We asked, you said, we did

Read more about this consultation

We asked

We would like to thank all respondents for taking the time to take part and provide feedback as part of the consultation exercise.

We asked for your views on the current ways you can get involved in the council decision making process at council committee and the proposed additional ways for participating at formal decision-making bodies.

Our aim was to improve and expand the current offer for participation in council decision making meetings. The feedback from the consultation was utilised to help shape the rules in the council constitution on participating in the council decision making process.

The consultation document was split into two parts, the first focused on the current arrangements for public participation. The second part set out the proposed new approach for public participation at full council and committee meetings. Further details about the consultation are set out in the consultation document.

You said

We received 53 responses to our consultation on public participation at council committee meetings. Overall, the responses to the consultation demonstrates support towards enhancing participation at council committee meetings.

Key themes from the consultation feedback were supportive towards enabling:

• more people to get involved with the Council decision-making process
• Public Questions to be raised at other council meetings such as at Full Council and Cabinet
• lowering the threshold for Petitions to be raised at Council decision-making bodies
• use of the option to raise Deputations (for groups of people to raise a matter at Council decision making meetings)
• participation in scrutiny of the Council.

The detailed breakdown and findings of the consultation are set out in the findings report which is accessible via link the here.

We did

We reviewed your feedback from the consultation and utilised the information to develop arrangements to broaden the opportunities for public participation at council decision making meetings.

Following the analysis on the results of the consultation, a number of arrangements were drafted and subsequently approved at the Full Council meeting on 28 February. The new arrangements will come into effect as of May 2023 as part of the new Council Constitution and include the following processes outlined below.

• we will adopt the word ‘citizen’ in the context of participation at council committee meetings which includes residents living in Barnet as well as those people who study, work or have businesses in Barnet
• as part of the Governance Review project arrangements will create a dedicated council democracy webpage to help you understand how they can participate in council decision making by setting out the options including for deputations, petitions, public questions and overview and scrutiny involvement
• to promote further engagement in council decision making, the arrangements for Public Questions will be expanded to other council meetings such as Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings
• a new arrangement for deputations (signed by between 5 and 24 people) will be embedded in the council’s governance arrangements
• we will lower the threshold for petition signatures to be discussed at council meetings and therefore easier for citizens to receive responses.

The full details of the new arrangements for participating in Council decision making meeting were approved at the Full Council meeting on 28 February 2023 and can be accessed here.

Read more about this consultation.

We asked

We asked for your views on the draft Public Path Orders (PPO) policy, which sets out the council’s approach to requests for changes to Public Rights of Way (PRoW) across the borough, including the criteria, requirements, approach to processing applications and charges.

You said

We had a total of 21 responses and overall the feedback was positive. The results include:

• over 93% of those responding were Barnet residents
• over 76% agreed that the proposed PPO policy made clear the process for adding, changing and removing PRoW
• two thirds of respondents agreed that the proposed PPO policy clarified the council’s approach to maintain open paths and extinguishing blocked paths
• over 80% agreed that the proposed minimum widths were sufficient
• 57.14% agreed that the PPO policy made it clear the grounds on which interested parties can request additions, changes and removals of PRoW.
• 68.75% greed that the process for dealing with council generated orders was appropriate
• over 57% agreed that the determination process is fair to both applicants and PRoW users. 14% disagreed
• 46.67% agreed that the proposed charges were a fair reflection of the work involved for the council.

Comments overwhelmingly welcomed the new policy, although some mentioned that the policy could be easier to understand.

We did

The responses demonstrated that residents consider Barnet Council to be fair, considerate and clear in what we are trying to achieve, although some improvements are required in making the policy easier to understand by removing jargon.

The council has agreed to adopt the PPO Policy.

We asked

A review of the previous consultation showed that although respondents to the Halliwick Rec SuDS questionnaire stated they generally supported the scheme, some felt they needed further engagement and education to understand the benefits fully.

In summer 2023, we engaged a specialist to work alongside the project team and consult with the local residents about the scheme. In September 2022, over 1000 educational flyers were distributed to houses locally as well as to shops and businesses along Colney Hatch Lane with posters erected at the park entrances. Further to this a series of engagement and consultation sessions were delivered at Halliwick Rec Ground and St Peter Le Poer Church between October 2022 and January 2023 to increase awareness and understanding of the local flood risk and the scheme itself. During the sessions, designs and images were on display and the local community were given the opportunity to have their say during the design process, ahead of construction of the scheme.

We asked for your opinions on the concept design and for you to engage with us to inform the design development from concept design through to the final detailed scheme.

You said

Across the three dates between October 2022 and January 2023, 267 people engaged with the designs for the Halliwick Rec SuDS and joined in the activities.

The consultation process proved invaluable in raising awareness of the scheme and improving understanding of the need for flood risk management and the wider benefits that the project will deliver. It also enabled the those who attended the sessions an opportunity to help shape the final detailed design so that it met the needs of the local community.

The general consensus from the consultation process is that the wetland is welcomed, along with a new central footpath, the resurfacing of existing footpaths, and the new landscaping including the mounding, tree planting and informal children’s play.

Some concerns were raised during the consultation sessions in relation to maintenance, health and safety and privacy. These have been addressed in the design process and in consultation with the Council’s Parks and Flood Risk Management teams.

We did

Suggestions made by the local community throughout the process have been taken on board and designs have been amended accordingly.

A summary of the outcomes of the engagement sessions and comments made can be found here.

Key amendments to the designs as a direct consequence of the consultation outcomes have included the reshaping of the mounds, the inclusion of a viewing platform as opposed to an imposing boardwalk, the number and location of tree planting and additional wetland edged planting. Much of the highly desired wider park landscaping and infrastructure improvements have also been incorporated into the scheme including new seating and bins, the creation of a new central footpath and resurfacing of the existing footpaths following the securement of additional funding by the Council and the Friends of Halliwick Rec.

The scheme has been carefully designed to reduce the flood risk to nearby properties and highways and to increase the amenity and biodiversity. Designs have been shaped in accordance with the outcomes of consultation delivered between June 2022 and January 2023 and in line with available budgets. The final designs for the SuDS at Halliwick Rec Ground were presented during the sessions on 29 January 2023 and can be viewed here.

Construction is set to commence on site in the Spring/Summer 2023 with completion anticipated by the end of 2023.

Read more about this consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on our draft Barnet Food Plan 2022 - 2027.

You said

We received 56 responses to our online survey asking for feedback on the Draft Barnet Food Plan. In addition, public health officers delivered presentations and led discussions with seven community groups and council stakeholders. Notes from these sessions as well as written submissions from six community groups and individuals were received and incorporated into the final draft of the Food Strategy.

Some of the key findings from the consultation were as follows:

• top priorities identified: addressing climate change across our work on food and ensuring access to healthy, affordable food for all residents especially during the cost-of-living crisis
• significant desire for more community gardening and growing initiatives and spaces, and more community food initiatives
• the food environment and unhealthy high streets are seen as a barrier to healthy eating
• the Draft Food Plan is too vague and uses too much jargon
• the Draft Food Plan is ‘data-light’ and needs more data
• the council should lead on promoting plant-based foods and diets to people in Barnet and where it sells and provides food .

We did

We reviewed the Draft Food Plan and added more data, including Barnet-specific data on the health of adults and children, and deprivation and food insecurity. Where data is not immediately available, such as information on procurement by Barnet Council, gathering this data has been added to actions outlined in the Food Plan.

We reviewed the Draft Food Plan to remove jargon and clarify specific areas and phrases that were flagged as unclear.

We reviewed the three themes and associated actions. We streamlined the thematic areas in line with the priorities of stakeholders and residents. Amending the thematic areas to Healthy People, Healthy Place and Healthy Planet allows for greater emphasis on actions which aim to make Barnet a healthy food place, such as community gardening and growing spaces and coordination and support of the local food system.

The final draft of the Barnet Food Plan was approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board in January 2023 and you can view it here Barnet-Food-Plan-2022-2027.

Read more about this consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on the support services on offer for unpaid carers in Barnet. Through pro-active engagement with residents and community organisations, our aim was to co-produce a shared vision for carers in Barnet.

You said

We received 270 responses to the online survey. A further 30 carers and young carers were engaged via remote and in-person focus groups, led by Barnet Carers Centre.

Feedback from the above co-production and engagement activity has informed the development of our new Carers Strategy.

Key themes from the survey feedback are as follows:

• carers have struggled during the pandemic - often not being informed when there is a change to the care and support of the cared for person (e.g., plan for the reopening of day opportunities)
• the majority of respondents to the survey have reported caring for over 10 years and spend over 21 hours a week on average in their caring role
• young carers often take on huge amounts of responsibility and need support to balance competing responsibilities and demands. Priorities for young people included pursuing their education, timely mental health and wellbeing support as well as time for themselves and socialising
• carers value activities that enable them to have regular breaks from their caring responsibilities to support balancing their caring roles with their own personal lives and interests
• parent carers have emerged as a prominent carers group.

We did

The co-production and engagement feedback will be included in the new Carers Strategy 2023 – 2028 and have informed the new priorities and outcomes in the strategy. The next step is to translate this strategy into action so that it makes a real and lasting difference to the health and wellbeing of carers of all ages.

A Carers and Young Carers Strategy Implementation board will be developed to have oversight of strategy implementation including the action plan. Actions to deliver the strategy will be informed by feedback and recommendations from carers.

We will be publishing the new Carers Strategy and carrying out another round of consultation in February 2023.

Read more about this consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on cultural and community activity in Golders Green Town Centre, and how you navigate and find your way around the High Street.

You said

We received 75 responses to the online questionnaire.

The summary of the responses:

the majority of respondents walk to the town centre when they visit

• over half of respondents visit the town centre in the evenings
• the most commonly identified buildings and features that make Golders Green unique were the War Memorial, the Hippodrome and the main high street buildings.

Suggestions for activities to encourage more people to spend time in the town centre in the day included:

• Green spaces
• Markets
• Children’s activities
• Seating.

Suggestions for activities to encourage more people to spend time in the town centre in the evening included:

• Theatre
• Cinema
• Music.

Suggested locations that need better signposting include the Library and parks.

We did

The results will be utilised to produce Cultural Activation and Wayfinding Action Plans. A number of projects identified within the Action Plans will be delivered in 2023/24.

Read more about this consultation.

We asked

We asked for your views on the proposals on how Barnet’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) is be allocated to Area Committees and the priorities on which they spend NCIL.

You said

We received 47 responses to the online questionnaire.

The summary of the responses is:

• most respondents are supportive of the proposal to allocate Neighbourhood CIL to Area Committees based on the population of that area
• most respondents are supportive of the proposal to broaden how NCIL may be spent
• most respondents are supportive of the proposed NCIL spending priorities:

• Community Engagement

• Sustainability

• Community Safety

• Public Health

• respondents set out the following as additional priorities for NCIL spending:
  • improvement in parks & greenspaces
  • restoring town centres & public realm
  • bringing community assets back into use
  • enhancing youth services and provision
  • improving air quality
  • making public spaces and streets safer for everyone and working with partners to reduce crime
  • contributing to the use of library services
  • addressing poverty & deprivation and alleviating social isolation/exclusion
• most respondents are supportive of the proposal to continue the management of the Barnet Road Safety & Parking fund at the borough level.

We did

The consultation results will be reported to the Policy and Resources committee with a recommendation to approve the proposals, and to implement them for the Area Committee meetings in the spring.

Read more about this consultation.

We asked

We asked for your views on the revised location for the additional play equipment in Princes Park, and views on the revised equipment, as well as the provision of football goals.

You said

We received 36 responses to the online questionnaire, and we received five direct emails.

The summary of the responses is:

• all respondents were happy with the revised location of the additional play equipment
• almost all respondents were happy with the revised equipment
• almost all respondents wanted no football goals.

We did

An order has been placed to refurbish the existing playground and install new equipment on the space where the long log currently lies. This is the location and play equipment described in the Phase 2 consultation. The estimated date for this work is April/May 2023.

An order has not been placed for football goals, so the one existing football goal will remain.

Read more about this consultation.

We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed play facilities at the fenced-in playground at Stoneyfields Park.

You said

We received 33 responses to the online questionnaire and one direct email, and we spoke to 41 people at the two events we ran in the park. The key themes from the public consultation were request for:

• additional surfacing
• the swings to be placed together
• the picnic table to be moved from under the tree canopy
• a see saw, for dual play
• a zip wire.

We did

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

• additional surfacing, so the two largest play areas are joined together
• the picnic table has been relocated and will be near the new litter bin in the playground
• a frame on the tipi carousel so it can be used by multiple children at one time, and also by different physical abilities.

The order has been placed for this design, and it is likely to be installed in March/April 2023.

There is insufficient space to place the two sets of swings together. Only baby and toddler swings can be placed near the tree, as larger swings require deeper foundations, which would damage the tree roots. There is also insufficient space for a zip wire and a see saw.

We did look to see if a larger piece of play equipment such as a ship would fit in the playground, but unfortunately due to the shape of the playground and the roots of the very large tree, it would not fit.

Read more about this consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed schedule of fees and charges, to be implemented from January 2023.

You said

We received a total of three responses. The responses were:

• Very good

• Please do not increase parking charges

• I think it wrong that the council are increasing fees in line with inflation when residents are struggling with living costs.

We did

We reviewed the responses, and they were reported to the Council Meeting on 1 November 2022. Council approved the proposed schedule of fees and charges, and they will be implemented from 1 January 2023.