Weekly Update
💧 “Who Is Our Water Industry Being Run For?”
In Parliament this week, I spoke in a debate about bringing the water industry back into public ownership.
I raised the devastating experience of Enfield North residents who recently lost their water supply following a burst water main. Thousands of households were affected, while a local care home struggled to obtain clear information and appointments at Chase Farm Hospital had to be cancelled. Families were left relying on bottled water and emergency support while engineers worked to repair the damage.
I am grateful to everyone who helped residents during the disruption, including local businesses and community organisations. But the incident exposed serious weaknesses in the way vulnerable residents and essential public services are supported and kept informed during major failures.
Ahead of the debate, I was pleased to chat with Feargal Sharkey, who has become one of the country’s most prominent campaigners for clean rivers and reform of the water industry.
We discussed the urgent need to hold water companies to account, invest in our ageing infrastructure and build a system that serves the public rather than private profit.
You can see part of my speech here 👉 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1bcFhiZ1GM/
🏠 Protecting And Building More Social Homes
Parliament recently debated the government’s new Social Housing Bill, an important part of Labour’s plan to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
Too many families in Enfield North are stuck on housing waiting lists, living in insecure private rented accommodation or raising children in expensive temporary housing. At the same time, social homes have been sold far more quickly than they have been replaced. Between 2012 and 2025, around 133,000 council homes were sold through Right to Buy, but only around 51,000 replacements were delivered.
The Bill will help reverse that decline while retaining a route into home ownership for longstanding tenants. It will increase the Right to Buy qualifying period from three to ten years, protect newly built social homes from sale for 35 years and give councils greater opportunities to buy back former council properties when they are resold.
It will also introduce vital protections for survivors of domestic abuse. No one should have to choose between remaining with an abuser and losing their home. The new measures will make it easier to remove perpetrators from social tenancies, transfer a joint tenancy into the survivor’s name or provide suitable alternative accommodation when remaining in the property would not be safe.
Alongside the government’s £39 billion, ten-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme, these reforms are intended to give councils and housing providers the confidence to build more homes, protect the social housing we already have and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.
Safe, secure and genuinely affordable housing is the foundation on which people build their lives. I will continue working to ensure that Enfield North receives the new homes we need and that social housing remains available for the families who depend upon it.
🎒 Welcoming Keys Meadow and Southbury Primary to Parliament
It was wonderful to welcome pupils from both Keys Meadow Primary School and Southbury Primary School to Parliament this week.
The Keys Meadow pupils came armed with some excellent questions about Parliament, politics and what it is really like to be an MP. I always enjoy meeting young people from Enfield North and seeing their enthusiasm for learning more about how our democracy works.
I was also delighted to join pupils and staff from Southbury Primary School at a breakfast reception hosted by Warburtons and Kellogg's, where we discussed the importance of breakfast clubs. These programmes can help children start the school day ready to learn while providing valuable support for working families.
A huge thank you to all the pupils and teachers who visited Westminster. It was a pleasure to welcome you to Parliament and hear your ideas about the future. If your school would like a tour of Parliament 👉 https://learning.parliament.uk/en/session-workshop/tours-and-workshops/
Standing Up For LGBT+ rights
I have been deeply concerned by reports of action being taken against LGBT+ people, organisations and human rights defenders across Türkiye, including detentions, raids and the blocking of websites and social media accounts.
This week, I joined fellow MPs and Peers in writing to the Foreign Secretary. We called on the UK Government to condemn the reported targeting of LGBT+ communities, make urgent representations to the Turkish Government and stand unequivocally in defence of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Everyone should be able to live safely, express themselves freely and organise without fear of persecution. The UK must always speak clearly when human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of association are under threat. I will continue to stand in solidarity with LGBT+ people in Türkiye and around the world.
🏭 A Fascinating Piece of Enfield’s History is Opening its Doors!
The historic Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock will be taking part in this year’s Open House Festival on Saturday 19 September, from 10am–5pm.
For more than 170 years, the factory was at the heart of Enfield’s industrial life, employing generations of local people and becoming famous around the world for its manufacturing.
The Grade II listed site is normally closed to the public, but visitors will have the chance to explore the museum, hear about the lives of those who worked there and take tours of the historic clock tower.
📅 Saturday 19 September
🕰️ 10am–5pm
📍 RSA Island Centre, 49 Island Centre Way, Enfield, EN3 6GS
Our industrial heritage is an important part of Enfield North’s story, and this is a fantastic opportunity to discover more about the people, skills and industry that helped shape our community.
More info 👉 https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/1553
🔋Putting Communities at the Heart of Clean Energy
This week, the Labour Government announced the next stage of Great British Energy’s work to put communities at the heart of our clean energy future.
More than 150 renewable energy projects have now been switched on at public buildings across England, including solar panels that will help cut energy bills and allow more money to be reinvested in vital local services. Together, these projects could generate savings of up to £50 million.
Great British Energy is also launching a new fund worth nearly £30 million to help community groups, councils and local organisations develop their own clean power projects, from rooftop solar and hydro schemes to community-owned wind farms. This is the first step towards investing up to £1 billion in more than 1,000 local projects across the UK.
For the first time, communities will also be offered an ownership stake in larger renewable energy projects in their area. This will give local people a direct share in the benefits created by clean energy, rather than seeing profits flow out of their communities.
Tackling climate change must go hand in hand with cutting bills, creating good jobs and building local wealth. As our publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy will help ensure that the transition to clean power benefits families and communities in Enfield North and throughout the country.
For more information, keep your eye on this page 👉https://www.gbe.gov.uk/
👛 Funding Opportunity for Community Organisations
The Asda Foundation is continuing to support grassroots organisations across the UK that tackle food poverty, reduce loneliness and improve valued community spaces.
Its Foodbank Fundamentals Fund is now open, offering grants of up to £1,000 to food banks, community pantries, social supermarkets, soup kitchens and breakfast clubs. Funding can be used for essential food and hygiene supplies, fridges and freezers, storage equipment and fuel costs for delivering food to isolated residents.
Eligible organisations must be not-for-profit, have an annual income of no more than £250,000 and provide food support as a core part of their work. Applications close at 10am on Tuesday 22 September, but the fund may close earlier in areas receiving a high number of applications. Groups should therefore apply as soon as possible through the Foodbank Fundamentals Fund webpage.
The Foundation has also recently awarded more than £1 million to 73 projects through its Local Community Spaces Fund, helping to refurbish community centres, youth clubs, food banks and other important local facilities. Its Better Together Fund is supporting hundreds of groups working to tackle loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older and vulnerable people.
Our local voluntary and community organisations do incredible work supporting people across Enfield North. I encourage any eligible group to explore the opportunities available and submit an application before the deadline on 22 September. Further information 👉 Asda Foundation website.
Parliament has now risen for conference recess and my weekly updates will return when the House sits again in October.
In the meantime, I'll continue meeting residents, local organisations and businesses across Enfield North, so if you see me out and about at events, please do stop and say hello.
Have a great few weeks.
Best wishes
Feryal