Changes to council services

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Housing Service has amended its procedures to keep members of the public and staff safe. We will only be seeing people by appointment.

• If you're homeless today and have not been in contact with us already, call 020 3821 1769 for advice about what to do and how we can help
• If you need help with a housing problem or are at risk of becoming homeless (or have been given a notice by your landlord or a court), call 020 3821 1769
• If we are already working with you and you need to speak to your caseworker, call them on the number they have given you. If they are not available, your call will be forwarded to another officer who will assist you. We are likely to be very busy. Unless your query is urgent (you're due to be evicted in the next 14 days, or you have found a new property), you should email your case officer and only call if you don't hear from them in three working days.
• If you need to submit information, use your smartphone to take pictures of the documents that you have been asked to provide. Photograph all the relevant pages/sides of your documents and include your housing application reference in the email subject line. These can be emailed to:
  • hoa@enfield.gov.uk if you have an application with us because you're threatened with homelessness or have become homeless
  • housing.assessment.team@enfield.gov.uk if you're applying to join the housing register
• If someone has asked you to come in for an appointment, make a note of the person's name. When you arrive, let the security guard know your name and the name of the person who has asked you to come in.
• If a change to your income has affected your ability to pay Council Tax, rent, mortgage and other household bills, check our advice and information page to help you during this difficult time. If after reading this you're still unsure what to do and need further help, you can complete our financial support referral form. Our Welfare Advice and Debt Support team will then contact you to help.
• If you're in crisis now and can't afford food or essential items, or need help completing the financial support referral form, ring 020 3821 1966.

We will be gradually reopening libraries from 13 July, in line with government guidance following closures due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The library team is working hard to reopen safely, as we know how important our services and spaces are to you and the whole community.

Our main priority is the safety of staff and customers. This means these libraries will operate differently, with social distancing measures strictly enforced and some services not available. There will also be limited capacity in our buildings and additional cleaning measures in place.

When visiting the library, you must now wear a face covering and provide your details for test and trace purposes.

Due to the current restrictions, libraries can't be used for recreational or social use.

To support you during this time, we have implemented the following:

• The return date for all items currently out on loan will be extended to 2 November 2020
• Any library card due to expire will be extended until 2 November 2020
• Any fines for overdue items will be cancelled until 2 November 2020
• You can become a new member and access a full range of online resources and eBooks without having to physically visit a library until 2 November 2020

Services available

Edmonton Green, Enfield Town, Ordnance Unity Centre and Palmers Green libraries are now open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (ground floor or first only) and offer the following services:

• Click and Collect library services (reserve items online, by phone or in-person)
• Return of library items
• Library computers (one-hour session per person)
• Help for customers needing additional support to access council services

Browsing is currently by appointment only. We have the following types of appointment available:

• Grab and go – 30-minute book browsing sessions. Appointments can be booked in advance by phone or in person.
• Children's area – one-hour appointment for family-bubble browsing and PC use. This is limited to a maximum of five people from the same family. You can make appointments on the phone or in person.

To book an appointment by phone, call:

• Edmonton Green Library on 020 8379 2610
• Enfield Town Library on 020 8379 8341
• Ordnance Unity Centre Library on 020 8379 2688
• Palmers Green Library on 020 8379 2711

Controlled parking zones (CPZs)

NHS and health and social care staff, and NHS COVID-19 volunteers (critical care workers) will continue to receive free parking in CPZs when displaying their identification.

South Edmonton (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) controlled parking zone

There will be no enforcement of South Edmonton (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) CPZ when football matches are played behind closed doors at the stadium.

Disabled Blue Badges

Enforcement won't take place to those displaying a Disabled Blue Badge that has an expiry date 1 January 2020 onwards. This relaxation of enforcement against expired Blue Badges should continue initially until 31 October 2020.

Taxi Card Scheme

Taxi Card Scheme members can use the Taxi Card service for the collection of groceries and medicines, by a driver or a person nominated by the Taxi Card member, without travelling themselves until 31 December 2020.

For information on the use of face coverings and travel, visit GOV.UK and Transport for London.

There are now a limited number of things you can do in parks and open spaces in Enfield.

These include:

• spending time outdoors in groups of up to six people from different households while following social distancing guidelines
• exercise outdoors as often as you wish

Some fitness classes or activities may take place in parks and open spaces with limited numbers of people. If you want to host a group class, contact the Parks team by emailing parkactivities@enfield.gov.uk for the latest advice and requirements.

We urge everyone to continue to respect the social distancing guidelines that stay in place. You should observe the advice given on signs or banners, or instructions from council staff. We will change these arrangements if people fail to observe these restrictions and put the health and wellbeing of others at risk.

If you're showing coronavirus symptoms, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, you should stay at home. This is critical to staying safe and saving lives.

Reopening High Streets Safely Fund

Enfield Council will give you our full support to enable you to open safely, to take care of your staff and customers, and begin on your road to recovery. This work is supported by the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, established through a grant from the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF). It's important that we all follow the government guidelines to limit the spread of coronavirusvand save lives. If your business is open, you must put in place precautions to reduce risks to your employees and the public.

Enfield Register Office

In line with government advice, the Enfield Register Office has reopened for birth registrations, notice of marriage appointments, and marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. You must not attend the Register Office unless you have a pre-booked appointment.

Please follow instructions when you're inside the building and be mindful of social distancing and hygiene measures at all times. From 8 August 2020, it is mandatory for you to wear a face covering when entering the building.

Ceremonies

Ceremonies of marriage and civil partnership formations can now take place.

We are accepting new bookings for ceremonies of marriage and civil partnership formations. We are experiencing a high volume of calls, so please bear with us during this time.

For all existing bookings up to 31 October 2020, we will contact customers in priority date order.

For ceremonies at the Admiral's Suite, the maximum attendance is eight people until further notice. This includes the couple, two witnesses and any other person, such as a translator or photographer. All guests will need to wear a face covering but the couple are not required to do so.

At community venues and approved venues, up to 15 people can attend the ceremony. This includes the couple, two registrars, two witnesses and any staff, such as photographers. Couples will need to contact their venue to find out how many the venue can accommodate, while observing social distancing.

Receptions are not currently allowed to take place.

Birth registrations

We are now offering appointments to register babies.

We are currently experiencing high levels of demand. Appointment availability is updated regularly on our online system, so if there are no appointments available, please don't call or email us, you should continue to check the booking system.

See more information on how to register a birth.

Notice of marriage and civil partnership

We are now offering notice appointments for all couples who have ceremonies booked and due to take place before 1 January 2021, and who need to give notice so their ceremony can proceed.

See information on how to give notice of marriage or civil partnership.

Death registrations

Death and stillbirth registrations are available over the telephone, so there is no need for you to travel to the office for registration.

You can book an appointment online.

Keep up-to-date

You should check our website before calling or emailing us about registrations. We will continue to update this page when new information is available.