Weekly Update
🏠 Ending Unfair Leasehold Charges – What This Means for You in Enfield North
This week, the Labour Government published landmark legislation to fix a broken leasehold system and protect homeowners from unfair charges.
For too long, leaseholders have been trapped in homes they struggle to sell, facing rising ground rents, spiralling service charges and an outdated system that gives them little control. This reform is about putting that right.
What’s changing?
Ground rents capped at £250 a year for existing leaseholders
Ground rents will reduce to a peppercorn after 40 years
New leasehold flats will be banned, ending the outdated model for good
The unfair practice of forfeiture - where people can lose their home over small debts - will be abolished
Leaseholders will find it easier to convert to commonhold, giving residents real control over their buildings and management costs
Over five million leaseholders across England and Wales will benefit from these changes. Almost one million people currently paying ground rents above £250 will see relief, saving many families hundreds - and in some cases thousands - of pounds over time.
Last year alone, leaseholders paid more than £600 million in ground rent. These reforms are a major step in tackling the cost-of-living pressures many homeowners face.
I know from my own Enfield North inbox how stressful and unfair the leasehold system has been for so many people. I am proud to support these changes and will continue working to ensure homeowners get the security, fairness and control they deserve.
🚨 Cutting Crime and Bringing Back Neighbourhood Policing in Enfield North
This week, the Labour Government set out major new policing reforms to cut crime, speed up police responses and rebuild neighbourhood policing after years of decline.
For too long, people have been left waiting far too long when they call for help, while visible neighbourhood policing has disappeared from many communities. These reforms are about putting that right.
Under the new plans, police forces will be required to respond faster to emergencies - with officers expected to reach serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas like Enfield North and 20 minutes in rural areas. Emergency 999 calls should be answered within 10 seconds. Forces that fail to meet these standards will face direct intervention to turn performance around.
Policing will also be modernised for the digital age. Around 90% of crime now leaves a digital footprint, so forces will recruit more crime analysts, cyber investigators and digital forensics specialists to tackle fraud, online abuse and organised criminal networks.
After years of Conservative failure, street crime has increased - including sharp rises in shoplifting and theft - while neighbourhood policing collapsed.
By the time the Conservatives left office, there were thousands fewer officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles, and many residents rarely saw an officer on patrol.
Labour’s reforms will cut unnecessary bureaucracy, put more officers back on the streets and ensure every council ward has named, contactable neighbourhood officers. Residents will be guaranteed a response to local concerns within 72 hours.
A new National Police Service will take responsibility for serious and organised crime such as terrorism, fraud and online abuse, freeing up local officers to focus on everyday crimes like antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and street theft.
These reforms form part of the biggest overhaul of policing in two centuries, set out by Labour’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. They are about restoring trust, raising standards and making sure people feel safe again in their communities.
I welcome these changes and believe they will make a real difference in Enfield North - with faster responses, visible policing and a renewed focus on cutting crime where it affects people’s daily lives most.
Holocaust Memorial Day in Enfield North
I want to thank the wonderful children of Wolfson Hillel Primary School, local Rabbis, and the Leader of the Council, Ergin Erbil, for a deeply touching and moving Holocaust Memorial Day service here in Enfield North.
Hearing the children speak about their grandparents’ experiences before and during the war was incredibly powerful. Their words were thoughtful and heartfelt, and served as a reminder of how important it is that these stories are passed from one generation to the next.
As Holocaust survivors become fewer, our responsibility to remember, to educate, and to stand firmly against hatred and antisemitism grows ever stronger. This event was a poignant reminder that remembrance is not only about reflecting on the past, but about the values we choose to uphold today and carry forward into the future.
I am grateful to everyone involved for ensuring that remembrance remains meaningful, respectful and rooted in education for the next generation.
🍺 Supporting Our Pubs and High Streets
Pubs play a vital role in our communities - whether on busy high streets or in rural villages. They are places where people come together, support local jobs and help sustain vibrant local economies. But over recent years, too many pubs have been pushed to the brink.
Since 2010, nearly 7,000 pubs have closed, around a 15% reduction, and many remaining pubs have raised serious concerns about how they are treated under the business rates system. We are acting to put this right.
From April, every pub will receive 15% off its new business rates bill, on top of the support already announced at the Budget. These reduced bills will then be frozen for a further two years, giving pubs much-needed certainty.
On average, this week’s announcement will take £1,650 off a pub’s business rates bill next year, and three-quarters of pubs will see their bills flat or falling from April.
We will also review how pubs are valued for business rates and, if necessary, make changes ahead of the 2029 revaluation, to ensure the system is fair and reflects the challenges pubs face.
Alongside this, we are supporting pubs in other practical ways - including allowing later opening hours for key World Cup match days, exploring further planning flexibilities, and more than doubling the Hospitality Support Fund to help over 1,000 pubs provide additional services for their local communities.
This additional support for pubs sits alongside the £4.3 billion package of business rates support announced at the Budget, including caps on bill increases as new revaluations take effect.
I know this is also a tough time for many other high street businesses. Changing consumer habits, the impact of the pandemic and rising energy costs have all made trading harder in Enfield North. That is why later this year the Government will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, working closely with businesses to help reinvigorate our town centres and support local economies.
🗣️ Listening to Young Voices at Enfield Grammar School
Today I visited Enfield Grammar School to meet with Year 11 students and listen to their GCSE Citizenship coursework presentations.
The students delivered thoughtful, confident and probing presentations on some of the most pressing issues facing our society today, including young people’s mental health, knife crime and homelessness.
Their work showed not only a strong understanding of these challenges, but also real empathy, insight and a desire to see change.
What struck me most was how clearly the students connected national issues to their own lived experiences and communities. They answered challenging questions, backed up their arguments with evidence, and spoke with honesty about the impact these issues have on young people’s lives.
It was genuinely encouraging to see such engagement and maturity from the next generation. Citizenship education plays a vital role in helping young people understand their rights, responsibilities and the power of having a voice, and these presentations were a great example of that in action.
I want to thank the students for their hard work and confidence in sharing their ideas, and the staff for supporting them to explore such important topics. I very much look forward to continuing the conversation with them and following up on the issues they raised.
Engaging directly with young people across Enfield North and listening to their perspectives is essential if we are serious about shaping policies that work for the future.
Holding the Government to Account on North-East Syria
This week in Parliament, I raised urgent and serious concerns at Prime Minister’s Questions about the escalating violence and deepening humanitarian crisis in north-east Syria.
I made clear that Kurdish communities who fought and defeated ISIS must not be abandoned. I pressed the Government to uphold the rights and protections promised to minorities under international agreements - and to ensure those commitments are enforced, not ignored.
Following PMQs, I met with the Foreign Secretary and the Middle East Minister, alongside community representatives including Enfield Council Leader Ergin Erbil, to raise the growing sense of abandonment felt by Kurdish communities and to put disturbing reports of atrocities directly to Ministers.
Civilians and minorities have once again faced violence, displacement and persecution. These accounts demand urgent attention, and the international community cannot look away.
Following those discussions, I’m pleased an agreement has now been announced between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Government. I welcome this as a starting point towards de-escalation and stability.
Any ceasefire that reduces violence and creates space for dialogue is a step in the right direction - particularly for civilians who have endured years of conflict and insecurity.
However, this agreement must now be matched by good faith, transparency and action. The rights, safety and dignity of Kurdish communities and other minorities must be genuinely protected, not diluted or deferred.
Commitments on civil, educational and political rights, and the safe return of displaced people, must be upheld in practice - not just on paper.
At this critical moment, words and expressions of concern are not enough. I will continue to keep the pressure on the UK Government and international partners for real accountability, the enforcement of international law, and lasting protection for civilians and vulnerable communities.
Peace is not secured by agreements alone, but by what follows them.
Have a great week.
Best wishes
Feryal