As six local parties vie for votes at next month’s local election, James Cracknell looks at what campaign pledges are being made

The party logos for Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Reform UK, Green Party and Enfield Community Independents

Six political parties look set to stand candidates across Enfield borough for the local election this year – an unprecedented number which shows just how fragmented politics is becoming.

For voters, it means more choice – but also more difficult decisions to be made before heading to the polls on Thursday, 7th May.

Now that the parties have set out their policy platforms, outlining their pledges should they win control of Enfield Civic Centre next month, the Dispatch has summarised the key points for each below.

Labour Party

Looking to win a record fifth term, Enfield Labour launched its 2026 manifesto last month, titled Cleaner, Safer, Affordable.

On the environment, Labour want to bring back weekly recycling collections. Six years ago, both household recycling and general waste bins moved to fortnightly, so this pledge represents a semi U-turn. The party also pledges to “introduce a dedicated ranger for every major park” and further vows to “make it easier for bigger households to get bigger bins” and “use apps to make it easier to report illegally dumped rubbish” as well as use “new tech such as drones, improved CCTV, and AI”.

On community safety, the party is promising “new CCTV and deterrents in crime hotspots”, plus “expanded safety patrols, including around schools”. The party further wants to “tackle the causes of crime by continuing to provide free courses and activities to young people, jobs fairs, public health services, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and strengthen community unity to address the root causes of crime”.

On affordability, Labour is pledging to “double the council’s hardship fund” for low-income households as well as offer “free energy-saving support” and “more warm spaces” in winter. The party also commits to introducing “childcare support for parents in insecure work”.

The manifesto includes a section on the proposed new town at Crews Hill and ‘Chase Park’, which might see more than 20,000 homes built on Green Belt land over the coming decades – a policy backed by Labour locally, regionally and nationally. The party is now pledging to “introduce a ‘first dibs’ policy for first-time buyers already living in Enfield for affordable homes” and “push for the reopening of the A&E at Chase Farm Hospital” to improve healthcare access for new and existing residents, plus extra train services. The party will also “push for this infrastructure to be in place before new residents move in”.

On transport there’s a pledge to introduce “30 minutes free parking on high streets” (something the Tories had previously announced), while on housing Labour promises that “no more than 10% of properties in any neighbourhood can be converted to a HMO”.

Conservative Party

Enfield Conservatives are making some very big – and expensive – pledges as the party seeks to return to power in the borough for the first time since 2010.

Their manifesto is titled A Blueprint for Change and includes “five pillars”. The first is “restoring fiscal integrity and accountability” through ending a “culture of political patronage” and by launching “a comprehensive independent inquiry into the past 16 years of financial decision-making” as well as a “rigorous debt-reduction strategy”.

The second pillar is “protecting our Green Belt”. A Tory-led council would “immediately withdraw” from the government’s new towns process and scrap plans to build on the Green Belt, “preserving the suburban character that makes Enfield unique”.

The third pillar is “cleaning up Enfield’s streets” and states the Conservatives would end “the war on the driver” by abolishing “failed” low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), “stop plans for a 20mph borough-wide scheme” and restore weekly bin collections – a bigger promise than Labour’s, as it means collecting all bins weekly.

The fourth pillar revolves around community safety and includes pledges to “re-establish local police hubs in council buildings”, recruit 20 additional officers, and “revitalise our trading standards team to crush illegal business activity”.

The fifth pillar of the Conservative manifesto is “investing in the next generation”, with a pledge to create 200 additional places for special needs children and “safeguard our vital youth centres”.

Elsewhere, the Tories pledge to “ensure only the Union Flag, the Flag of St George, and the Enfield Beast flag are flown from council buildings”.

Other eye-catching pledges include bringing back school lollipop patrols, giving the Met Police a chance to use “space in existing council buildings to establish local hubs”, and a promise of a “moratorium on new cycle lanes” as well as removing existing cycle lanes in Hertford Road, originally installed using tens of millions of ‘Mini Holland’ cash awarded by then-London mayor Boris Johnson in 2014.

On Whitewebbs, the manifesto promises to “enact a specific Conservation Area status covering the entirety of Whitewebbs Park to protect it from inappropriate development” and – following a late addition to the manifesto wording – also adds: “If the lease with Spurs is not signed by the time of the election, we will not sign the lease.”

Liberal Democrats

The Lib Dems are the only other party to publish a manifesto for this election. It begins with two full pages on democratic issues, as “what sets the Liberal Democrats apart is that we stand up for proper local democracy, putting power back into the hands of residents”.

In Enfield, this would be achieved by “fostering a democratic culture in our communities” through regular open meetings where residents can “put forward topics of concern”, as well as “reforming the consultation process”, introducing a committee system of governance “to better involve minority voices” and using “consensus” principles inspired by Iceland.

There is also a pledge to “protect the Green Belt”, bring back street litter bins removed under Labour, “work with TfL to review the bus network” and “continue to pressure Network Rail to bring step-free access to stations” on the Hertford Loop Line.

Enfield Community Independents

Enfield Community Independents (ECI) are a group of left-wing activists with close ties to Your Party, the Jeremy Corbyn-backed political project launched last year.

ECI’s campaign literature includes pledges offering “new social housing and rent controls”, “zero-tolerance” on fly-tipping, the creation of an “Enfield apprenticeship scheme”, a review aiming to “restore council tax support”, as well as “opposing building on Green Belt land” and a “comprehensive review of all LTNs”.

There is also a committent to follow Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s pension fund divestment demands.

Reform UK

Right-wing populist party Reform UK makes no mention of any of its anti-immigration rhetoric on the leaflets it has printed for campaigning in Enfield this year. Instead, the party pledges to “protect our green spaces” including the Green Belt, “end wasteful council tax spending” and “safeguard Enfield from crime”.

Other pledges include making roads “fit for purpose”, supporting the reintroduction of weekly bin collections, and a vow to “regenerate our high streets”. The leaflet also highlights the council’s £1.3billion of debt and claims that “Reform are the only party who will reverse this trend”.

Green Party

Enfield Green Party is promising “a cleaner, greener, safer” borough. The party wants “better streets and neighbourhoods” while “celebrating our diversity, protecting our community and green spaces”.

The left-wing movement says it is “fighting neglect faced by our elderly, disabled, and children” and is demanding “better local services, including hospital access, day centres, mobile and home care” as well as improved special needs provision in the borough.

The Greens also want “affordable, frequent public transport you can rely on” and “streets made for walking and cycling, safe for active travel”.

The deadline to register to vote in the local election is midnight on Monday, 20th April:
Visit gov.uk/register-to-vote

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