Four parties fight it out for council seat (From Enfield Independent)

Four parties fight it out for council seat

12:06pm Wednesday 10th December 2008 in Search By Dominic Gover

FOUR parties have put forward candidates to contest a council by-election in Enfield next month.

The vote will be held on January 8 in Bush Hill Park ward to elect a successor to long-standing Conservative John Jackson, who died on October 24 from a heart attack.

27-year-old Green Party candidate Jack Johnson believes a fresh breeze is in the political air.

He said: “People are bored with the old grey politics of Tory and Labour, which are pretty much the same thing. People want a fresh approach.

“The Greens are more than just an environmental pressure group. We are concerned about local issues.”

He wants to tackle antisocial behaviour at Bush Hill Park Station and boost the area’s economy.

The British National Party may also contest the seat.

On Monday, an Enfield activist for the right wing party refused to rule out a candidate but could not confirm who it might be.

Paul Smith is standing for the Liberal Democrats, who currently have no seats in Enfield.

He believes residents are not properly consulted on vital matters, citing the issue of wheelie bins.

He said: “We are told they are good for us but not why. The Lib Dems will listen to people and take notice and explain things properly.”

He also wants to see the council’s reserves, which total about £60million, used to freeze council tax rises in next year’s budget.

The presence of fringe groups means voters could deliver a poll shock in what is seen as a safe Tory seat.

Tory candidate Adrian Croshaw, 56, praised the late Cllr Jackson and said he would look to continue in the same vein if he wins.

He also defended wheelie bins, an issue which could become an electoral battleground, and vowed to fight cuts at Chase Farm Hospital.He said: “People in Bush Hill Park seem to be quite in favour of wheelie bins.”

Labour party candidate, Ivor Wiggott, 65, would only talk to the Independent through his media manager.

Mr Wiggott, a Bush Hill Park councillor until 2002, said: “We have a council only interested in doing the minimum and building up financial reserves to ensure their re-election. I will take up issues that residents are concerned about.”