In our regular councillor’s column, Cllr Margaret Greer talks about her local priorities

I was proud to be elected councillor for the Lower Edmonton ward in May and I hope to make a real difference to the residents of my community.

Since my election, I have had several advice ward surgeries and arranged meetings with local residents. My first action was to go back to see some residents whom I had met on the campaign trail and thank them for their support and input over the summer period leading up to the landslide in Enfield for the local Labour Party.

It is clear, however, that a number of major concerns are a focus for residents and have been for several years; fly-tipping, knife crime, housing, prostitution, the impact of budget cuts on schools and social housing, cycle lanes, Meridian Water, anti-social behaviour, and more.

My focus has to be tackling what is important to the residents and raising those at every opportunity. I have met with several neighbourhood champions across my ward and have been organising ward walkabouts with residents.

The Lower Edmonton area is clearly in need of more funding and this will be one of the many areas that we will be focusing on over the next four years, as we enter into what will be a time of difficult budget decisions in light of further central government cuts to local authorities.

Enfield Dispatch will be a great opportunity to get across to residents some of the important work of the council, what is happening in your local area, and what your elected councillors are doing and supporting to ensure your voices are heard. It is never an easy task, but I think I have managed to make some positive connections with those that have asked for my support and assistance over the past several months.

We held a joint ward forum meeting last month with members from Lower Edmonton, Haselbury, Edmonton Green, and Upper Edmonton; I was pleased to see so many people there. As lively as it was, with presentations on local policing, cycle lanes, and Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ), ward forums are the best way of communicating and my preferred option for having face-to-face discussions with residents.

The council recently held a knife crime awareness day, which brought many local people together alongside the police to really look at what we need to be doing to address this terrible issue affecting our communities and young people. We are planning to hold further events to support our communities.

Cllr Greer is one of three councillors elected to represent Lower Edmonton, alongside Sinan Boztas and Guney Dogan (all Labour). Surgeries are held every last Saturday of the month between 11am and 12.30pm at Edmonton Green Library. To contact Cllr Greer:
Call 020 8379 2647
Email [email protected]

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