The Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Enfield Council met on Wednesday 7 January 2026. The primary focus of the meeting was to consider a call-in regarding the provision of the Barrowell Green Recycling Centre.

Call-In Regarding Barrowell Green Recycling Centre

The committee was scheduled to consider a call-in concerning the decision made by Councillor Rick Jewell, the Cabinet Member for Transport & Waste, on the provision of the Barrowell Green Recycling Centre (KD5648). This decision was originally published on 9 December 2025.

The call-in was initiated by Councillor Lee Chamberlain and supported by several other councillors, including Councillor Chris Joannides, Councillor Adrian Grumi, Councillor Reece Fox, Councillor Andrew Thorpe, Councillor Alessandro Georgiou, Councillor Emma Supple, and Councillor Peter Fallart.

The core of the call-in, as outlined by Councillor Chamberlain, was a concern that the proposal to transfer the site to the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) did not provide sufficient assurances against changes in the site's use, beyond simply physically closing and disposing of it. The reasons for the call-in highlighted that for residents, a removal of services would be perceived as a closure, even if not formally defined as such in a contract. Concerns were raised about the site being used for very narrow purposes or only for commercial drop-offs, and that contractual arrangements might allow for such possibilities.

Officers responded by explaining that the transfer of operations to the NLWA, to be managed by its wholly-owned company LondonEnergy Ltd, was intended to maintain current service provision. They detailed safeguards and governance arrangements designed to ensure the Council's continued involvement and consultation in any future decisions about service changes or closure. These include Enfield's direct representation within the NLWA's decision-making body, the existence of established advisory and policy boards, and the NLWA's routine practice of stakeholder engagement and public consultation for any proposed operational changes. The report also noted that an inter-Authority Agreement mechanism could be used to transfer the site back to the London Borough of Enfield if necessary.

The report pack indicated that the preferred option was to transfer the operational management of Barrowell Green Recycling Centre to the NLWA. This was presented as the best value-for-money solution for the London Borough of Enfield. The report detailed that the NLWA already manages a network of reuse and recycling centres across north London and that LondonEnergy Ltd operates facilities on behalf of its constituent boroughs. The report also addressed concerns about the NLWA's motivation for taking on the site, explaining that the funding mechanism for reuse and recycling centres means the NLWA has no financial incentive to reduce services, as costs are largely borne by the boroughs based on resident usage.

The report pack also outlined the original decision documents for KD5648, which included recommendations for the Cabinet Member for Transport & Waste to approve the transfer of operations to the NLWA, delegate authority for documentation, approve a new lease to the NLWA, and approve annual and capital spend. It also detailed the background, options considered, financial, legal, equalities, environmental, public health, procurement, and property implications of the proposed transfer.

The committee was also scheduled to note the dates of future meetings, including provisional call-in dates and business meetings. A portion of the agenda was designated for Part 2, which involved the exclusion of press and public to consider exempt information related to the original decision documents for KD5648.