Labour councillor Hivran Dalkaya on how rising costs are impacting Brimsdown residents

Hivran Dalkaya was elected to represent Brimsdown in May 2022

Since being elected as a Brimsdown ward councillor in May 2022, I’ve been working with fellow ward colleagues in engaging with residents through walkabouts, community events and public meetings.

It is now clear that the top and recurring issues for local people in my ward relate to children’s special educational needs and disabilities (Send), housing, and crime issues. Perhaps bigger than anything else, however, have been the challenges everyone is facing because of the cost-of-living.

It has been heartbreaking to hear and see how my residents have suffered as a result of spiralling energy costs and the out-of-control cost of food, mortgage and rent bills. That’s why I’m proud that Enfield Council continues to prioritise its hardship fund.

While the Conservative government has abandoned families, the Labour administration at Enfield Council is ensuring we are there to support those most in need. For those grappling with the cost-of-living crisis, the council has now put together a list of organisations and council support that is available to our residents, which you can access at enfield.gov.uk/services/your-council/cost-of-living-support.

It is really disappointing that the government has scrapped the Household Support Fund (HSF) despite the fact that a record number of people are turning to councils for help. Last year, Enfield Council received £5.6million through the HSF to support families in the borough. This funding enabled holiday activities, provided supplies for school foodbanks, covered the cost of school uniforms and gave £500 to 4,000 low-income families in Enfield.

Cutting the HSF is a government attack on these vital interventions. Labour councillors in Enfield support the Local Government Association’s call for the government to continue the HSF, so councils can continue working with local voluntary and charitable organisations and others to support residents through the continuing cost-of-living crisis.

While the national picture for public services continues to be challenging, I am pleased that locally in Brimsdown ward, we have been able to champion and deliver great projects; the council has secured a new Send school called Salmons Brook School, invested in Albany Park to enhance our community spaces and improve flood alleviation, and renewed the existing tennis courts. I know that residents have also welcomed the change of management of the borough’s leisure centres, including Albany Leisure Centre, from being Fusion-run to coming under the control of Better.

I would strongly encourage residents to sign up to the council’s newsletter to stay updated on what is happening in our area. The quarterly Community Action Partnership Enfield (Cape) panel meetings run by the police are also an opportunity for residents to keep updated on any crime and policing matters relating to their neighbourhood.

I became a councillor to help support my residents with individual casework as well as bigger projects that will improve our borough. If you would like any assistance, you can email me directly or pop along to our weekly councillor drop-in sessions held at Enfield Business Centre in Hertford Road.

As we enter 2024, I look forward to continuing my councillor duties in the year ahead, and wish everyone a healthy, and safer new year.

Hivran Dalkaya is one of two councillors representing Brimsdown, along with Bektas Ozer (both Labour). Cllr Dalkaya can be contacted by ward residents:
Call 0207 038 0182
Email [email protected]

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