Green Party accused of 'gifting control' to Tories at Enfield Council

The Tories have taken back control of Enfield Council after forming a minority administration.

Conservative councillor Alessandro Georgiou has pledged “absolute transparency” after he took over as leader of the local authority following a vote at full council tonight (Wednesday, 27th).

It ends 16 years of Labour administrations in the borough.

No party achieved an outright majority at the local elections on Thursday, 7th May. However, with 31 councillors, the Conservatives had the most of any party.

Labour came in second, with 27. The Green Party, making their first gains in the borough, won five seats. 

It was the Greens’ decision to abstain from the vote to appoint Cllr Georgiou as leader that paved the way for the Tories to form the new administration, three weeks after residents went to the polls.

Despite indirectly being ‘kingmakers’ for the Tories in Enfield, The Greens are not in an official coalition with them.

Conservation has played a central role in the agreement between the two groups. More specifically, conservation and protection of Enfield’s Green Belt.

Both the Greens and Conservatives oppose government-led plans for a ‘new town’ development of 21,000 homes at Crews Hill and ‘Chase Park’.

The scheme, which would mean building on large swathes of Green Belt in the north of the borough, was fully endorsed by former Labour council leader Ergin Erbil. His party campaigned on the argument that the scheme was necessary to addressing Enfield’s housing shortage.

In 2025, the then Labour-led administration also granted planning permission to Tottenham Hotspur to build their new women’s training centre on Whitewebbs Park. The Greens support Cllr Georgiou’s plans to withdraw from the agreement and not issue a lease to Spurs.

Speaking at full council, Cllr Georgiou promised to formally withdraw the borough from the government’s new town process as of tomorrow (Thursday, 28th), adding: “We can build the affordable and social housing we need without destroying the environment.”

Cllr Georgiou also pledged to reverse the decision to allow Spurs to build their new training ground on Whitewebbs Park, preserving the space “for the enjoyment of future generations”.

Newly-elected leader Cllr Georgiou promised a culture of “absolute transparency” at the council. Residents, he said, had “voted to save Enfield” and, more specifically, protect its green spaces. 

The Conservative leader also announced that “all political crony associate cabinet member posts have been deleted”. The roles, set up by Labour, have been criticised by the Tories, who say they waste taxpayers money to benefit the pay packet of certain councillors. 

Cllr Georgiou also defended the Green group, who received vocal criticism from Labour councillors for not voting against the Conservative appointment of leader. “They have the same mandate as both parties,” Cllr Georgiou said.