Sonja Mitterhuber
Thank you also to all residents who have joined us this evening, and thank you to the candidates for taking the time to participate. As you all know, the purpose of tonight's debate is to inform voters and all residents to hear and compare candidates' views on key local issues affecting Southbury Ward. The debate is non-partisan, all candidates are being treated equally, and the Residents' Association does not endorse any particular political party or candidate. In terms of housekeeping, before we begin, a few housekeeping points. This debate is being held online and microphones will remain muted unless you are speaking. Please keep reactions respectful and avoid interruptions so that everyone can be heard clearly. Please note that this session is being recorded and the recording will be shared afterwards via the Southbury Residents Association's communication channels, our website. I now turn over to Emerlynne Gil, who is the co-chairperson of the Southbury Residents Association. She will be moderating tonight's debate. Over to you, Emmeline.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Sonja. As Sonja mentioned, my name is Emerlynne Gil, and I will be the debate moderator for this evening. I will briefly explain now how the debate will run. So each candidate will be given equal time to respond to questions, and time limits will be strictly enforced to ensure fairness. So we ask the candidates to focus on issues, plans, and ideas, and to refrain from personal attacks. Our treasurer, our colleague here, Mr. Burkhard Bohn, who is the treasurer of the Southbury Residents Association, will be our timekeeper tonight. Burkhard, maybe Musa, you can highlight Burkhard. So he will raise up time signals at 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and then a clear stop signal. As moderator, I may interrupt if time is exceeded. Can we confirm again from the candidates that you can see Burkhard clearly and see his time signals? Yes? Okay, perfect.
Robert Landragin
Yes.
Emerlynne Gil
So the questions tonight will consist of questions prepared by the moderator and questions sent in by residents of Salisbury, which I as the moderator will read out. So let us now turn to introducing the candidates. I will be introducing candidates by name and party affiliation only, and just to note that there will be no speeches at this stage. Each political party, for everyone's information, each political party has been requested to choose one representative of their party to speak at this debate tonight. And so we're very happy to relay to everyone that this evening's debate brings together candidates standing for election in the Southbury Ward, and I will introduce them alphabetically. So first we have Muiz Abdurrahman from the Green Party. Then we have Ms Penny Heathwood from the Conservative Party.
Emerlynne Gil
Penny.
Emerlynne Gil
And then we have Mr. Rick Jewell from the Labour Party and Mr. Robert Landrigan from the Reform Party. We will now begin with opening statements. Each candidate will have two minutes to make an opening statement. Again, I would like to remind candidates to keep an eye on Burkhard's signs to keep time. The speaking order will be alphabetical, and I will let candidates know when their time begins. Mr. Abdurrahman, you have two minutes. You have the floor now.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Hi, everyone. Hope you can hear me well. And it's great to see such a great turnout. And I'm very honoured to be invited to this debate and also an advanced Earth Day for tomorrow. I'm Muiz Abdurrahman. I'm standing as a Green Party candidate. Very quickly about me. I grew up in Bangladesh, but I moved to the UK as a student in 2013. For the last decade, I've been active in various environmental and social groups. I've served on the Board of Directors for People and Planet, which is a student network that campaigns against oppression and injustice at home and abroad. I've volunteered with Greenpeace, various pro-Palestine groups. But most recently, I've been volunteering with Streets Kitchen Haringey. It's a grassroots organisation that tackles homelessness. We cook and serve about 60 hot meals every Sunday by Seven Sisters Station. There's no judgement, no questions asked. Anyone who comes around gets a hot meal. I'm standing as a councillor because I want to have an even bigger impact. I believe that at the end of the day, what matters is people and not profit. Especially through my time at Streets Kitchen, I've seen how people who are really let down by the system can feel heard and supported by the community. So I believe that, especially at local government, community has to be prioritised above all. So I feel very strongly about the Southbury Leisure Park development, which I think is the main focus for today's debate. I just want to be clear that I'm not anti-housing and I don't think anyone here is either. I know that London and the UK in general has a housing crisis, but it seems that through this development, the residents of Southbury will lose restaurants, a thriving cinema that even I went to two weeks ago, lots of parking that leisure centre users depend on, and the car boot sale. And instead what they'll get is a tower block with flats owned by a pension fund that are not affordable, that are only available for rent. And if I'm elected councillor, I'll take this proposal back to the residents. I think it should be affordable, provide alternative community spaces, have enough parking and evidence-based. I'm excited to engage in a meaningful debate, dialogue with all of you. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Abdurrahman. May we ask now, Ms Penny Heathwood from the Conservative Party.
Penny Heathwood
Hi, my name's Penny. I've been in Enfield for around 29 years. Came here from Dover. I love Enfield. I came because it was a beautiful green place and it attracted me for the people and the friendliness and the housing and the local amenities. I stood before, I was a councillor in Enfield Lock a long time ago. And the reason I put my head up above the parapet to put my name forward was because I wanted, I'm concerned about all the things that are happening, where people of Enfield and particularly in Southbury are not being consulted thoroughly. The big one, as has been mentioned, is the Southbury Leisure Centre. But I think that we also need to look at the HMOs, the buildings coming up, knocking down housing for more flats. Whilst we need houses, I think it needs to be the right sort of houses. And I think we need to think about the infrastructure for people living there, for residents in the local community, for those that are going to come in. Personally, I don't think high rise is a good fit for Southbury Ward. I think there is a place for high rise, but not here. I would rather see proper family sized housing so that we get the right mix of people coming in and we can thrive as a community. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Miss Heathwood.
Emerlynne Gil
Mr Rick Jewell, you have the floor now.
Emerlynne Gil
Good evening. Can you hear me OK?
Emerlynne Gil
Yes, we can.
Rick Jewel
Hello there. So, yeah, I'm Rick Jewell. I've lived in Enfield Bushel Park since I was about six years old. I'm only 28 now, look at me, being a councillor. So, yeah, my parents still live down there. I went to school at Bushel Park, spent most of my younger teenage years hanging around Bushel Park and the estates before the flats were there. I've been a councillor since 2008.
Rick Jewel
Yeah, I've been a councillor since 2018. I stood as an independent in 2014. And, you know, with Southbury, I didn't know if we were doing that as part of the introduction or whether there was a separate question on Southbury. But, you know, we've said, you know, I think there is going to be development there, but we're happy to speak up on behalf of residents. And I know the leader has said that he's against the 29 storeys high and also parking issues and the fact that we need GPs and other stuff like that to come into these estates or these developments. The cinema announced in 2025 that they were going to close that cinema down. So it's got nothing to do with the development because the development was announced in 2020. So it's 2024 they announced they were closing the cinema in 2025 before the live application went in for the development. And there has been some meetings on that. But, you know, housing, as Penny said, housing is a big issue and housing is a big issue. We've got to look at these things and deal with them sympathetically. So thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Jewel. Now we move on to Mr. Robert Landragin. You have the floor now.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. I am. Excuse my throat. I've had a chest infection for a few days. OK, so I've never been involved in politics. This is my first time. I've always supported one party since I was 18 years of age and only ever voted or missed voting once. Born in Enfield in 1958, went to school in Enfield, lived in Enfield all my life. Family business, as some an electrical mechanical engineer in the food industry. So I travel all over the country. I meet many, many people. And I talk to many people of all creeds, races, religions. And I like to listen to people's stories. Yes, I agree. There should be housing. But Southbury Wall and Southbury Leisure Centre, not the place. We don't have the infrastructure in that area. Every night we are held up with traffic from the M25 because of that mess of a junction, which the traffic comes back to Southbury Road. If we build high rise flats, all we're doing is we're putting people into little boxes. Nobody will talk. Society breaks down. There's no there's no talking, no social sharing. You just become into people on your own. We've already lost three cinemas in Enfield. We lost three in Enfield Town. We have this cinema at Southbury Road. The next cinema to us is Pickett's Lock, which isn't in a very good place either. You have to travel there. And the bus service is there for people. If you can't drive, they don't help. I'm totally against building on Greenbelt.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Landrigan. Thank you, candidates. Let us now move to the moderated question rounds. Each question will be asked to all candidates. Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to each question. So if a candidate or a political party is directly named by another candidate, a 30 second right of reply will be offered at the end of that question round. Again, may I remind the candidates to keep an eye on Mr. Burkhard Bohn's signs to keep their time. This speaking order will again be alphabetical. We will start with Mr. Abdurrahman, then Miss Heathwood, then Mr. Rick Jewell, then Mr. Robert Landrigan. So let me read out the first question. The first question is on the Southbury Leisure Park development. This is a two part question. What are your views on the proposed development of the Southbury Leisure Park? And what do you think must change to ensure it meets the needs of current and future residents while respecting the neighbourhood character? Mr. Abdurrahman, your two minutes starts now.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Yeah, thank you for the question. I think in my opening statement, I tried to make my view clear. I think that the current draft by Enfield's local plan for 605 homes, which has been worked towards and is evidence based, is what we've been working towards. And certainly for the developers to come back with 1150 homes is completely out of the blue. Seems like we're just trying to meet a target and it's building for the sake of building. So I oppose that. And I think what must change is that every concern that's been raised by the residents need to be respected. Firstly, the loss of parking, which are used by the leisure centre as well as residents. Then the other thing that really bothers me is the lack of affordable housing, especially when I think there's like a suggestion to make 40% of all developments affordable. And there doesn't seem to be any with this redevelopment plan. There also needs to be alternative community spaces. There are community spaces that are being removed to build this redevelopment. And as Robert said, it will just mean people are put in homes and they have nowhere to go. What is the point of building homes if we're not building connections with the rest of the community? And I guess finally, I don't think any housing should be owned by a pension fund. I think homes should, especially if the residents of Southbury are going through the loss of amenities and the construction that's happening around them. They should be able to, they should be the first to get on the property ladder because of this. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Miss Heathwood, you have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
Thank you. The leisure centre development as proposed, I think it does not support the community cohesion. And I want people to be able to come and live and work and socialise in a town that is supportive. A high-rise flat, block of flats does not create an ambient community. It creates enclosure and isolation. If you also then take away the placement of parking, where do people who work in electronics, in plumbing, in social care and all these places that need cars, where are the cars going to go? Because the current system plan has no car parking. That means that streets that are already highly overstretched from parking are going to be put under greater pressure. And those people who live, use their car for work is going to make their life more difficult. And as we found with parking throughout Southbury Ward, it just puts a strain on people in the area. And we need to make sure that we have provision sufficient for people's needs. Now, one of the things that does happen is that the leisure centre has swimming garlands and they have people that come and park to take part and that will be put under pressure. So we're going to lose community facilities and make an area that is going to be devoid of places for people to meet and will affect people's mental health. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Ms. Heath.
Emerlynne Gil
Mr. Lambert, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Sorry. Okay. I've been listening to what people have been saying and I agree with some of their points. But the main things that you've also got to look at are the facilities and also the infrastructure. You've got water, sewage, extra electrical connections. This is going to be disrupting the streets surrounding this build if it goes ahead. Your road access. If you're going to have all these extra flats, all these extra people, extra cars, you need the correct access to get in and out of the site. It's also next to a school. So you've got people dropping their children off and picking them up from school every day, which is also adding to the problems. So those children have got vehicles going past them. They're trying to cross the roads. So that's something else that we have that, to me, we don't want cars and children mixing. I think that we need to keep the restaurants and the facilities that we have there for the people in that area. Also, a lot of people come from out of the area to use those facilities. They pay money. They bring money into the borough. And it gives an atmosphere and a sense of community. And as far as I'm concerned, what we have is ideal. We don't need to change what we've got. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you. My deepest apologies. I should have called Mr. Rick Jewell before calling Mr. Landrigan. Now, Mr. Rick Jewell, you have the floor.
Rick Jewel
OK, thank you. Yeah, as I said, at the moment, there's a live application on Southbury Development Leisure Park, but we can see what happens with planning applications. The one that was over the road at B&Q, that one got pulled because they never started any work. This planning application can be a lot different by the time it eventually gets to the planning committee. I've seen, when you look at these new developments now, you normally find, I work over at Hatfield, but you normally find that these restaurants and shops are still there and they build on top. And I think that's what they're looking to do with these. It is too high. We've said it's too high. And all three of my colleagues and the leader have said that we're going, we're talking to a delegation to the council, the planning committee. Planning committee is made up from councillors from all parties. So it's, there's legal stuff they have to do on that. So it's quite a difficult terrain to navigate the planning. But they have to, you know, they have to be sensible. They can't just say no to a development because they don't like it. It has to be certain things. You can change the development and you can put in your proposals. But I mean, as we've seen, other people have tried to do with the Ironer's Grove and Cockfosters. You can argue these things, but if planning boxes are ticked, they get the thing. So we could spend a lot of money trying to do that. But, you know, we do accept that there's issues around parking. We do accept that the roads around it are all asking for CPZs. And, you know, it is too high and we are going to go and argue for it to be reduced if we get the chance.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Jewel.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you. The second question is on community consultation and voice. There have been complaints about failures in consultation regarding the proposed Southbury Leisure Park development. If elected, what practical steps would you take to ensure residents are genuinely consulted on this and other issues affecting the community? And what feedback and that feedback meaningfully influences decisions? So shall we start with Mr. Muiz Abdur Rahman? You have the floor. Hi.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thank you again for the question. I didn't get a chance to fully write down the question, but I'm going to try and remember it. The practical steps, I don't know how much consultation has already happened on this, but I think it's very it's imperative that the consultation needs to happen again, especially since it seems that whatever was proposed by Enfield Council has now sort of been overridden. There's a new proposal. I think it comes down to individual councillors ensuring that what people have. It's up to us councillors to ensure that we uphold the voice of residents so that any if the developers will always push for as much as they can, as many homes as they can build without giving the amenities that are required. And it's up to the councillors to ensure that we push that that is being pushed back on and ensure that the voice of residents are are genuinely represented. Sorry, I think was there a second part of the conversation to the question? Sorry, I think you're muted.
Emerlynne Gil
Sorry. Sorry, if elected, what are the practical steps that you would take to ensure residents are genuinely consulted and that their feedback meaningfully influences decisions?
Mueez Abdurrahman
I think there needs to be, I guess, more transparency about what's actually happening. I saw the one of the web pages where this is being debated. It has feedback from the councillors, feedback from the residents about what they've said. And I think that needs to be more visible so that it's actually very transparent how residents are feeling. And it's not just something that councillors are aware of, but it's open to everyone who wants to know how residents feel about certain certain things that are going on in their word. Thanks.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Miss Heathwood, the floor is now yours.
Penny Heathwood
Thank you, Chair. Communication is central to good governance. And one of the things was I didn't find out about the application until December, December 2024. I live just down the road from it and I'm fairly OK with finding information out, but it wasn't it wasn't disseminated. Now, I don't think that that was a failure necessarily on the part of the council, but it is the council's duty to ensure that people are contacted and have the ability to take part in meaningful consultations. I found out about the place in the Civic Centre the day after it happened. So it needs to be broadcast wider. It needs to be broadcast, not just electronically, but also I think people need to be contacted in the old fashioned way. Not everybody is computer literate. And then when you do talk to the people organising the consultations, we want them to be actually able to respond to us and acknowledge that we've put in comments. And that's not happening. As a candidate and a councillor, I'm out on the doorstep talking to people. And that's vital. But it can also be communicated via surgeries and letters out from the community. And I have to say that our present leader of the council is very good at telling us what he's doing, even if he sometimes contradicts himself. But communication is vital. But what needs to happen is that those people who do communicate with the council, their voice needs to actually be included and not ignored. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Miss Heathwood. Mr Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
OK, thank you. I just want to clear up a misconception about this development. This isn't the council development. It's not the council proposing anything. This is a developer that owns the SOET that is putting in a planning application. It either goes for it or it doesn't. It's not ours. It's not us that are pushing for it. What happens is where this blew up was that we have to have a draft, a local draft plan. Every local authority has to have a draft plan. And the draft plan is the framework that developers have to work within. If there's no framework, developers could just say they want to develop in your park or anywhere. So you have to have a draft plan that sets out the boundaries for developers. And it's the same with the argument about supermarkets. We want to shut supermarkets down. We don't own that land. That's not our land. The call went out for people to say, is there land that could be used for housing? And all these people, these people that own this property, have come back and said, well, yeah, this one might be, or eventually maybe which more real might be. But that's not us as a council doing that. And, you know, we just have to take on board those things that are put forward. The issue about transparency. I mean, there was a few meetings locally on this development or proposed development in Wheatsheaf. And I'm not sure how far the letters went out. I mean, how far do you go? I mean, we were saying earlier, you know, people visit that from all over the place. I mean, how far do you deliver letters to around the area? But I'll take on board everything that's been said. That's it. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewel. Mr. Landrigan, you have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. OK, so I find that a majority of people that are working in Enfield Council currently are still working from home. So you have a gap between the information that is passable to the residents and where the people are. I find that this is a missing link. They say that councillors only appear at the time of election. And I think that maybe as councillors, maybe councillors haven't been out speaking to people. I only find that information that's going on in Enfield, like Cruise Hill and Southbury, through word of mouth. I've read nothing about it until a few weeks ago when I decided to run as a councillor. And I've spent a lot of time researching and trying to find the information that I want to find out or need to find out. To me, I'm the voice of the residents if they vote for me. And I would use social media and I would try and be out talking to people to listen to their side of the story, not just my side. So if I have an idea and it's wrong, I wish to be told, no, I'm sorry, that's wrong. We would like this going forward. Yes, I like the idea of transparency and I understand. Yes, developers. Yes, they own the land. And I understand. Yes. Once the boxes have been ticked, as Rick said, then, you know, that's sort of on the way. But surely there should be somebody that can stand up and say that the residents don't want this. We don't need it to go on any further. And maybe there should be more discussion before anything happens. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr Landragin. Mr. Jewel, you actually have a 30 second right of reply as the statement of Miss Heath. In the statement of Miss Heathwood, she mentioned the need for the leader of the council who's from Labour for more transparency. If I if I am correct in understanding that statement, Mr. Jewel, would you like to take on the 30 second right of reply?
Rick Jewel
I'm not getting involved in that. Not getting involved in table tennis things. She's got an opinion and that's it. But we could say the same about all the leaders at the moment. So I'm not going to get involved in that.
Emerlynne Gil
All right. Thank you, Mr. Jewel.
Emerlynne Gil
All right. So we have the third question. The third question is on planning, transparency and accountability. How would you as a ward councillor keep residents informed about complex or controversial planning proposals and help them understand how and when to make their views known? Mr. Abdurrahman, you have the floor.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thanks again for the question. I think Southbury is a very diverse word. It there is no one silver bullet for how to keep residents informed. There needs to be a push to for that to happen at all levels, whether there needs to be social media. There also needs to be flyers set up. There needs to be emails sent out. There needs to be things put up in the Enfield Council website everywhere. There needs to be, especially in public spaces, for example, libraries, places of worships, no matter where it needs. There needs to be a real push to get residents informed. And that should include how and when to make views known. Again, that needs to come through leaflets, whether people can respond to them by sending letters or whether it's a QR code that people can scan and send it out. No matter who you are, how able you are with technology or what is your preferred method of making your views known, there needs to be an option and everyone needs to be heard and have a way to let their views known. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Abdurrahman. Miss Heathwood, you have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
I'm grateful for the question. It's really difficult to get your message across as a councillor, as a candidate. People only hear what they want to hear. I personally try and use questionnaires with QR codes and things. I'm an old fashioned dragon dinosaur in many ways. But in social media is something that I need to get better at, whether I'm a councillor or not, because it is the way to talk to younger people. But we have to understand that the way that we talk, the way we approach and the way we talk to people is also an important part of getting a message across. I can't talk to an 18 year old the way I would talk to a 75 year old or a 30 year old. We have to tailor and learn to tailor our messages to get the message across and to get buy in on anything that we're doing. And it's a skill that I think takes time to learn. But it needs also to ensure that the council is operating fully and using its powers to put information out. I'd love to be able to put information out in the libraries, but of course, they've closed John Jackson Library. But it can be put, we can use all sorts of places now where meeting places to put out information and also using surgeries where we're pleasant and can be seen. And the old fashioned way of knocking on people's doors is an excellent way of getting in touch and communicating and understanding what people's thoughts are and building a picture of what's required. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Miss Heathwood. Mr Jewell, you have the floor now.
Rick Jewel
OK, thank you. I mean, what I've tried to do as a councillor in my previous ward and this one is try and get more community notice boards fitted around the areas, you know, in the states and stuff like that. We get messages coming up, you know, and social media, as Penny said, you know, the world survives on social media now, good or bad. It is what it is and we have social media. So we've got a Southbury Ward Facebook page. We don't make it political, we don't put political stuff on there at all. We try and let people know when there's meetings taking place or things that are happening around the area. But, you know, and I think that's what we've got to do. We've got to get that out there, social media. And as you say, it's about being in the area and answering calls, making yourself available to residents. Most residents know they can email me. I'm quite pleased the fact that when anyone's got a question on social media, people say, ask Rick Jewell. It can be a pain sometimes, but I'm glad that people know that I'm someone they can come to with questions. And that's what you've got to be as a councillor. That's why you stand for it. You know, you take on a great responsibility being a councillor. So I think I think you're right. More social media pages for the ward that you're representing. More community notice boards for the people that don't have social media, but are walking down the high roads if we get community notice boards. Leafletting where you can and working with the developers. If they want to make a development, then they should pay for the leaflets that are going around the area. So it's a cost that they have to bear. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. I've listened to the points again that people have put, and there are a few things that I do. I do like and I had actually made a note of one of those was there's not enough message boards in the borough. There's the only way you can get information if it's not in a local paper is to go on to the website of Enfield Council, which can be confusing. And as Penny Heathwood says, there are people that aren't that are social media illiterate or not used to using it. So, yes, I'd like to see that. I'd like to see Enfield Council themselves more proactive in trying to communicate with the residents. So when they send things out with their own, maybe the council tax or the new bin permit, information was put in with those that people can read. They may not read it, but at least they get the opportunity. The only other ways as a councillor to actually go out into the street and talk to people. I know that, as I say, I'm new to this. I've never run as a councillor or been political before. So I'm learning as I go. But I want to be one of those councillors that you see that you can approach, you could talk to, but the council will give me the answers that I ask. So when a resident asks me something, I could truthfully give them an answer. Not an idea that I've got to make up, something I've got to think of. I want to actually be able to walk into a council office, talk to somebody, head of a department and say, can you explain this to me? Can you explain that to me? So I can go back, send an email to a person or a letter and clear any problem up that they have. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Landragin. We'll move on to the fourth question. And the fourth question is about fly tipping and environmental enforcement. Fly tipping continues to be a concern for many residents. What concrete actions would you support to improve prevention, reporting and enforcement in the ward? Mr. Abdurrahman, you have the floor.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thanks. I genuinely believe that no resident wants to fly tip. We have to get to the bottom of why fly tipping is happening. I live next to a fly tipping site where there are cameras and the fly tipping continues. So I don't think that's the only solution. I think in order to prevent it, we need to look at what kind of things are being fly tipped. I know that Enfield Council collects, has loads of ways for people to get rid of bulky waste, such as, but those are mostly. So British Heart Foundation does free of charge furniture collection and AnyJunk does free of charge electrical items collection. I don't know whether residents are aware of that, but that needs to be more visible. And maybe that's one way to ensure that people know that there are easier ways to get rid of their waste without putting it in the streets. Enfield Council has a limit on how many items they'll collect. There is also a charge for electrical items. I would look into whether it is viable to make that more, to expand that, whether we can collect more items, whether we can reduce the cost of those. And obviously, once those are done, habits, I think, will be the first step to combating fly tipping. But once those are done, then, yes, there needs to be more enforcement. There needs to be more CCTV cameras and more prosecution for that. So I think it's a combination of all of it and addressing it at all levels at the root cause. And also when, if that fails, then at enforcement. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Ms. Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
Thank you, Chairman. Fly tipping is a blight. It's a blight across the country. Enfield is not alone. However, one of the issues that we would like as Conservatives to do is to bring back weekly bin collections so that people, if they live in large families, they can get rid of their waste better. We are looking to stop the process at Barrow Well Green of timed appointments. And that will help, I hope, to bring some of the issues around waste and fly tipping down. We do want to make sure that the roads are swept more regularly and cleaned up. We want to ensure that there is accessible recycling to try and make that better. We want to improve the reporting of fly tipping so that waste can be removed much faster. We want to improve enforcement so that we can find the regular fly tippers who are seen regularly coming back to the same places. And that will also include the introduction of a few more cameras in the area. I think it's something that as a team, as a society, we can improve working together with going out doing fly tips. But I think it's incumbent on us all to try and ensure that we make sure that we sort out our own waste and then we can help look after those that have more difficulties, particularly those that don't have cars. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Miss Heathwood. Mr. Rick Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. For anyone who knows me, fly tipping is my passion, not doing it, but trying to clear it up. In Enfield, we clear about 13,000 fly tips a month. 13,000 a month. I mean, that's a hell of a lot of fly tipping we clear, right? And 95% of that fly tipping is pedestrian fly tipping. It's people walking down the road with a couple of dustbin bags and dropping them by a tree or on the corner. And they're the most difficult ones to get, because even if you had a camera, I mean, we put out about 50 videos of people fly tipping around the borough. We never got one response from members of the public who might know these people over the road from them and that. We do do it a free bulky waste. It's one of our most popular services. And we, yeah, we don't, we charge for electrical, our fridges and everything, because they cost a lot more to to recycle. So they do that. But there are those charities that go around and do that. We've crushed about four vehicles this year so far for fly tipping. And that's the only way cameras, but you know, you have your industrial estates down at Edmonton where they're prolific fly tipping and we get those vehicles. We find them in the end and we crush them because they're normally vans that may be a couple of hundred quid. And, you know, that's all they're used for is driving around. Difficulty we have is face recognition cameras only count if someone's known to the service or the police or whatever. You know, most people, it doesn't even register their faces because they're not known. A lot of vehicles that are going around fly tipping are not registered. They're not insured. They're not taxed. People drive around and that's that's a policing issue. We need more police on there. But for Enfield, we're one of the top boroughs in London for clearing them within 24, 48 hours. If they're reported, we will clear them between 24 and 48 hours. I'm proud of what we do in Enfield to clear fly tipping. And I know it's a global issue. It's a global issue, fly tipping.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell.
Emerlynne Gil
Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor. Mr. Landrigan, you're muted. Can you unmute yourself, please? There you go.
Emerlynne Gil
Maybe we can restart Mr. Landrigan's time. Work hard.
Robert Landragin
OK. Right. OK. So I believe that the only way to stop this is to start at the very beginning and educate the people. You walk along the streets in Enfield, whether it be Bushell Park, along the A10, Ladysmith Road. People put items, instead of leaving it on the perimeter of their garden or on the driveway and a note saying, please take this when they put a chair out or something they think could be upcycled. They put it on the pavement. They don't expect somebody to come along. A council van or the rubbish ferry and magic it away. Real life, that doesn't happen. We need to educate people to say that if you've got rubbish to go, then we should have maybe we should have a bigger bin bag, maybe, I don't know, six foot square that you could put over items that they could be seen. That, you know, they are to be sort of taken away by the council, but left on their own gardens. So the council can then knock on the door and say, OK, we've looked at this item X amount of pounds or pennies to take it away. We have a lot of unscrupulous builders that don't live in the borough, but surely their registration numbers and their times are picked up by ANPR and things like that. Barrowwell Green. I think that's the only the only refuse place we can go to now has a height limit. I have a van. I can't take my van into Barrowwell Green. I can only take my car. I don't want to take my car into into a council tip with rubbish in the back. So you then rely on the council and often they don't have time. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Landrigan. We now move on to the fifth question, which is on inclusion and community cohesion. The question is, what specific actions would you take to promote an inclusive, cohesive Southbury community and to challenge racism, discrimination and exclusion wherever they arise? Mr. Abdurrahman, you have the floor.
Emerlynne Gil
Yeah.
Mueez Abdurrahman
So I think we all know that anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, everything's on the rise once again. These are we can't deny that these are often the results of foreign policies that sort of boil down to to our local council. I have I've served as equalities officer for various groups that I've been a part of and I've taken part in interfaith intersectionalism, sectional activism. I think I would I would create more events that people of which would be promoted to people from all across creed, races, religion so that they can come together and voice their opinion on what's happening. And especially I think there is a great need for people to understand each other's viewpoint in a respectful manner. And so I think that'll be the that'll be the addressing the root cause of what we are seeing, the lack of inclusion and community cohesion. And after that, if there are is racism, discrimination and exclusion, those will need to be challenged and prosecuted. And first of all, they will need to be reported. So I will ensure there are more ways to report them and they are more actively investigated. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Miss Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
I'm grateful for the question. It's about respect for people that you live with, respect for the communities, respect for the different religions that people believe and follow. It's about bringing people together in any way possible. And that can be anything from the park, the park fair that they have, the lovely things that they have at Trent Park and the Turkish thing in George V playing fields. But it's a we all need to we need to work to bring opportunities for people to meet and to not be afraid, actually, as well as people being afraid of the unknown is one of the things that causes, I think, hostility. And what we find when we go and talk to people of different faiths, of different colours, of different races, is that we're the same. We have very similar needs. And it's about addressing the needs of people and seeing them as a person and not as a problem, because we are a tolerant country. And we need to ensure that we continue with that and respect people. It's a difficult one, but I think we need to have places where we can go. So the libraries was good to open up the Civic Centre for people to go in and to meet and the use of the community space in this town with where this could be utilised to bring people together. That's where I'm standing. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Miss Heathwood. Mr Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. So, you know, I've been a trade union branch officer for 40 years for the Communication Workers Union. I've been a tribunal lay judge for 20 odd years now. I fought against racism and discrimination all my working life, really. You know, it's a shame that it is the way it is today. I'm like Penny said, you know, we've got to treat people with respect and equally. I know people from all backgrounds that are idiots and not very nice people. It doesn't matter where they come from or what religion or what gender, sexual orientation, anything like that. That sort of thing is on the rise and we need to stop it. And a pity to say that social media, for all its good things, is one of the things that make discrimination and hate rise. I mean, that's, you know, we're seeing that at the moment. But as a councillor, it's about getting out there and visiting your mosques, your synagogues, your places of worship. I've been to churches on Christmas Day. My kids are older now. They know around at Christmas. I've been to churches on Christmas Day and sat with people that are being fed in the community because they're isolated. They've got no one else. I mean, it's a good thing to do. You know, I get on with people from all over. There's so many different ethnicities in Enfield. It's a wonderfully diverse area to live. And people are people. If they treat you right, you treat them right. And, you know, I think there is a lot of fear, as Penny said. There is a lot of fear out there, but people are inherently decent people.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell. Mr Landragin-Jim, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. OK, so we have in my street where I live about 200 houses. We have mixed nationalities, creeds. My street is lovely to live in. Luckily, I have very, very good neighbours. The problem is that we need people to talk to each other. We need people to be able to socialise more, have places that they can go to socialise. The problem is we had no anti-Semitism or anything until a few years ago. It was something you very rarely heard of, or I very rarely heard of. And I work in a lot of the Jewish communities, Golders Green, Hendon. So I know how people feel. They talk. The trouble is people in their streets are tending to go into small communities, communities, sorry, whether it be Greek people, Turkish people, Chinese. They tend to stay with their own people. They don't like to mix. If you go shopping now, you have a machine you put your shopping through. You haven't got many places where you could stand and talk to people and communicate. So it's very, very hard. The biggest thing that I think we need is tolerance, tolerance of each other, tolerance of each other's beliefs and religions. Tolerance in what people say. But to me, racism has no place in our world today. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Landrigan. And thank you, candidates. Let us now move on to questions from residents of Southbury. These questions have been selected to ensure relevance and fairness. And where appropriate, similar questions have been combined. So for this round, each candidate will have 60 seconds to respond to each audience question. And we found that many of the questions are lengthy. So I will read the question twice so that all the candidates are able to comprehensively understand the questions. Again, candidates will take the floor alphabetically. This means that we start with you, Mr. Abdurrahman. So the first question, as you may expect, many of the questions that came in are actually about the Southbury Leisure Park development. So the first question. If there is to be any development on the Southbury Leisure Park, how do you see future residents of housing units that would be built on the site travelling to and from the area? And how should issues such as car ownership, parking availability, and public transportation be taken into account in planning decisions? So what are the practical measures that you would support to manage parking demand and prevent additional pressure on surrounding streets during construction and once the development is occupied? So the question is essentially about how future residents, that if there is to be any development in the Southbury Leisure Park, the future residents there of the housing units there, how do you foresee them as travelling to and from the area? How should issues such as car ownership, parking availability, and public transportation be taken into account in planning decisions? And the question is also asking for what the practical measures you would support to manage parking demand and prevent additional pressure on surrounding streets during construction? And once the development is occupied. So Mr. Abdur Rahman, you have 60 seconds. You have the floor now.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thank you for your questions. I'll try to, I didn't manage to write down all of it, so I'll try to do as best as I can. First of all, just to be clear, this current, the new proposal does not have enough parking. I will not support a proposal or any development that does not have enough parking because it's not central London, that public transport system is not so readily available that people can just use it. We understand we live in Enfield where cars are being used. So there has to be more parking. So residents will be travelling to and from the area using cars. And also there is a free transport pledge that I have taken where free transport, public transport will be extended to everyone. Research after research shows that it is viable economically and that even the £1.60, removing the £1.60 fare for buses will greatly increase economic benefits. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Miss Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
Thank you, Chair. The parking issue is a huge one. And the scale of the development means that there is no way that there could be sufficient parking on the site for both residents and users of the leisure centre. It will put massive pressure on all the local roads around the area. The argument was always that there's a really good bus service and transport train links into London. And I have tried to use public transport when I want to go into London, but it isn't as reliable as we would wish. So until utopia comes, we need to make sure that the housing proposals are adequately considered. The parking requirements of the residents that are going to take place and the residents of the local area. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Miss Heathwood. Mr. Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. I mean, this has been a problem for successive governments. They relaxed the planning laws so that people didn't have to worry too much about driving. And I said, you know, the argument for this one is that you've got Southbury Road Station and you've got Enfield Town Station and a bus route on that one there. And we've had it before in some of the other areas where they've said that they need minimum driving parking spaces because of their proximity to London public transport areas. In some of the estates in Meridian Malta in the houses that we've done up there, they move in there knowing that there is no parking space. You know, that's one of the things they know about. We've got it on Kingsway where the poppy drive, you know, is an issue there. But they've only got the parking spaces within that estate. So CPZs, a lot of people are calling for CPZs. And I'm happy with that as long as I've got enough enforcement officers to police those CPZs.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. Okay, so yeah, I agree with people saying insufficient parking. The roads are already, the majority of houses have two or maybe even three cars if you have a husband and a wife that drive and a son or a daughter. So there isn't sufficient parking in the streets. That would only upset the neighbours and make them even unhappier. Buses are not reliable in that area. Although you see a number of buses going up and down Southbury Road and the A10, often you could stand and wait for a bus and a bus is missed. So you're there even longer. But you've also got to take into consideration the noise, the mud on the roads, the extra traffic, the congestion. It's just too busy an area to develop.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Landrigan. The second question from residents is about housing. Many of you have mentioned your views about housing in earlier statements. So the question goes, what are your views on housing development in the ward, particularly the importance of providing a mix of housing types and tenures? And how would you seek to avoid monotenure developments, given the widely recognised impact such schemes can have on long-term community cohesion and sustainability? So I'll repeat the question again. So the question is about housing development in the ward and your views on providing a mix of housing types and tenures. How would you seek to avoid monotenure developments, given the widely recognised impact such schemes can have on long-term community cohesion and sustainability? Mr. Abdur Rahman, you have the floor.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thank you again. As I've said, I understand that London has a housing crisis and the UK has a housing crisis. So I am pro-housing and I believe that housing needs to be built. But we cannot sacrifice green spaces, we cannot sacrifice facilities, we cannot give these up just for the sake of building houses. Especially the South Bay Leisure Centre, there are no houses up for sale. They're all built to rent. So I think all housing needs to be, a majority of housing needs to be affordable and they can't be owned privately. What was other questions? I agree that there needs to be a mix of family homes as well as homes for one or two bedroom houses, which are for young professionals. But most importantly, it needs to be in accordance with what residents are looking for. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Ms. Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
Thank you, Chairman. The Conservative position on this is that we need to ensure that we provide family housing, that we ensure that we use a strict housing mix from the construction of two to four bedroom homes to address local need, to ensure a balanced delivery of maisonettes, traditional housing and flats to provide options for residents at every stage of life. We want to ensure that we're building on brownfield sites first, and we wish to protect the greenbelt and to ensure that the lungs of Anfield and London are protected. I also want to look at stopping the proliferation of HMOs, which is causing problems in many areas of our ward. There is certainly some need, but in certain areas we've got a great proliferation that is affecting the residents. So we need a balanced housing provision for all types of housing. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Heathwood. Mr. Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. I mean, I'm all for housing development, as long as it's done in the right way and in the right places. I mean, we talk about HMOs. As I said at the start of this, the planning laws are really quite difficult to work around these. If someone buys a house and they want to turn it into an HMO, it's very difficult to go against that. And you have to argue on the anti-social behaviour stuff and maybe that. But it is very difficult to try and... I'm not trained in housing. My colleague, Mamma, is. We have made delegations to the council before on the planning committee in issues in Lincoln Crescent, for instance. And we've gone there and argued very clearly that that area wasn't right for what the development was on. And we lose it because the planning regulations are so tight and so legislatively difficult to get around. I mean, there aren't enough brownfield sites to fill the housing that we need to fill.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landerson, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. Yeah, I agree we need housing. But I think the priority should be that we house people that are from the borough, that have a connection to the borough first. I don't agree with the new town development that's proposed. I don't believe changing white webs. I think we need two and four bedroom family houses. As houses used to be in the borough with a garden where people can chat over the fence to their neighbours, maybe somewhere to park their car or a garage. We need to go to the houses that we can enjoy, that are sustainable, that people will be happy in. As I say, not tower blocks where you're living in a little box and you see nobody. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you so much, Mr. Landerson. The third question goes back again to the leisure centre and the future of the leisure centre. So the question is, what is your vision for the future of the existing leisure centre? If the leisure park would be developed and construction undertaken on the site, how would you ensure that the leisure centre remains accessible and usable for the community during the construction phase and after the development is completed? I will repeat the question and I think this goes to the worry of many residents that a construction around the park would hamper access to the leisure centre. So the question is, what is your vision for the future of the existing leisure centre? If the leisure park would be developed and construction undertaken on the site, how would you ensure that the leisure centre remains accessible and usable for the community during the construction phase and after the development is completed? Mr. Abdurrahman, you have the floor.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thank you, residents, for the question again. You asked me what my vision is. I am here to represent the residents' vision. So again, it will go back to the residents and what they want from the leisure centre. But one thing we were discussing in the chat is that the proposed redevelopment will create leisure facilities for the residents, which will be a space for which will be taken away from the parking of the existing leisure centre. That sounds completely backwards to me. And that needs to be protected at all costs. The leisure centre is one of the key things that have come up again and again in this conversation, a place for everyone to come together, and people of all ages. And it is good for health. It's good for everything. There's no downside to it. So that needs to be protected at all costs. And so I will ensure that specifically the one thing that's been mentioned again and again is the concern about parking. I will ensure that parking for the current leisure centre remains untouched during the construction phase and afterwards. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Abdurrahman. Ms. Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, residents and Chair.
Penny Heathwood
Health is so important and the ability to get out and to exercise and to go meet people through exercise classes is absolutely vital for the health and well-being of the people of Enfield. And the problem is that Enfield Leisure Centre at Southbury is used by people from across many wards, and people usually drive to it when they hold the big swimming galas. People come from all over London to come to these galas, and the parking will not be available when it comes to actual during the development. I think this is a really dangerous one because I can't see that there is a safe place for people to park within the development when it's being made. I can't see what the developers could do, but they would have to find a way to make sure that the people, the users of the site were safe, not just the leisure centre, but the school as well. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Ms. Heathwood. Mr. Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. I mean, we've just invested £7 million into the leisure centre, so there's no proposals for anything to happen to the leisure centre at all. On the issue of parking, why are developments taking place? I'd like to be able to promise you that there wouldn't be. I don't know what the impact is going to be on the development taking place there. I could tell you everything that you want to hear, but when it comes to the final, when they're building it, none of us know what impact that's going to have. There's still got to be access to the school because the school's there. So, I think we've just got to wait, look at the things and question that when they come in. That's what I'm saying. We're prepared to question that when it comes to planning.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. One of the things that worries me is that I know the residents are worried about the parking. I hope that this doesn't go ahead, because as everybody's agreeing, there isn't sufficient parking now for galas, the leisure centre, and all these things that are held in this leisure centre. If it goes ahead, you've got to have 40 tonne lorries, arctics, coming in to deliver. You're going to have eight wheel lorries in and out, spreading mud all over the road, more congestion. At the end of the day, these people, if the tower blocks and the development goes ahead, it's not going to make anybody happy. It's not going to make the use of the leisure centre a means for them to feel happier, because they're just going to be looking at a mess while it's all being done. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Landrigan. We go on to the fourth and last question from the residents. This is again about the Southbury Leisure Centre in relation to the school within the vicinity, which is Kingsmeade School. The question is, given the proximity of Kingsmeade School to the proposed development, what steps for safeguarding do you think should be taken to protect pupils' wellbeing during and after construction, including managing noise, dust, safety and supervision around the site? The question relates to safeguarding of the pupils and staff of Kingsmeade School in relation to the proposed development. I'd like to repeat the question. Given the proximity of Kingsmeade School to the proposed development, what steps for safeguarding do you think should be taken to protect pupils' wellbeing during and after construction, including managing noise, dust, safety and supervision around the site? Mr. Abdurrahman, you have the floor.
Mueez Abdurrahman
I think given the proximity of Kingsmeade School, there is no way to essentially ensure that the noise levels and everything do not disturb the students. And saying there is a way, I can't think of a way. However, I will involve urban planners and essentially that becomes part of whether this development goes ahead, that becomes part of the proposal. Kingsmeade School is an important part of that neighbourhood. And if the building takes seven years, as the current draft says, we can't have students' learning be hindered for seven years. So that needs to be part of the proposal that the developers put forward about how they want to, how they can safeguard schools and pupils and staff. And if they can't, then that needs to go back to consultation. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Abdurrahman. Ms. Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
It's a really good question. And I don't think there's an easy answer. As Mr. Abdurrahman has commented, how do you make a building site safe for thousands of students when their main access is between the current restaurants? Absolutely through the middle of a building site. It would probably require a new entrance into the school, movement of the bus stop so that the people can be kept safe. But it's going to require the involvement of the developers to come up with a way of keeping the site quiet and dust and allergen free. It's a very difficult question when you're dealing with such a huge development so close to a school.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Heathwood. Mr. Jewell, you have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. I mean, anyone that's been around Enfield for a long time will remember when Kingsmead School was on the footprint where the retail park is now. And what happened then was they built the school at the back of the Kingsmead School, moved all the pupils into there and then built the retail park. At Baker Street, they're rebuilding a school in the grounds of where Chase Community School is. Developers are well attuned to this. It's not nothing new for them. Most of them all signed up to the good workmanship things, but let's not kid ourselves that building like this hasn't gone on before under different councils and different governments. They are in tune with their things. All this sort of thing would be ironed out when planning is put forward to the planning committee, I suppose, and then all those agreements there. But this has gone on before when the Kingsmead was rebuilt and it's happened all over the area where schools have been rebuilt on the ground and then the other bit of ground has been changed to something else. It's nothing new. Most developers are signed up.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. Yeah, Kingsmead School is very close to my heart. I was there from when I was 11 until the raising the school leaving age when I was 16. Yeah, we used to have a lovely field at the front there on the corner. And yes, it was all built on and all the extensions at the back, which has been, yes, it's been a benefit for the school. But children are children. Now, yes, developers have guidelines. The HSE will obviously direct the developer of best practise. But at the end of the day, the residents don't want this. Nobody seems to be listening to the residents. We're hearing lots of views of worries about parking. The residents don't want it. And the council, in my view, should say, sorry, you've got to come up with something else. Not what you've planned. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Landrigan. Thank you, candidates. I really commend everyone for the clear efforts to respond to the questions and the issues raised. We're now moving on to closing statements. Each candidate will have 60 seconds to make a closing statement. We will again call the candidates alphabetically. So this means, Mr. Abdurrahman, your 60 seconds start now.
Mueez Abdurrahman
Thank you, everyone, for your time today. It's actually very inspiring to see so many people get involved and so many people care about what's happening in the neighbourhood. And I think this is how true change comes about, with dialogue and everyone voicing their own opinions. As I've tried to convey throughout this debate, we need to prioritise community. Almost everything we discussed, the leisure part, the inclusivity, transparency, everything boils down to one thing. People want more community spaces. So we don't build for the sake of building. Homes are not just a roof over our head. We need social spaces, events, amenities, access to GP, schools, parking. And all of that needs to be considered when in the redevelopment. As Councillor, I'll be the voice of South Bury's residents. I'll push for a considerate urban design that is rooted in evidence so that any home built is actually catered for. It's affordable and has enough parking, green spaces and provision. I'll promote transparency within Council decision, ensure proper bin collection. Most important, I'll listen to what you have to say. Even now in the chat, I'm listening to what you're saying. And it's inspiring how many new ideas are coming out from there. I hope you all go out to vote on this month of May. I hope you all vote green. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Mr. Abdur Rahman. Ms. Heathwood, you now have the floor.
Penny Heathwood
This has been a fantastic debate. It's been great to share the space with my fellow candidates. It seems that we're all pretty much on the same page about the concerns that residents have about the huge buildings. And the pressure put on infrastructure and local streets. I want to ensure that if I'm elected, I'm there for the residents to come and talk to me. I live in the ward. I go to the doctors in the ward. I use the facilities in the ward. And I want to make sure that they are continued, that they are improved. And that we give the best value of money and services for the residents of Enfield. So that we get the right placement. So that we can become a great community together. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you, Ms. Heathwood. Mr. Jewell, you now have the floor.
Rick Jewel
Thank you. Yeah. I mean, it's been an experience. This conference debate tonight. And it's been good. I mean, people become councillors because they want to do the good things in their community. You're never going to please everyone. And that's the trouble with being a councillor. You're always going to, whatever you do, you're going to be upsetting someone. So you try and do the best you can. And when you're elected, that's the balance you've got to have. You've got to try and please everyone. And sometimes that's very difficult. But people go into it for the right reasons. It can get a bit nasty at times. And especially around this time, election time, it gets a bit personal sometimes. But people are decent. Even I get on with the Tories at the council. You know, we're all, I like to think we're all decent people that just want to do the best we can. We just look at it from different sides of the table. And we just have to look at these things. But, no, it's been an experience. And thanks a lot for all the questions that you've put forward to the residents. And we'll see you out on the streets over the next few weeks, I suppose. 18 days, I think now, something like that.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Jewell. Mr. Landrigan, you now have the floor.
Robert Landragin
Yes, thank you very much. Yes, I've been pleased to have been invited to join this debate this evening. I wish my fellow candidates every success. I personally, I don't want to see Cruise Hill built on. I don't want to see white webs built on. I don't want to see this development go ahead. I want to see Enfield cleaned up. I want to see more help for social housing, youngsters, people that have got mental health. If we can help them, let's help them. We need youth clubs. But above all, we need tolerance with people. We need to be able to talk to each other. And we need to be a community, not different sections that don't get on. Thank you.
Emerlynne Gil
Thank you very much, Mr. Landrigan. And thank you to all the candidates for their really thoughtful closing statements. And thank you to our audience for listening attentively. I now give back the floor to Sonja, who will close the event.
Sonja Mitterhuber
Thank you to all candidates for taking part. And also thank you to residents for attending and engaging respectfully this evening. This concludes now the South Borough Ward Councillor candidates debate. The recording will be shared shortly on our website and Facebook page. Good night and thank you for joining us.
Robert Landragin
Thank you. Good night all.
Sonja Mitterhuber
Thank you, everyone. Good night.
Robert Landragin
Yeah, good night, everyone. Cheers.
Sonja Mitterhuber
Thank you for doing this, Sonja.
