Enfield Council's recent full council meeting saw a robust debate on the state of street cleaning services, with opposition councillors criticising the current administration's handling of the issue and calling for immediate action.
Councillor Laura Davenport, speaking for the opposition, voiced concerns about a sharp decline
in street cleaning standards since the change in administration in May 2026. She highlighted overflowing bins, litter, fly-tipping, and a reduction in visible street-cleaning activity, particularly during the hottest summer on record. Davenport claimed that around 30 street cleaners
were removed in June, exacerbating the problem.
Councillor Maria Alexandrou, Cabinet Member for Environment, strongly refuted the claims, stating that no staff had been let go and that the core street cleansing team remained intact. She highlighted the recruitment of 28 permanent full-time staff, the installation of new litter bins, the doubling of waste cameras, and increased enforcement actions. Alexandrou also presented a briefing paper detailing the end of a temporary, six-month contract for additional staff funded by the previous administration, which had cost nearly £1 million. This temporary programme, which ran from January to June, included additional staff, vehicles, and equipment, and its agreed end date was 30 June. Officers have confirmed that there were no redundancies, dismissals, or reduction in core cleansing frequencies or service standards when this temporary programme ended. The figure of 30 street cleaners, widely repeated on social media, has also been confirmed by officers as incorrect.
During the Opposition Priority Business
item, councillors debated the decline in street cleaning standards. The opposition presented a motion calling for the reversal of street cleaner cuts, the filling of vacancies, the publication of a Clean Streets Action Plan
within 30 days, and the reinstatement of community skip days. They also criticised the administration for removing CCTV cameras from fly-tipping hotspots.
In response, Councillor Alexandrou stated that the administration was tackling issues head on
and that they had not removed 30 street cleaning posts. She confirmed that 28 full-time permanent staff were being recruited and that a Clean Streets Action Plan
was already in place. The council is doubling CCTV waste cameras from 16 to 32, moving them to five new locations since May. Every ward has a street cleansing plan showing the frequency and types of operations done monthly, which are available on the council's website and sent to councillors. The existing Clean Streets Action Plan includes recruiting 28 permanent staff, creating four new litter-picking hubs with double capacity in parks, doubling fly-tip cameras, taking strong enforcement action, visiting HMOs, introducing new efficient waste trucks, holding community recycling days, running community awareness campaigns, expanding recycling services for businesses and schools, and expanding the food waste trial. The council is also exploring the expansion of bulky waste collection services, having previously spent £18,000 on community skips which yielded a small amount of collected waste and were deemed a waste of money with no impact.
Councillor Alessandro Georgiou stated that the council's core establishment is 139 operatives, and the 28 vacancies are fully funded, actively recruited, and covered. He also noted that between February and June, the outgoing Labour administration spent over £960,000 on a temporary six-month contract for additional staff, which he described as a desperate election giveaway
that failed.
Councillor Alexandrou also detailed ongoing enforcement actions, including the issuance of thousands of penalty notices and successful prosecutions for fly-tipping.
