The Equalities Board was scheduled to meet to discuss health inequalities, hate crime, and domestic abuse in Enfield. The board was also expected to review the minutes from their previous meeting and note their work programme for the year.

Domestic Abuse

The Equalities Board was scheduled to receive a report on support for victims of domestic abuse. The report on domestic abuse included an update on the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy 2026-30, which the Safer Stronger Communities Board (SSCB) has been consulting on. The draft strategy is victim-centred, and based on a public health approach, using three tiers:

• Primary: Preventing violence before it occurs
• Secondary: Responding to the immediate risk of violence
• Tertiary: Long term support for those impacted or affected by violence

The vision of the strategy is to:

Create a borough where all residents live a life free from domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.

The mission statement is:

Over the next 5 years, partner agencies will work together using a public health approach to prevent violence against women and girls, provide timely and effective support to those affected, challenge harmful attitudes and behaviours, and ensure perpetrators are held accountable, creating a borough where abuse is never tolerated.

The agreed strategic priorities are:

• Work in partnership to support all victims and survivors no matter where they are in their journey
• Understand, prevent and tackle the root causes of all forms of violence
• Responding to the changing nature of how harassment and violence against women and girls is committed
• Holding perpetrators to account

The SSCB Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Group will have responsibility for the strategy, and will develop a delivery plan based on the agreed priorities.

The report also included current data on VAWG, highlighting that domestic abuse accounts for over 40% of all violence against the person crimes. Between October 2024 and September 2025, there were 3,446 domestic abuse offences in Enfield, a 2.8% decrease on the previous 12-month period. Enfield was ranked 13th highest for the rate of domestic abuse offences per 1,000 population compared to all London Boroughs.

The report also stated that there have been 18 Domestic Related Homicide Reviews in Enfield since 2016, and that emerging themes related to mental health, drugs and alcohol and cultural pressures were identified.

The report also provided equalities data, highlighting that 73% of victims were recorded as female, and 78% of suspects were recorded as male.

The report also detailed Enfield Council's Domestic Abuse and Housing Policy 2023-26, which aims to strengthen the council's response to domestic abuse within housing services.

The next steps for the strategy are for it to be endorsed by Cabinet in early 2026, followed by a launch event in early March.

Tackling Health Inequalities

The Equalities Board was scheduled to receive a report providing an analysis of key areas of health inequalities experienced by Enfield residents, and to identify activity undertaken by the Council with partners to address inequalities.

The report stated that health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between groups, and that in Enfield, patterns of deprivation and ethnicity closely align with poorer health outcomes.

The report highlighted key facts about Enfield, including that it has a diverse population of over 327,000, and ranks among the most deprived 25% nationally, with high levels of child poverty. It also stated that housing insecurity and environmental factors disproportionately affect deprived communities, contributing to poor health outcomes.

The report then provided a life course view of health inequalities, including:

• Start Well (0-18): Child health and wellbeing outcomes in Enfield show a pattern of disadvantage compared with wider London and national averages, with rates of child poverty steadily increasing.
• Live Well (18 – 65): Life expectancy in Enfield varies widely across the borough, revealing stark inequalities between communities.
• Age Well (>65): Enfield's ageing population faces growing health inequalities, with many older residents at risk of multiple, complex health needs that require coordinated and proactive local responses.

The report also detailed what the council is doing to address health inequality, including public health commissioned services such as health visiting, school nursing, NHS health checks[^2], sexual health services, substance misuse services, smoking cessation services, and oral health programmes.

The report also detailed activities undertaken by the Public Health team and Partners, including:

• Healthy High Streets
• Good Food Retail
• Healthier Catering Commitment
• Beat the Street
• Grow, Feed, Eat, Read – Urban Food Growing Project
• Albany Park
• Family hubs
• Community Hubs
• Youth Justice System (YJS) Health Team
• Journeys and Places
• Mental health
• Immunisation and screening

The report also detailed activities of LBE relating to Wider Determinants of Health, including:

• Housing, Damp and Mould
• Healthy Education Settings
• Street Tag
• Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) for children in Reception to Year 11
• Youth Sport Trust Inclusion 2028 Programme in Enfield

Finally, the report detailed Key Projects Focusing on Inequality with the NHS, including:

• Your Local Health Stop
• Locally Commissioned Service (LCS) for People Experiencing Homelessness in Enfield
• Inequality Delivery Group / NCL Inequalities Fund

Monitoring Report on Hate Crime in Enfield

The Equalities Board was scheduled to receive an update on the current numbers of incidents of hate crime in Enfield and how they compare to the previous year.

The report stated that Enfield has a long history of working in partnership to challenge hate and discrimination, and that the Safer and Stronger Communities Board (SSCB) recognises that hate crime remains under reported.

The report stated that in the twelve months leading up to November 2025, there were 580 hate crime offences recorded in Enfield, a decrease of 11% over the same period the previous year. Racist and religious hate crime offences in Enfield reduced by 9.7% in year ending November 2025.

The report noted that Enfield has recorded reductions across most hate crime strands, with the exception of faith- related and disability hate crime, and that Islamophobic and Antisemitic hate crime offences have increased, partly attributed to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began in 2023.

The report detailed the response to hate crime, including collaborative initiatives with community partners, engaging young people, supporting National Hate Crime Awareness Week, and offering workshops and assemblies on hate crime to schools.

The report also noted that the council collaborates with national organisations that specialise in tackling hate crime, such as True-Vision and Stop Hate UK, and seeks advice and guidance from dedicated organisations such as the Community Security Trust (CST) and Galop.

Finally, the report noted that the council has worked to re-establish the Enfield Multi Faith Forum, and that through the forum, further progress is expected in improving understanding of faith-related hate crime and addressing tensions before they occur.

Other items

The board was also scheduled to:

• Welcome attendees and note any apologies.
• Note any declarations of interest.
• Approve the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Note the work programme for 2025/26.
• Note the date of the next meeting as 23 March 2026.