A10 is 'economic Berlin wall' through Enfield and Haringey (From Enfield Independent)

A10 is 'economic Berlin wall' through Enfield and Haringey, says Green hopeful

9:20am Thursday 12th January 2012 in News By Tristan Kirk

A POLITICAL hopeful has called for fundamental change to solve a “scandalous” inequality of living standards across Enfield and Haringey.

A study this week showed 41 per cent of children in Tottenham are living in poverty, compared with 25 per cent in Hornsey and Wood Green.

Similarly in Enfield, the east side of the borough has much higher levels of deprivation and poverty than the more affluent west side, according to the study by the End Child Poverty Campaign.

The Green Party's Peter Krakowiak, launching his campaign to become London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey yesterday outside Tottenham Town Hall, likened the A10 to an “economic Berlin wall” dividing the two boroughs in half.

He said: “We need to change the political choices that have been made.

“The child poverty figures are a damning indictment of the economic decisions made by successive governments in the past 30 years.

“I am arguing for different choices and am clear about tacking the difference in incomes that exists between the top and the bottom.”

The 48-year-old, from Winchmore Hill who was educated in Hornsey, used his campaign launch to promote the Green Party 10:1 policy, which argues for the top earners in the public sector to be paid no more than ten times what the lowest earner takes home.

Mr Krakowiak was supported yesterday by Green mayoral hopeful Jenny Jones, who said the 10:1 could have a similar impact to the London Living Wage and tackle inequality across the capital.