georgiou said in his first speech as leader. “Tonight that change has arrived.”

Cllr Georgiou emphasised that “transparency” would be a key pillar of his administration and said that he expected to be held to account for his decisions as “we won’t be perfect”.

But on day one, he said, “my very first act as leader of the council” will be to “formally sign a letter to the government and Mayor of London officially withdrawing Enfield Council from the new town process”.

Cllr Georgiou was referring to the proposed 21,000-home development being put forward by the Labour government for Crews Hill and an area of farmland dubbed ‘Chase Park’, which both Enfield Conservatives and Enfield Greens strongly opposed in the run-up to this month’s election.

“My second act,” said Cllr Georgiou, “is informing Tottenham Hotspur FC they are no longer welcome to develop Whitewebbs Park”.

Last year Spurs won planning permission from the council for a women’s training centre at Whitewebbs, but the 25-year lease of the park needed for the Premier League club to proceed with the development had not been signed by the previous Labour administration at the council prior to the election, giving the Tories the chance to scupper the deal now.

Labour councillors, furious that the Greens had decided to allow the Tories to take power in Enfield, shouted “shame” as they abstained on the vote.

Cllr Erbil said: “The Enfield Greens gifted power to the Conservatives through a back-door deal by quietly abstaining.

“After asking for progressive votes, Green councillors chose to prop up a Tory administration responsible for years of cuts and decline.”

In their own statement issued after the meeting, Enfield Greens emphasised there was “no coalition or alliance” with the Tories.

Sarah Jons, the Green group leader on the council, said: “The Greens are growing in this borough, but we are not here to play games. We are here to do the work, scrutinise decisions properly, and speak for the residents who trusted us with their vote.”

Meanwhile, longstanding Tory councillor Emma Supple – well-known locally for her work over three decades with the Girlguiding movement – has been chosen to serve as mayor of Enfield for 2026/27.

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