The Culture and Environment Scrutiny Panel of Enfield Council was scheduled to meet on Monday, 16 March 2026, to discuss reports on urban green spaces and waste and recycling management. The panel was also due to review its work programme for the upcoming year.

Urban Green Space

The panel was scheduled to receive a report from Lisa Smart, Head of Urban Green Space, detailing service delivery and efforts to address anti-social behaviour. The report was expected to outline the annual programme of works for the borough's parks, including maintenance and cleaning schedules. It highlighted progress made over the past year, including a move to a planned programme of work that has improved performance and met targets. The report also noted challenges such as the service being largely paper-based, which hinders timely updates, and slower-than-intended progress on park management plans due to a lack of suitable software. Despite these challenges, the volume of practical work delivered in parks has increased, with significant improvements in safety and wetland management. The report also detailed steps taken to combat anti-social behaviour, including improved sightlines, enhanced CCTV coverage, and the year-round operation of the Community Reassurance Patrol. Fly-tipping was identified as a persistent issue, with planned improvements including strengthened boundary fencing and closer working with enforcement teams. The report also provided a breakdown of the service's costs, with a net council contribution to urban greenspaces of £1.724 million.

Waste and Recycling Management

A report from Loraine Kingston, Head of Waste & Street Cleansing Services, was scheduled to be presented, focusing on statutory requirements for waste collection and the impacts of recent waste reforms. The report indicated that Enfield currently has a recycling rate of 33%, falling short of the Mayor of London's target of 50% by 2025/26. The report detailed two major national reforms: Simpler Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR). Simpler Recycling requires workplaces to recycle more waste streams and councils to provide a full set of recycling collections to all households, including flats. The pEPR reforms aim to shift the cost of packaging waste management onto producers. The report noted that Enfield is projected to receive up to £5.8 million to help improve recycling services. It also provided an update on household recycling rates, with Enfield ranking 14th out of 33 London boroughs. A significant concern highlighted was the high contamination rate in recycling, which has increased over recent years and has a financial impact on the authority. The report also compared recycling rates and contamination levels across different boroughs within the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA).

Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to note the completion of its Work Programme for 2025/26. The draft work programme for 2026/27 was also to be discussed, outlining topics such as the Heritage Strategy, the Dugdale Arts Centre, Forty Hall, Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), Leisure Centres, and Waste & Recycling Management.

The meeting was scheduled to take place in the Conference Room at the Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3XA. The panel membership includes Councillors Hivran Dalkaya (Chair), Eylem Yuruk (Vice-Chair), Nawshad Ali, Alessandro Georgiou, Patricia Gregory, Nelly Gyosheva, and Joanne Laban.