Weekly Round-Up

We are still in lockdown and Covid-19 rates in Enfield remain stubbornly high. This wave is more intense than the first with high Intensive Care Unit and hospital admissions. Sadly, the Government are again too slow to recognise that there is a need to tighten the lockdown measures. The Government need to do more to ensure those who need to isolate can do so. They must improve our woeful statutory sick leave pay and ensure that there is better financial support for those who are shielding or isolating. If we are to see people isolate once they have symptoms, we must give them the support they need to safely do so. By having one of the lowest statutory sick leave pay in Europe we are forcing people to become spreaders of the coronavirus. 

I am grateful to NHS staff working round the clock to deliver the vaccine. Along with my Labour colleagues, I have been calling for 24/7 vaccine roll out and even though the Government initially rejected the idea, they are now starting to pilot it.  While their weeks of dither and delay remains infuriating, I am pleased that they have now started to engage and progress this. I remain concerned that the vaccination numbers allocated to London don't reflect the population, and I will push Ministers on this to ensure the highest priority groups in London are not left waiting longer than they should. 

You may have seen the images circulating this week of the disgraceful “food hampers” that were sent to feed school children. These shameful scenes, a product of contracts awarded by the Government, could have been avoided if food vouchers had been used instead.  These hampers were supposed to be equal to the value of £30, but contained shoddy food with a much lower value – with some of these food parcels costing less than a fiver.  Despite the apparent outrage of the Prime Minister, the shameful amount of food in these parcels were based off guidance set out and agreed on by his Government.  The handling of the welfare of kids on free school meals during the pandemic has been nothing short of a scandal and I will continue to push for the Government to do the right thing and provide decent, nutritious meals to our children.

The London Recovery Board, chaired by Sadiq Khan met virtually this week. The board which brings together leaders from across London to discuss the long-term recovery effort from the Coronavirus pandemic.  The new, more contagious strain of Covid-19 is putting huge strains on our neighbourhoods.  It is vitally important that we support the development and growth of Enfield North.  Our community needs to be invested in to ensure that we protect livelihoods and economic growth.  I will be doing all I can to support the work of the London Recovery Board.

With the London Mayoral, Assembly and local council elections in England coming up in May 2021, this week I asked the Government what steps they are taking to introduce fully digital application forms for postal votes.  We have seen in 2020 the importance of postal votes in delivering Covid-safe elections, but here in the UK postal vote application forms require physical printing in order to return the form.  This is a physical barrier to many clinically vulnerable people who do not have access to a printer.  With this being their only route to registering, a fully digital application form which takes away the access barrier of needing a printer is imperative to increasing people’s ability to vote safely.  The elections are now fast approaching, but again this is another issue which the Government is leaving until the last minute to make any commitments. 

The Minister for Safeguarding gave a statement this week on measures to tackle domestic abuse and hidden harms during lockdown. We know that ten years of Tory austerity has hit local authority and charity sectors ability to provide the required support to those fleeing domestic abuse. I took this opportunity to ask the Minister what discussions they have had with charities and organisations running refuges for women, men, and those of the LGBT+ community about current capacity, and what plans there are to ensure that rising demand does not mean that some people are left with the choice between homelessness or staying with their abuser.  The Minister tried to say they are doing all they can, but I am concerned that charities continue to report an increase in demand alongside shortages of capacity.

You would have seen from reports on social media that the Turkey Brook river burst its banks this morning and reached a peak level, which is equivalent to a 1 in 10 year flood level. This led to flooding of the footpath outside four properties on Turkey Street. I have been in contact with the local council’s emergency flood team who are aware of the situation. 

I have been informed that  Enfield’s Watercourses team received notification of high river levels in the early hours of Thursday 14th January from remote monitoring equipment that has been installed at several key locations around the borough (these devices send SMS and email alerts to Council officers when certain trigger levels are reached). 

The flood teams are monitoring the situation via different methods including rainfall radar data, as well as visiting key locations to monitor the situation on the ground.

The reassuring fact seems to be that the flood level observed is below the level that would cause flooding of the properties themselves and the teams continue to monitor the situation. 

Whilst Enfield Council are delivering the Turkey Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme which is currently under construction further downstream at Albany Park and will reduce flood risk to 444 properties in the vicinity of Albany Park. It does not however impact the four properties mentioned above on Turkey Street. 

I have been advised that a flood model prepared as part of the Turkey Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme indicates that these four properties would be expected to flood for a 1 in 50 year flood event, but not for a 1 in 20 year event

The Council are investigating Natural Flood Management measures further up the Turkey Brook river, such as planting trees and creating wetlands in rural areas, that will reduce flooding to properties throughout the catchment

My telephone surgery sessions are continuing, and if you would like to book an appointment, please do contact my team to arrange this.  Although my office is closed to the public in line with Government guidelines, my team and I are working hard from home so please do get in touch on feryal.clark.mp@parliament.uk if there is anything we can help you with. Remember –stay safe, save lives – maintain social distancing and keep washing your hands!