The Residents’ Priority Fund (RPF), a new £2.1 million scheme, allows local people to make a real difference to life in Enfield. Introduced by the council last year, the purpose of the fund is to ask: “Do you want to get something started in your local community?”

The council has made it clear that whatever a resident’s suggestion, if it will help tackle social, environmental or economic needs, it will be considered for grant funding. The key to the fund is getting residents involved – hearing their ideas and learning from them how best the borough can be improved collectively. It puts policy, at least partly, back in the hands of the public, and gives people a degree of responsibility for improving their quality of life – and that of their neighbours, families and friends.

The funding itself is ward-based and allocated to areas based on relative levels of deprivation, measured by indicators such as local income, employment, health and disability, education, skills and training, barriers to housing, crime and the environment.

This scheme gives residents the opportunity to engage with councils. It encourages them to talk to ward councillors and other people in their areas, to get things done and make a real difference to where they live.

Ideas suggested so far have included the installation of an outdoor gym, community beehives, and measures to reduce antisocial behaviour by installing lockable alley gates to restrict access – keys are provided to legitimate alley users, including residents and the emergency services. There are also prepared ideas listed online which residents can adopt for their areas, including English courses for resident speakers of other languages, new health clinics, and the provision of litter and dog-waste bins.

Enfield Council, like so many others, is facing significant financial pressures as a result of reductions in government expenditure and the impact of inflation. Despite this, we believe that devolving decision-making to residents and empowering them to improve their own quality of life will have tremendous benefits for the borough for years to come.

The decision has already proved popular, and demonstrates that people will seize the opportunity to become involved in local democracy if you give them the tools to do so.