Labour retains council seat in vote held just weeks before general election
Turkish-speaking radiographer Elif Erbil has been elected as a councillor to represent the ward of Enfield Lock.
The Labour Party candidate took a commanding 2155 votes – 63.8 percent of those cast – to win the seat that was vacated by Ozzie Uzoanya, who resigned earlier this year.
The Conservatives’ Christine Ann Bellas took 973 votes in last Thursday’s election, followed by the Green Party’s Kate McGeevor on 104. Gary Alan Robbens (UKIP) was fourth with 91 votes while the Liberal Democrats’ Richard Morgan-Ash won 54 votes.
Turnout was 32.2 percent.
“I am honoured to have been elected as the new Labour Councillor for Enfield Lock,” Ms Erbil said in a statement after the vote.
“I know from talking to so many local residents on the doorstep that they are deeply concerned about the rise in violent crime, particularly following the recent wave of stabbings in the borough.
“Since 2010, under the Conservatives, Enfield has lost almost 200 police officers and police community support officers. These cuts have put the safety of our community at risk.
“So now I’ve been elected, my number one priority is to work together with residents, the police, the Council, Joan Ryan and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to get more police on our streets to help cut crime.”
Ms Erbil works at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, northwest London. She told Haber in an interview last month that her knowledge of the NHS helped her understand how healthcare services could be improved in Enfield.