Enfield Green Party has today (27 May 2026) confirmed that its councillors will not enter a formal coalition or alliance with either the Conservatives or Labour, and they have abstained from the vote for new Leader of the Council.
The announcement comes on the day of Enfield’s Annual Council Meeting and follows three weeks of discussions since the local elections on 7 May. It reflects a consistent position from the Greens, set out before the election, that it will not endorse the programme of any other party, and that votes will be decided case by case.
The new Green councillors stress that this approach does not give any other party a free pass. When they voted Green, Enfield residents voted for change, not for backroom deals with the Conservatives or Labour.
The election results have made Enfield a ‘no overall control’ council, with Conservatives winning 31 seats (one short of a majority, with 33.3% of the vote share), Labour winning 27 seats (with 22.8% of the vote share) and the Greens holding the balance of power with 5 elected councillors (with 22.9% of the vote share).
Five new Green councillors
The five newly-elected Green Party councillors – Sarah Jons and Ratip Al Sulaiman for Enfield Lock, Madeline Church and Laura Davenport for New Southgate, and Aziz Yildiz for Ponders End – are the first Greens to be elected to Enfield Council, which has always been controlled by Labour or Conservative administrations.
The Greens believe they can best serve voters by remaining independent within the Council, instead of propping up a minority administration which Enfield’s residents did not ask for. They plan to use their independence to ensure transparency in council decisions and curb the excesses of the other parties’ plans, as well as advocating for the Green manifesto values they stood for during the election.
Commenting ahead of the Annual Council Meeting, Councillor Sarah Jons – representative for Enfield Lock and leader of the Greens on Enfield Council – said:
“I am here to be transparent, to act fairly, and to fight for a greener, fairer Enfield. The Greens are growing in this borough, but we are not here to play games. We are here to do the work, scrutinise decisions properly, and speak for the residents who trusted us with their vote.”
In a joint statement, Councillors Madeline Church and Laura Davenport for New Southgate, said:
“The people of Enfield voted for change – over 70%. In New Southgate that is what they now have. The first Green councillors in Enfield. If they’d wanted Labour or Conservative they would have voted for them. We plan to work hard and use our small group to open the books, shine a light on decisions and – where we can – affect the outcome for everyone in Enfield.”
Councillor Aziz Yildiz for Ponders End said:
“The people of Enfield voted for change. As Greens, we were elected to stand up for residents, protect public services, challenge austerity, and bring transparency back into local politics.
We will work issue by issue, always putting the interests of ordinary people, vulnerable residents, and our local environment first – not party interests. We support fair investment in communities, stronger public services, affordable housing, youth support, and real democratic accountability at the council.”
Enfield Green party has indicated that its councillors will support proposals that are good for Enfield and oppose those that are not. That will mean voting to protect the Green Belt and stop the proposed new town and Crews Hill development. It means standing firm on genuinely affordable housing, cleaner streets, safer streets, clean air, climate action, nature, public services, active travel and fairness.
It also means opposing Conservative cuts and fighting to make sure council spending reaches the areas and people most in need.
Council Leader’s commitment
The Green Party councillors noted that the new Conservative Council Leader, Alessandro Georgiou, stated in his speech that he intends to withdraw Enfield Council from the New Town process and cancel the Whitewebbs development.
A spokesperson for Enfield Greens commented:
“Protecting Enfield’s Green Belt was a clear Green manifesto commitment and a clear message from voters. But stopping the New Town and Whitewebbs development must not be the end to the housing debate – it is no excuse to do less on housing.
Enfield still needs genuinely affordable homes in sustainable locations, especially social-rent housing and affordable rented homes linked to local incomes. The test for the new administration is now delivery.
Enfield needs a council that listens, acts on the basics, protects what matters, and puts people before profit. That is what the Green councillors will fight for.”
