Enfield: 'Bowes Labour' comments on last night

What we do to oppose Pinkham Way following last night's Council meeting

"Had the Conservatives' motion last night [at Enfield's full Council meeting] simply specified 'No to Pinkham Way', without also requiring that further waste be dumped in Edmonton (the so-called "sequential testing"), your Bowes Labour representatives could have signed it, after adding certain amendments. 

"We have absolutely no interest in being party-political, certainly not when the interests of our constituents are in question.

"The problem is that their solution would have been abominable for our fellow residents in East Enfield. As your elected administration, we have a moral imperative to do better, ensuring that we can protect our West Enfield constituents without dumping on our East Enfield constituents. Hence our motion, which calls for a more balanced approach.

"Please remember as well, that if the rejection of Pinkham Way means further waste being added to Edmonton, this would also have bad repercussions for Bowes:

• waste volumes in Edmonton would be so high, that the North London Waste Authority would be unable to eliminate the incinerator, perpetuating the health dangers from which we are all at risk already
• large numbers of lorries would have to transit through Bowes to Edmonton, on their way from Barnet, creating a traffic nightmare, that we are trying to prevent.

"By tomorrow [Friday] afternoon (i.e. before the deadline) your Bowes Labour councillors will have submitted a representation to the 'North London Waste Plan', officially calling for all sites in or near Enfield (Pinkham Way, Edmonton) to be taken off the table - for substantive reasons relating to proximity to residences, air quality, traffic, etc.

Link to 'Bowes Labour' web site

"Simultaneously, we will call for alternatives to be reconsidered. To be quite clear, our understanding is that the principle of equity dictates that another London borough accepts the new MBT plant. This would very likely be Barnet, especially since it features a number of ex-industrial brownfield spaces that are more appropriate than Pinkham Way.

"By lodging this representation, your Bowes Labour Councillors will be able to represent our ward, when the North London Waste Plan comes to the adjudication stage. We know from discussions with many residents that our complicated approach - 'No to Pinkham Way, but also No to Edmonton' - has a great deal of support, if only because it is the only policy that is both moral and effective.

"Unfortunately, it is also quite complicated, meaning that our position is regularly being misrepresented. We ask sincere residents to dispel all such misinformation. Over-simplification and outright lies do no-one any good. The best way to get the powers-that-be (NLWP? Haringey planning? Boris Johnson? David Cameron?) to hear our voices is if we stick to substantive arguments.

"Bowes Labour is working flat-out to get the desired result. Our hands may be somewhat tied by decisions taken under Enfield's previous administrations - and by the fact that Enfield actually has extremely little power in determining the end-result of this sorry saga - but we still have hope of achieving the right outcome."