This exchange is on behalf of the Southgate Police Team who asked for assistance in asking why the council have let the situation of parking on Ashfield Parade get so out of hand:

Original Email:

Dear XXXX,

Firstly I just want to say thank you for your email and even more thank you for taking the time to get involved and bring up these issues which affect our area. Like you I get really annoyed with the issue as some believe the parking rules don’t apply to them. Never the less I think it is important also you made these points because I can go to the department responsible and ask why enforcement isn’t being carried out enough

Dear Parking Team,

The issue raised here by Charlotte is not uncommon, it is something that I have asked the department on numerous occasion and never really get a progressive response. My points really are:

1. If the department is aware that people are parking illegally down the taxi rank of Ashfield parade, why haven’t the department looked to increase the concentration of wardens in the area to ensure motorists are ticketed much more quickly and are thus disincentivised to this again next time?
2. If the department do not wish to pursue this rank issue, they why haven’t the council looked at my solution prior where I asked for a sustainable urban drainage system (SUD) or put it more simply a green section to cover and takeover this disused rank?
3. It is common knowledge that the ranks are not being used. The only ranks being used are on chase side and the Southgate station parade. Ashfield and Bourne avenue are literally almost never in use- I can almost say this is a fact. Now I am aware the mayors policy is not to decrease the number of ranks, but surely we can see the logic here and take either option one or two above to avoid the strip being misused?
4. Can the police not working with Enfield parking services to at least better the stretch of road? I am happy to meet with both parties and we can discuss there?

Response

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Ioannou

Thank you for your email.

Ashfield Parade has been highlighted as a parking problem and NSL have made an effort to make more visits.

I can confirm that since 1^st April this year 340 visits have been made to Ashfield Parade and 45 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued to vehicles for being parked in the taxi rank.

Extra visits will continue here for the foreseeable future however I’m sure you will appreciate this isn’t always easy when the volume of parking complaints seems to be increasing generally across the borough.

With regard to removing the taxi rank altogether this is something the Traffic team would need to consider, their email is ‘traffic@enfield.gov.uk’.

I hope this is of information.

Regards

Original Email:

I live at XXX Chase road, N14 6XX. Every day since before the first lockdown there have been numerous contraventions of the residents parking bays. i.e., un permitted vehicles, vehicles with covid permits etc.

The residents don’t see parking enforcement officers between Hillside Grove and Mayfair terrace. When we call to complain, we can’t get through to Crown Lane ( NCP) parking office.  I have been in a queue for over an hour, listening to music and nobody answers the phone. This is a regular occurrence.  Enfield parking services are only operating from 9 am until 12 noon Monday to Friday. 

Why aren’t the council enforcing the restrictions?

Why aren’t NCP answering the phones?

Why have the hours been reduced at the council parking services?

Why do residents have to keep trying to complain about the lack of service?

We pay from £110 per year for a service that isn’t been enforced and this is for over 18 months and probably close to 2 years. 

The weekends will be worse after the pubs / restaurants are fully operational as Saturday evenings are really bad because of the Hart pub at the top of Chase road.

Last night I was walking home from Southgate station and I had to walk in the middle of the road as there were approximately 6 cars parked on the pavement opposite the Hart pub. 

When are the council going to address the issues raised here?

Yours sincerely

Response:

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Ioannou

Thank you for your email and I am sorry to hear that it is felt that the parking contractor is not providing an adequate service.

Since the end of lockdown the Parking Enforcement Team have received an unprecedented amount of complaints specifically in relation to schools and general enforcement issues such as obstruction of driveways.  It has been a challenge to ensure all complaints are responded to however we do endeavour to do so and monitor the contractor on a daily basis.

The NSL Parking Shop telephone line, 020 3856 0036 is an extremely busy line and staff there have to not only take phone calls but also deal with the public attending the Parking Shop too. 

The Council’s phone line is not an instant response service and it was a departmental decision to reduce the phone line hours to enable them to attend other duties. Requests for enforcement however can be made to the Parking Team via email as well as phone at ‘parking@enfield.gov.uk’.

383 visits have been made to Chase Road, N14 since 1st April this year and 30 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued which confirms that extra visits are being made.

I will remind NSL to keep this on their list for extra enforcement particularly near the pub and between Hillside Grove and Mayfair Terrace.

I have copied Mr XXXX in on this reply for his information.

Regards

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your recent enquiry about the rubbish in Southgate

The Street Cleansing Team has informed me that Street Cleansing staff will if possible return small amounts of trolleys to the supermarket carpark. The trolley’s mentioned in the email were all chained together so it was not possible for their staff to remove them, the Senior Chargehand for the area contacted the supermarket directly and they arranged for them to be collected the same day. The litter bin along the footpath was removed by Street Cleansing at the request of the allotment plot holders committee as it seemed to attract dumped waste. The footpath itself is visited twice weekly by a team and any fly tipped waste and litter is removed each time. This situation will be monitored by the area Senior Chargehand to see if any changes need to be implemented. With regards to Chase Road, the flower bad has been added to the daily cleanse by the hand barrow operative in Southgate and he now sweeps to Picard Close every day as well. Chase Road has also been added to a new Mechanical Sweeper beat in the area so improvements in the standard of cleansing should be quite visible moving forward

An inspection has been carried out by Waste Enforcement Officer, Francesca Skipp. At the time of inspection, the bins for Ladbrokes has been emptied and were clear overflowing waste. The purple bin in question has been relocated away from the pavement and the side waste removed. Enquiries are ongoing to ascertain which business is responsible for this bin as on site enquiries were unsuccessful. Francesca will serve notice on Ladbrokes and the other business once a responsible party is identified, regarding the presentation of commercial waste for collection and their responsibilities to ensure waste is kept contained and excess waste is dealt with accordingly. The footpath between the allotments was largely clear at the time of inspection, however a pile of mixed waste was located on the section leading to ASDA’s. This waste has bene referred to the Street Cleansing team for removal. Unfortunately on this occasion no evidence could be obtained, however much of the waste appears to have been generated on the allotment plots. The allotment team have been contacted regarding this matter. Francesca will continue to inspect this location and formal enforcement action will be taken where sufficient evidence allows. Some littering signage has been installed midway down the footpath and also where the sacks were located. Due to the high volume of fly-tipping signage at the Chelmsford Road end of the footpath, it was deemed that no additional signage of this type was required.

An Environmental Protection Officer has made contact with ASDA head office notifying them of the continuing problem with trolleys abandoned along the allotment. The Officer has requested for the store manager to arrange frequent daily checks and remove all trolleys.

I hope this answers your enquiry.

Kind Regards

Second phase of Additional Restrictions Grant launches for those without previous funding help

The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) Phase 2 is now open for applications. The government grant supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes and haven’t received previous funding. Enfield Council has devised the scheme to focus on small and medium sized businesses, freelancers, home-based businesses and the self-employed.  Phase 2 of the ARG has different eligibility criteria to any previous discretionary grant scheme. So please read the criteria carefully before applying.  Businesses must demonstrate that they have been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of COVID-19. The deadline for applications is 6 June at 11:59pm. All other financial support grants can be found at enfield.gov.uk/covid19businesses.

All emails sent to me regaridng the LTN consultation are forwarded directly to the department responsible. I receive an email of aknowledgment for every email logged by the council.

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for passing on these comments regarding (Fox Lane / Bowes Primary Quieter Neighbourhood).

They have been passed on to the Healthy Streets team who will file them as a response to the consultation so that they can be considered as part of the future formal report and decision making process. More information and the consultation survey is available at letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/foxlaneQN / letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/bowesQN

Kind Regards

Dear Cllr. Ioannou,

Thank you for your enquiry related to missed collection bins from Oakwood Avenue.

I have raised the matter with our crew supervisors to investigate, if there are any underlying issues so this can be rectified going forward and ensure the refuse bin is collected on scheduled day without any further disruption.

I apologise for the inconvenience caused to the residents.

Please let me know, if further assistance required.

Kind regards,

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Councillor Ioannou

The multi-agency meeting took place. Whilst I cannot give details of the information provided at the meeting, as you are aware, there are a variety of issues involved and the overall matter has been going on for some time.

Previous actions have resulted in the removal of parked vans/vehicles from the roads. As long as the vehicles are taxed, MoT’d and insured they can be legally parked on roads where there are no parking restrictions. Unfortunately this allows them to be there for some time and they would need to be in a considerable state of disrepair before they can be considered abandoned. Currently we do not believe there are any vehicles on the surrounding roads that cannot legally be there.

Regarding the selling of vehicles in the street, the main form of advertising you have provided is from Facebook. The photos of vehicles do not appear to be of streets in or around Nursey Road. Most of the adverts were posted over a year ago or longer and very few cars are currently advertised through Facebook. If you become aware of other social media platforms where he advertises please let me know.

A trader may sell goods on Facebook or via other social media platforms provided it is clear from the advertising that the seller is a trader. Mr Stylianou and his wife’s Facebook page contain many  adverts for a wide variety of vehicles making it unlikely a consumer would be misled in to thinking either was a private seller, even for recent adverts. We do not appear to have had any reason to contact him regarding the vehicles he has sold.

To prove a case of illegal street trading we would need more evidence of cars offered for sale on the street or to catch the sale in progress.

Other potential issues around rubbish, fly tipping and pest nuisance are being monitored along with ensuring vehicles on the street are taxed, MOT’d and insured.

We appreciate the cumulative affect different types of behaviours can have on communities and individuals. It can feel as if there is no respite if one behaviour is stopped only for another to take its place. As a Trading Standards Service our input in to addressing your constituents concerns is limited. We will continue to support our Environmental Crime Unit and Anti-Social Behaviour team colleagues. They took action in 2019 and the current behaviours fall within their remit and powers. They continue to work with the police, who are aware of the concerns your constituents have identified. I can assure you that work continues in relation to the issues in and around Nursery Road

Original Email from Southgate MPS

Dear Sir,

I am writing in regards to a problem that was brought to our attention by the residents at number 75 Dalrymple Close, N14, where the street light in the private car park has disaffected which caused an increase in the anti-social behaviour in the area. The residents are elderly and concerned that various unknown cars are attending the car park at unreasonable hours taking advantage of the darkness. We have been patrolling the area regularly, unfortunately we have not come across any suspicious individuals in those places. Southgate SNT would much appreciate your support in regards to this matter, as we feel your input with Enfield Council would speed up the process of resolving the street light.

Please see CC’d Mr Khalid Ali who has brought this to our attention.

Kind regards,

Response

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Iaonnou,

Thank you for your email with regard to a faulty street light near to 75 Dalrymple Close in the private car park.

I have asked our service provider to check all the lighting in Dalrymple Close that we maintain and they have confirmed that they are all in full working order.

Unfortunately the faulty street light in the private car park is not maintained by us, this may be maintained by a management company and is normally part of a service charge paid by the residents.

I hope this answers your enquiry.

Regards

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your email.

The Waste Enforcement Team informs me that Waste Enforcement Officer Francesca Skipp will carry out an inspection of this location in due course, and monitoring will be carried out thereafter. Any waste found will be inspected for evidence and referred on for removal.

Formal enforcement action will be taken where sufficient evidence allows.

On previous inspections, Francesca has found sacks of household waste deposited along the fence line of the playing fields and the allotments, however no evidence was found so the individuals responsible could not be traced. On occasion, bulk and household items have also been found deposited along the path. These items were always referred for clearance.

Francesca will assess the location for littering/fly-tipping signage and install some along the path.

Any future witnessed fly-tipping incidents can be reported online and if substantial information can be provided in the form of a witness statement, this can be investigated and the appropriate action taken.

The Street Cleansing Team informs me that The litter bin in question has been removed.

This footpath is visited on a scheduled basis every Monday & Thursday and all fly tips and litter will be removed each time.

I hope the above addresses the enquiry raised.

Kind regards,

Dear Stephanos Ioannou,

I am writing to let you know that, following the press announcement on 19 January 2021, HSBC UK is today writing to customers of Southgate Branch to confirm the closure of their local HSBC UK branch on 23/07/2021.

The decision has not been taken lightly and reflects the need to maintain a sustainable branch network for the benefit of our customers. Over the past five years, the number of customers using HSBC branches has fallen by a third. Nine in ten customers’ contact with the bank is now completed via the telephone, internet or smartphone and over 95% of cash withdrawals are made at an ATM. These trends, which are well established, have been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic as customers have increasingly moved away from branch banking.

We remain fully committed to serving our customers in all parts of the UK. We are making the biggest investment in our UK business in over ten years, including, customer experience and digital channels. This will be a pivotal year as we grow our franchise in the UK and transform our business for the benefit of our customers, now and in the future.

Whilst more and more customers are now choosing to bank with us using our alternative channels we appreciate that others still value our face-to-face service. Our customers will still be able to access the services that they are used to at our other branches.

We have informed our colleagues at the branch and, wherever possible, will work with them to find them alternative roles with us. Posters will be displayed in the branch giving details of the closure, and we will be writing to every customer of Southgate Branch to provide more information about the closure and the alternative services available to them.

The Post Office remains available to customers wanting cash withdrawals, cash deposits, cheque deposits and balance enquiries. Business customers with a debit card can also pay in and withdraw cash, check their balance and deposit cheques. The furthest Post Office from any of the affected branches is 1.1 miles away.

Individual reports for each location will be available on our website from the 20^th January. The reports can be accessed here:

These reports will contain more information about the individual closures and show how we believe each closure will impact their local community. We are fully engaged with UK Finance in the Community Access to Cash pilot which will play an important role in delivering tailored banking services that meet local needs.

Our branch staff will be available to explain alternative ways of banking and will proactively contact customers who may have difficulty accessing these. We will offer one to one appointments providing support, including training on telephone and internet banking. If any customer cases are raised with you, I would be grateful if you could let me know.

Please let me know if you would like to arrange a call to discuss further.

Yours sincerely,