Enfield Dispatch editor James Cracknell argues for greater council transparency

In the summer of 2019, then-leader Nesil Caliskan was found, following an investigation, to have breached Enfield Council’s code of conduct on two counts.

The first breach was that she bullied a fellow cabinet member “by failing to treat them with respect”. The second was that she threatened “the integrity and independence” of the council’s own scrutiny function, by asking the then-chair of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee to meet with her “regularly” to ensure he was “more closely aligned to key decisions” on “Labour group priorities”.

Cllr Caliskan, who was later forced to issue a public apology over these matters, had previously described the investigation into her conduct as being part of a “witch hunt” and “smear campaign”.

A year later, in 2020, a series of changes to the council’s scrutiny function were brought in. One of these changes was the abolition of workstreams, which were a process councillors outside the cabinet could use to investigate particular issues in the borough, such as the delivery of the Meridian Water housing project. These were replaced by committees that met four times a year – a change a former deputy leader of the council described as essentially “watering down” the scrutiny function and limiting the ability of councillors to hold decision-makers to account.

Earlier this year, further changes saw the total number of scrutiny panels reduced from seven to four, a move described by a Conservative councillor as a “shocking abomination”. The Enfield Society, in its autumn newsletter, described the axing of the environment forum – which the society had itself been part of – as “concerning”. It wrote that the remit of the new scrutiny committee brought in to replace the forum makes “no reference to conservation or heritage” and that it was “anxious this is not lost”.

I only mention all of this because it provides the background and context for the new council leader, Ergin Erbil, and his approach to the job.

Ordinarily, newly-appointed council leaders will try to draw lines under past controversies, to signal a fresh start and attempt to win early public support. This was something I had hoped to speak to Cllr Erbil about directly, in an interview for this edition of the paper. Sadly, he turned down my request and, despite my attempts, has yet to provide any indication that he is willing to sit down for an interview on any future date either.

I’ve been working as a local journalist in London since 2010, covering six different boroughs over that time. Council leaders are always different, of course, but generally speaking I’ve found most of them willing to engage positively with the press. The best example was Stephen Alambritis MBE, who was the Labour leader of Merton Council for a whole decade. He would invite reporters covering the borough into his own office for a chat, every single month. We could ask him anything we liked, and he would often give us direct answers, or otherwise instruct the press office to provide a response later on. We’d also usually chat about our respective football teams, Fulham (his) and Ipswich Town (mine).

I’m not expecting Cllr Erbil to do something similar, and I don’t care if he likes football. But Enfield Council is currently facing what must be its most serious financial challenge since the borough was created in 1965. There is a massive homelessness crisis. Edmonton Leisure Centre has been closed for nearly a year. Residents are still living in three council tower blocks found to have structural defects two years ago. Eight libraries are now facing closure. And, last month, the council decided to sell-off the borough’s only dementia day care centre.

I think local residents deserve some answers to questions about these, plus many other issues affecting the borough. My door remains open.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.