February 9, 2001 10:03: TORY plans to tackle decline in the borough by discouraging hostels and cutting down on multi-occupancy houses have been slammed by council leader Doug Taylor.

Cllr Taylor told a full council meeting that the proposals would not help people living in poorer areas and ignored the east of the borough.

And he called on Tory leader Mike Rye to rewrite his document A Conservative Alternative to Decline.

He said: The Conservatives are incapable of coming up with solutions for the problems which face people in the east of the borough.

The reality is that they do not represent the east of the A10."

He said the council had made a start in dealing with the problems which poor districts such as Edmonton faced.

The document claimed hostels should be discouraged, no more houses should be subdivided and the council should not extend street trading.

And it called for a "sensible" redevelopment of Enfield Town.

The deputy leader of the council's Conservative group, Cllr Michael Lavender, told the meeting that the document had positive proposals for the borough.

"It is good to have these debates about the big picture and problems which the borough faces and the document sets out do that," he said.