Local elections profile: Enfield

Ahead of the local elections on Thursday 7 May, we have produced short guides to London's 32 boroughs.

Where is it? The London Borough of Enfield is London's northernmost borough, bordering Hertfordshire and Essex. It also has borders with Waltham Forest to the east, Haringey to the south and Barnet to the west.

What's it like? Enfield has a mix of suburban areas, dense town centres and significant areas of parkland, particularly within the green belt, and the west of the borough is known for affluent, leafy suburbs.

Neighbourhoods: The major towns are Enfield, Edmonton, Southgate, Palmers Green, while smaller neighbourhoods include Cockfosters, Winchmore Hill, Oakwood, Ponders End, Bush Hill Park and Grange Park.

Places of interest: The 17th‑century manor house Forty Hall, Capel Manor Gardens, Myddelton House Gardens, Enfield Charter Market, Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, Dugdale Arts Centre and Museum of Enfield, Millfield House and Theatre and Trent Park.

Pub quiz fact: The world's first cash machine was installed in Barclays Bank at their Enfield branch on 27 June 1967.

Population: 327,434 in 2024, according to official data.

Demographics:According to the 2021 census, 52% identify as white, 12% as Asian, 18 as black, 6% as mixed race and 2% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Enfield in December 2025 was£473,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Enfield was £1,767.

Transport: The easternmost stretch of the Piccadilly line extends to Arnos Grove, Oakwood, Southgate and Cockfosters.

According to TfL there are four Tube stations, six London Overground stations and around 570 bus stops in Enfield.

Local history: The London Borough of Enfield evolved from Roman settlements to medieval farmland, later becoming a significant suburban district with important industrial heritage.

Enfield has seen considerable suburban housing growth, continuing the expansion that began in the late 19th century after the construction of the railways.

Historic industries declined, which included the the closure of the Royal Small Arms Factory, once famous for producing the Lee Enfield rifle, leading to redevelopment of industrial estates into business parks.

Enfield has become increasingly multicultural, with significant Greek Cypriot, Turkish, Kurdish, and Bulgarian communities forming in parts of the borough.

In the last decade, major regeneration programmes have got under way on town centres, transport links and housing areas, particularly in Edmonton and Enfield Town.

What is the borough's electoral history? Since 1965, Enfield has switched between the Conservatives and Labour four times, but the Tories held the council for 26 years from 1968 to 1994 and Labour have had a majority since 2010.

What happened in 2022? The turnout was 37.2% and a swing of 5.3% from Labour to the Conservatives.

Labour: 38 seats (-8)

Conservatives: 25 seats (+8)

Since the election, two Labour councillors have been suspended and another quit the party, so there are now three independent councillors.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Enfield is a Conservative/Labour marginal which has been like that for a long time.

Judging by what we can see in the rest of the city and in polling, it is looking likely to remain a Conservative/Labour marginal, with the Conservatives winning seats, not necessarily to win control.

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