Labour councillors were heckled over their response to a petition signed by more than 3,500 people urging them to protect an area of green belt land.

They faced cries of “you should be ashamed” and “that’s the end of my Labour support” from residents in a packed public gallery at a meeting of Enfield’s full council on Wednesday (February 26).

The petition calls on the council to protect Whitewebbs Golf Course and surrounding woodland, which the local authority wants to lease out to a third-party provider.

It makes five requests of the council aimed at protecting public access to the land, restricting development and ensuring there is “full public consultation” before any proposals are agreed.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting at the Civic Centre, lead petitioner Sean Wilkinson told councillors: “You are custodians, not owners of this precious jewel.

“It is your responsibility to guard it for the people of Enfield, not to hive it off to the rich and powerful with token and unenforced lease terms.”

Mr Wilkinson pointed out that the park provides a range of health and environmental benefits – and claimed the council could make more money from the course by improving its facilities.

He criticised the council for “a dreadful policy of secrecy, minimal publicity, misleading and contradictory statements”, claiming this had led to a “deep level of mistrust”.

Mr Wilkinson was one of the first to raise concerns over the initial marketing material for Whitewebbs, which said the site had capacity for 150,000 to 200,000 cubic metres of “inert material” – which could include building waste.

The council later admitted this was a “mistake”, and the document was amended.

Council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan (Labour, Jubilee) told the meeting the council had lost £960,000 on the golf course over the past five years.

She said: “We simply cannot justify continuing on the path we are on, at a time when we’re having to find millions of pounds for adult social care and children’s services. It would be deeply irresponsible.”

Cllr Caliskan said there had been a lot of “misinformation” about the course, and the council had made a “very clear commitment we are going to enhance the space at Whitewebbs”.

Cllr Hass Yusuf (Labour, Chase) said the council would adhere to all five of the points in the petition and accused the party’s opponents of spreading “fake news” about the course during the General Election period.

But Conservative leader Cllr Joanne Laban (Highlands) claimed the council’s communications on Whitewebbs had been “dire”.

She added: “Can we have a further commitment – that you will engage with the community, and if they dislike what has come forward, you will say ‘no’ to that bid?”

Despite further reassurances from Labour councillors that the land would be protected, they made no explicit commitment to refuse a bid that the community disliked.

Labour councillors voted to commission further investigation on the matter and refer the petition to Enfield’s executive director of place. The Conservatives voted against.

The administration’s decision was met with loud heckling from supporters of the petition sat in the public gallery.