The launch of Barnet’s first-ever Citizens' Assembly on climate change and biodiversity.
What is a Citizens’ Assembly?
A Citizens’ Assembly is a deliberative process that brings together a randomly selected group of people who broadly represent the entire community. It is a platform, used world-wide, for a diverse group of people to voice their opinions. The people who attend learn and discuss issues together, and then make recommendations about what should happen and how things should change.
The question we will be exploring:
Barnet has declared a climate emergency. What more can we do together to make Barnet more sustainable, now and in the future?
Breaking down the question:
Climate emergency
- In May 2022, the council declared a climate emergency and committed Barnet to becoming a Net Zero council by 2030 and a place as soon as possible after this, but no later than 2042
- We are in a crisis
- We need to act now
| Together
- We need to develop and take action
- We need to work in partnership across the borough
- This includes individuals, households, businesses, institutions and government
|
Sustainable
- People, places, planet
- Social, ecological, economic: the trade-offs and tensions
- Fairness and equity
| Future
- What we need to start and put in place now
- Decade of action
- Working towards target of 2042
|
SESSION SUMMARIES AND MATERIALS
⭐ SESSION 1 - TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY ⭐
In this introductory session, Assembly Members were introduced to the citizens’ assembly and its background, purpose and goals. They discussed the high-level global, national and local context for the process and started to get to know each other.
Main slide deck here and Show & Share recording here.
Speakers with slides:
- Cllr Barry Rawlings - Leader of the Council
- Cllr Alan Sneiderman - Lead Member for Climate Change
- Malini Mehra - Chief executive of GLOBE International
- Adam Driscoll - Local resident and Co-chair of Council Staff Sustainability Network
- Yogita Popat - Assistant Director for Sustainability at Barnet Council
⭐ SESSIONS 2 & 3 - SATURDAY 5 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members reflected on the first meeting and the areas of interest outlined then. There was also an opportunity to connect with the youth process and emerging ideas before an introduction to visioning through an immersive activity. In the afternoon, the Members explored the key themes of the assembly - housing & buildings, transport, sustainable consumption, natural environment & biodiversity - considering:
- How we interact with the environment in Barnet
- How we want Barnet to prosper and flourish
- How we might need to interact differently in future
Main slide deck here and Show & Share recording here.
Speakers with slides:
⭐ SESSION 4 - MONDAY 20 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members discussed the idea of fairness, equity and co-benefits to inform decision making which was used as a framework to think about how we make change happen. They then defined their vision for a more sustainable Barnet through an interactive activity.
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
Speakers with slides:
⭐ SESSION 5 - WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members looked back at the vision for a more sustainable Barnet developed in Session 4. They then had the opportunity to engage informally with a number of community initiatives in Barnet before coming up with a longlist of ideas for how to address the challenges.
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
⭐ SESSION 6 - SATURDAY 22 APRIL ⭐
In this session, we will look back at where we are in the journey and discuss how we will make decisions as an Assembly. We will have a panel of council officers responsible for the key thematic areas and there will be the opportunity to ask them questions before moving onto co-evaluating ideas and a visioning activity.
Ask Me Anything Panel:
- Yogita Popat, LBB Assistant Director of Sustainability
- Cath Shaw, LBB Deputy CEO
- Chris Smith, LBB Assistant Director of Estates & Decarbonisation
- Craig Miller, LBB Director of Street Scene
- Katherine Carr, LBB Public Health team
- Matthew Gunyon, LBB Greenspaces Service Manager
- Neeru Kareer, Assistant Service Director (Planning)
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
If you have any queries regarding the assembly, please email barnetzero@barnet.gov.uk.
The launch of Barnet’s first-ever Citizens' Assembly on climate change and biodiversity.
What is a Citizens’ Assembly?
A Citizens’ Assembly is a deliberative process that brings together a randomly selected group of people who broadly represent the entire community. It is a platform, used world-wide, for a diverse group of people to voice their opinions. The people who attend learn and discuss issues together, and then make recommendations about what should happen and how things should change.
The question we will be exploring:
Barnet has declared a climate emergency. What more can we do together to make Barnet more sustainable, now and in the future?
Breaking down the question:
Climate emergency
- In May 2022, the council declared a climate emergency and committed Barnet to becoming a Net Zero council by 2030 and a place as soon as possible after this, but no later than 2042
- We are in a crisis
- We need to act now
| Together
- We need to develop and take action
- We need to work in partnership across the borough
- This includes individuals, households, businesses, institutions and government
|
Sustainable
- People, places, planet
- Social, ecological, economic: the trade-offs and tensions
- Fairness and equity
| Future
- What we need to start and put in place now
- Decade of action
- Working towards target of 2042
|
SESSION SUMMARIES AND MATERIALS
⭐ SESSION 1 - TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY ⭐
In this introductory session, Assembly Members were introduced to the citizens’ assembly and its background, purpose and goals. They discussed the high-level global, national and local context for the process and started to get to know each other.
Main slide deck here and Show & Share recording here.
Speakers with slides:
- Cllr Barry Rawlings - Leader of the Council
- Cllr Alan Sneiderman - Lead Member for Climate Change
- Malini Mehra - Chief executive of GLOBE International
- Adam Driscoll - Local resident and Co-chair of Council Staff Sustainability Network
- Yogita Popat - Assistant Director for Sustainability at Barnet Council
⭐ SESSIONS 2 & 3 - SATURDAY 5 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members reflected on the first meeting and the areas of interest outlined then. There was also an opportunity to connect with the youth process and emerging ideas before an introduction to visioning through an immersive activity. In the afternoon, the Members explored the key themes of the assembly - housing & buildings, transport, sustainable consumption, natural environment & biodiversity - considering:
- How we interact with the environment in Barnet
- How we want Barnet to prosper and flourish
- How we might need to interact differently in future
Main slide deck here and Show & Share recording here.
Speakers with slides:
⭐ SESSION 4 - MONDAY 20 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members discussed the idea of fairness, equity and co-benefits to inform decision making which was used as a framework to think about how we make change happen. They then defined their vision for a more sustainable Barnet through an interactive activity.
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
Speakers with slides:
⭐ SESSION 5 - WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH ⭐
In this session, Assembly Members looked back at the vision for a more sustainable Barnet developed in Session 4. They then had the opportunity to engage informally with a number of community initiatives in Barnet before coming up with a longlist of ideas for how to address the challenges.
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
⭐ SESSION 6 - SATURDAY 22 APRIL ⭐
In this session, we will look back at where we are in the journey and discuss how we will make decisions as an Assembly. We will have a panel of council officers responsible for the key thematic areas and there will be the opportunity to ask them questions before moving onto co-evaluating ideas and a visioning activity.
Ask Me Anything Panel:
- Yogita Popat, LBB Assistant Director of Sustainability
- Cath Shaw, LBB Deputy CEO
- Chris Smith, LBB Assistant Director of Estates & Decarbonisation
- Craig Miller, LBB Director of Street Scene
- Katherine Carr, LBB Public Health team
- Matthew Gunyon, LBB Greenspaces Service Manager
- Neeru Kareer, Assistant Service Director (Planning)
Main slide deck here - Show & Share presentation here.
If you have any queries regarding the assembly, please email barnetzero@barnet.gov.uk.
