Enfield’s new council leader has pledged to create the borough’s first taskforce to tackle poverty and inequality as she set out her political ambitions.

The taskforce will ensure the council focuses its resources on areas where they are needed most in order to help the one in three children in the borough who lives in poverty.

New leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan made the pledge in a letter sent to local Labour party members yesterday (June 11).

She also promised to review all services that have been outsourced and conduct a full assessment of fees spent on consultants and agency staff.

On housing, the new leader pledged to provide more social housing and affordable homes, and to get the Meridian Water development “back on track”.

The new Labour administration will ask for investment in more police and work closely with mayor of London Sadiq Khan to secure extra funding for youth activities to stop young people getting caught up in crime.

Customer services are set for a shake-up as Cllr Caliskan pledged to investigate how the council could improve Enfield’s call centres and the service at John Wilkes House in Edmonton.

And with Enfield getting only around half the funding per person from the government than wealthier London boroughs like Westminster, the new administration will lobby for a fairer deal.

The letter states: “It’s been a really tough time for local government under the Tories. They have imposed staggering cuts to services and there are even more Tory cuts on the way. But your Labour council will protect those most in need. We will fight back.

“We will build on previous successes by raising our sights and increasing our ambitions over the next four years.”

Cllr Caliskan became Enfield’s first female leader and, at 29, the youngest local authority leader in London when she was elected on May 23.

She took over from long-serving leader Doug Taylor after winning a leadership challenge at the Labour group’s annual general meeting on May 14.