The council has been accused of being “weak on crime” after almost half of a funding pot aimed at tackling youth crime remained unspent.

A £100,000 fund was unveiled by Enfield Council last year to organise activities such as sports and street dance sessions during the summer months in a bid to stop youngsters getting involved in crime.

But a Freedom of Information request by Conservative councillors showed that only just over half of the pot had been spent by September 4, leaving £46,641 earmarked as a ‘contingency’.

Enfield had the highest rate of serious youth violence in London during the 12 months to November, according to Metropolitan Police data.

The council said some of the activities had cost less than expected and promised the remaining funds would be invested in tackling youth crime.

Cllr Alessandro Georgiou, Conservative member for Cockfosters, said: “The council wastes money on political pet projects, but when it comes to crime they are clearly weak on it.

“We are now London’s youth crime capital. We have had murders – stabbings and shootings alike – but they are keeping £50,000 back. What for?

“They are clearly not as organised as they should be.”

Enfield Council recently revealed it would spend £1 million on a two-year project to tackle serious youth violence.

It came after the Met Police figures showed there were 397 serious youth violence offences in Enfield in the year to November 2018 – an 8.8 per cent increase on the previous year.

Labour councillors have repeatedly called on the Government to reverse cuts to police funding after claiming a fall in officer numbers had led to a higher crime rate.

Conservative councillors have blamed the Mayor of London for failing to prioritise police spending.

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “We know that residents are concerned about youth crime. We are committed to tackling it and are delivering a range of measure to tackle this issue.

“Enfield Council’s cabinet agreed to invest £1 million in tackling youth violence on February 13, and the council has been awarded a further £500,000 from The Supporting Families Against Youth Crime fund.

“This investment will enable us to identify children and young people at risk and intervene early to stop them from becoming drawn into gang crime, serious violence and the youth justice system.

“This cash builds on Enfield Council’s announcement of a £100,000 fund last year which delivered a highly successful programme of summer activities for young people, with the aim of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

“This funding was put aside in response to concerns from residents about an increase in youth crime in the borough.

“The activities provided in 2018 cost approximately £50,000. All the activities which were originally planned were delivered, but economies of scale, good procurement and effective partnership working enabled the council to provide activities at a significantly lower cost than was initially estimated.

“We are committed to making the most of our limited financial resources and the summer youth engagement campaign is a superb example of maximising positive outcomes while keeping costs to a minimum.

“The entire £100,000 will be invested in services for young people and the programme of summer activities for 2019 is currently being commissioned.”