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We asked

We asked for your views on the implementation of a ‘School Street’ which is a controlled pedestrian and cycling zone during school pick up and drop off hours on the following roads:

• Thirleby Road between Gunter Grove and Montrose Avenue, and between Gloucester Grove and Gervase Road
• Trevor Road between Thirleby Road and Gloucester Grove
• Gilbert Grove between Watling Avenue and Thirleby Road,

The proposed times are 8.30-9.30am and 3.00-4.00pm Monday to Friday, term time only.

You said

We received 43 responses to this engagement. 34.88% of respondents were supportive of the measures. 55.81% of respondents were opposed to the measures. 9.3% of respondents neither support nor opposed.

11.6% of respondents thought it would improve safety; 7% of respondents said they thought it would improve air quality; 14% of respondents thought the scheme would stop illegal and dangerous parking.

26% of respondents expressed concern that it would affect access to the road for people who needed it, like residents, carers, teachers, taxi/trade/delivery vehicles, friends and family. 14% of people were concerned that the scheme would push traffic elsewhere and 11% of respondents expressed concern that the scheme would impact working parents’ ability to get to work after dropping their children at school.

9% of people recommended the scheme also included Gunter Grove.

9% of respondents did not comment on their reasons.

We also received further correspondence from school staff regarding concerns with parking for parents.

We did

Based on results from the engagement that showed the majority of residents were not in favour of these proposed School Streets, and our discussion with the schools, we have decided not to progress with a School Street for Goldbeaters Primary School and The Annunciation Catholic Infant School.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our proposed updated Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) and the Action Plan for 2023-2029.

We wanted to understand if you thought the strategy was clear and easy to understand, and what you thought of the strategic objectives and proposed actions plan that were included in the draft strategy.

We also wanted to hear what you knew about flooding and the guidance and processes in place if you were to experience a flood in the future.

You said

We received 24 responses to our online questionnaire:

• 72 either strongly agreed or tended to agree that the purpose of the LFRMS was clear
• 61% either strongly agreed or tended to agree that the LFRMS was easy to understand
• 61% either strongly agreed or tended to agree that the different responsibilities outlined in the strategy were clear
• 81% of respondents were unaware that the council had dedicated Flood and Water management information on its website.

A total of 12 technical stakeholders also provided responses to the technical consultation:

• 100% of the respondents agreed that the greatest risk Barnet faces is from surface water flooding, followed by 83% for sewer flooding and 35-40% from rivers/watercourses
• 75% of the respondents were aware that the Council’s website has a dedicated Flood and Water Management page and 83% were aware that the Council discourages developing on the watercourses
• 100% of the respondents agreed that the purpose of LFRMS is clear and that the strategic objectives will help prevent and manage risks from flooding. They also agreed that the strategy is easy to understand, the different roles and responsibilities outlined in the strategy are clear, and the strategic objectives defined are appropriate and clear
• 80% of the respondents agreed that we had not missed out any objectives and agreed with the timescale of the action plan.

We did

We implemented minor changes made to the LFRMS itself including updating phrasing, associated mapping and checking references.

In the Action Plan, amendments included changing the wording around some actions and further reference adding links.

The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan were adopted by the council during the Cabinet meeting on 5 September 2023.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the Brent Cross Cricklewood Experimental Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ).

You said

We received 53 responses to our consultation via email or telephone. Feedback included:

• the hours of control are too long
• unsafe parking on Claremont Road around the north side of Clitterhouse Crescent
• there are no safe access points from Clitterhouse Crescent into Claremont Park for pedestrians with mobility issues
• cost of permits are a concern
• more parking enforcement is needed.

We did

Based on the feedback received we have reviewed the current restriction hours and have amended these to 9am to 6pm. A new 6-month consultation, with amended timing changes to the Experimental Traffic Order, was launched on 26 October 2023.

To prevent unsafe parking, we have recently implemented yellow line restrictions on Claremont Road between Clitterhouse Crescent and Whitefield Avenue.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our proposal to adopt a more strategic, cost-effective and sustainable approach to maintaining safer footways through a defined Highways Tree Root policy framework.

You said

We received 73 responses to the online questionnaire.

• over 70% of respondents agreed with the council's proposed new approach
• the use of rubber crumb as a solution was the primary reason for disagreeing with the policy
• most of the comments indicated that tree removal should be a last resort.

We did

Following feedback, the council are adopting the Highways Tree Root policy framework and are currently in the process of developing the final policy document.

Once the Tree Root policy document has been developed, it will be available on the project page linked at the top and on our website.

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We asked

We asked you to give us feedback on our first draft Dementia Strategy.

You said

We received 76 responses to the consultation. We had feedback from people living with dementia, their carers and families as well as providers both commissioned and non-commissioned and also from the voluntary community. These have been translated to priorities and outcomes in our final Dementia Strategy.

We did

We now have a final strategy which can be viewed here Dementia Strategy 2023-2028 which includes the six priorities and three outcomes we will be focusing on for the next five years.

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We asked

We asked residents and local stakeholders to suggest local topics that would benefit from scrutiny involvement. All suggestions would be considered by councillors and selected topics would form part of the work programme for the year ahead. The consultation ran for five weeks.

You said

We received 58 topic suggestions from 22 participants to the online questionnaire. All of the respondents are Barnet residents. Feedback came from across the borough covering over 50% of wards. 57% of respondents were aged between 25-64 with 24% stating they have a disability.

We did

Road maintenance and NHS services emerged as the most popular topics from the survey.

Councillors considered your suggestions at the Full Council meeting 11 July 2023. It was agreed that the Overview and Scrutiny committee will undertake a task and finish group to review road and pavement maintenance including future investment options. This will involve councillors looking at the way the service is currently run, speaking to council officers, looking at best examples of services from around the country and speaking to experts. The councillors will then make recommendations on how services can be improved.

You also raised concerns about GP appointments including use of out of hours services. You also want councillors to look at the process of well-planned discharge from the hospital to their homes along with the support patients need to live independently. The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will undertake a task and finish group to review these issues, working closely with NHS colleagues and will hold focus groups with service users.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the replacement playground at Barnet Playing Field.

You said

We received 112 responses to the online questionnaire, we spoke to 65 people at the two events we ran in the current playground and we received 4 direct emails. The key themes from the public consultation were the following requests:

• to keep the existing basketball hoop
• to install monkey bars
• for a roundabout
• for a second baby swing
• for surfacing under the picnic benches
• to improve and extend the basketball facilities.

We did

Following the feedback received, we developed a revised plan, which includes:

• the shape of the new playground has been changed so the existing basketball hoop can be kept. We have added a gate into the playground from the side with the basketball hoop
• we have removed the turbo carousel and replaced this with monkey bars
• we have added a roundabout to the design
• we have added a second baby swing to the design
• the picnic benches have been better incorporated into the design, with surfacing under the picnic benches.

The order has been placed for this design, and it is likely to be installed in late autumn 2023.

We are not able to improve and extend the basketball facilities within the playground project. However, we have noted this request for future improvements to the facilities at Barnet Playing Field, when funding becomes available.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the implementation of parking controls, including the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Blundell Road and neighbouring streets HA8, to address local parking concerns and demand.

You said

We received 99 responses from approximately 900 properties, which equates to an overall response rate of 11%.

87% of the respondents told us that they or their family or visitors always or often experience parking problems near their property during morning, afternoon, and evening on weekdays. They stated that parking problems are mainly caused by commuter parking, multiple car households, or trade vans/trucks.

Overall, 68% of the respondents indicated they are specifically in favour of a Controlled Parking Zone being implemented with 64% preferring an all-day hours of operation.

The response for the days of operation was about equally divided with 32% preferring Monday to Friday while 33% preferred 7 days a week.

We did

Following the informal consultation feedback, we are developing proposals that would help to improve parking situation in Blundell Road and the surrounding area. The proposals will be discussed and agreed with your Ward Members and subject to funding availability, will be progressed to statutory consultation and implementation.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the implementation of parking controls, including the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) Underhill, in order to address local parking concerns and demand.

You said

We received 291 responses from approximately 1700 properties that were consulted, which represents an overall response rate of 17%.

46% (135 respondents) of the respondents told us they, their family or visitors always, often, or sometimes experience parking problems near their property. They stated that parking problems are mainly caused by multiple car households, commuter parking, or trade vans/trucks.

Of those properties consulted, 15% objected to the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone.

25% respondents said they would like traffic issues to be investigated further to improve road safety at the road junctions and improve traffic flow along Mays Lane, Underhill, and Fairfield Way.

There were also concerns raised regarding parking issues associated with school traffic.

We did

Based on the feedback received we are developing proposals to improve parking, traffic flow, and road safety in the area. The consultation feedback and any measures proposed will be discussed and agreed with your Ward Members, and subject to funding availability will be progressed to statutory consultation and implementation.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the Barnet First magazine, to help us improve the magazine and ensure it includes more of the type of content you want to read.

You said

We received 48 responses to the online questionnaire. The responses included:

• four out of five respondents said they regularly receive Barnet First magazine at home
• more than half of respondents spent five minutes or more reading the magazine with more than a third spending ten minutes or more
• most respondents read and recycle the magazine but almost one in three keep it for future reference
• almost half of respondents cited local community social media as their main source of local news and information with local newspapers, community newsletters and word of mouth all mentioned by around a third of responders
• four out of five respondents would like to get Barnet Council information direct from the magazine and two thirds from an eNewsletter. A third of responders use the council’s website for information and one in five access Barnet’s social media
• almost 40% of respondents said they had accessed a service or attended an event they first learned about in the magazine
• at least 85% of respondents were happy with the content and 73% with the relevance of the content to themselves. Readability and design and layout both achieved 87% satisfaction.

You told us that the subjects of information you would most like to read about in Barnet First are:

• Community news 48%
• Council and democracy: meetings, councillors 38%
• Parks and open spaces: walks and trails etc. 35%
• Community safety: tackling anti-social behaviour etc. 33%
• Development & regeneration: housing, future plans etc. 32%
• Libraries services and events 31%
• Leisure: sports facilities, activities etc. 29%
• Consultations 27%
• Council Tax and budgets 26%
• What’s on: local venues, community events etc. 27%

We did

We aim to distribute Barnet First to every home in Barnet and we are working closely with our distributors to ensure as few homes as possible are missed. All missed addresses can be reported to barnet.first@barnet.gov.uk

We are strengthening the link between Barnet First magazine and Barnet First eNewsletter to ensure as many residents as possible are aware of and have access to the now weekly eNewsletter.

Going forward we will aim to include more articles on the subjects that you have told us you are interested in reading about.

We will also be running some focus groups in the autumn to find out more about your views on Barnet First magazine. We will add more information here when more details are available.