We asked, you said, we did

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We asked

We asked for views from residents and businesses in Burnt Oak and Colindale on our proposals to introduce traffic measures in Booth Road and The Greenway which are aimed to help reduce vehicles taking short cuts through these roads. We wrote to 5,000 properties in Burnt Oak and Colindale as part of the consultation and held a public meeting.

You said

We received 1163 Responses to the consultation which included comments, statements, petitions and objections to the scheme. We have compiled a consultation report analysing and detailing the responses and have carefully considered all the responses received.

We did

Given the significant level of objections to the scheme the Director for the Environment has decided that the proposals will not proceed and that instead we will engage in a dialogue with residents and road users to better understand the situation and what if any, measures they consider would best solve the existing issues in these two locations. We will seek to devise new proposals which will reflect the wishes of the community. You can view the responses in the consultation report.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our consultation on proposed private rented property licensing schemes. Options considered were re-introducing a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and three separate selective licensing schemes for other privately rented properties in a total of nine wards.

You said

We received 466 online responses to the questionnaire and nine written responses via email. We also held three events for those interested in participating, with tenants, homeowners, landlords and managing agents, with 29 people attending. In summary:

• overall 53% supported the re-introduction of additional licensing
• overall 40% supported the selective licensing schemes
• for both types of scheme respondents renting their home and owner occupiers were more inclined to support the proposals than landlords and letting agents.

There were also several comments made by respondents completing the questionnaire, in written responses and at the consultation events in relation to the proposals:

• one comment suggested the additional licensing scheme should only be for a smaller area of the borough, in 4 wards with the most HMOs
• one comment suggested that a smaller selective licensing scheme should be implemented, rather than three schemes
• one comment suggested that the inclusion of areas that have recently been regenerated in the Colindale area was not warranted
• one comment was received that for what are known as section 257 HMOs, the scheme should only apply to buildings where all the flats are rented
• various comments were made about the detail of the licence conditions to be applied to the schemes
• comments, mainly from landlords were made that the schemes are not necessary
• some consultees thought the schemes were a money-making exercise
• some consultees thought that the schemes would penalise responsible landlords
• some comments were made that the costs would be passed onto tenants
• one respondent thought references should not be required from prospective tenants
• some landlords thought they should not be responsible for their tenant’s behaviour
• those in favour of the schemes tended not to make further comment as to why they supported them
• attendees at the forums did report concerns about poor accommodation and amenities and landlords not acting on issues raised
• some attendees thought there was a lot of sub-letting and overcrowding leading to a lack of control by landlords
• some attendees said anti-social behaviour is a big problem for tenants
• some tenants felt unsupported by the council
• some tenants felt that rental costs are high but poor value for money
• some landlords said that they want to know everything is okay so that tenants do not need to contact them.

We did

In response to the comments made, some of the proposals have been amended.

• for the borough-wide additional licensing scheme we reviewed all our data against the new ward boundaries, (the data had only been available against the old ward boundaries at the time of consultation). We concluded that there remains a case for a borough-wide additional licensing scheme, as there are many potential HMOs spread right across the borough that have not previously applied for a licence
• we also reviewed the data for the selective licensing proposals and have decided that only Designation A (for Burnt Oak, Colindale North and Colindale South) will go forward for designation at this time. We intend to use the updated data to draw up new proposals for a further selective licensing consultation, probably later in 2022
• we have decided to exclude certain regeneration and new development areas from the scope of the selective licensing scheme for Burnt Oak, Colindale North and Colindale South so that the many new properties in those areas will not require a licence
• we revised the scope of the additional licensing scheme such that only buildings converted into flats, where all the flats are privately rented will require a licence
• we took on board various comments relating to the licence conditions and have amended them accordingly, where we thought this was appropriate.

The final proposals were considered by the Housing and Growth Committee on 17 February 2022. The amended proposals described above were agreed and the borough-wide additional licensing scheme is now likely to come into operation from July 2022. The designation will likely be made in April and applications for licences from landlords and agents can be made from April. The selective licensing Designation A is likely to come into operation in January 2023. The designation will likely be made in October 2022. Applications from landlords and agents for both schemes can be made from the date that the designation is signed.

A further consultation will be launched for selective licensing in some other wards in 2023. You can view the final report on the consultation and the summary of comments and the council’s response to them, as well as the final licensing designations once they are signed, on the council’s website Barnet Online.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our draft Draft My Say Matters Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy (2022 – 2025), which sets how we plan to involve children, young people and families so that they can have their say on what they think on any of our future decisions and help us design and shape our services.

You said

We received 10 responses to the online questionnaire. You told us:

• 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the strategy overall and 9 out of 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it is a good idea to implement this strategy in Barnet
• 8 out of 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the strategy is clear and easy to understand and that it is informative
• 6 out of 8 respondents disagreed with the extent to which we plan to monitor the effectiveness of the strategy.

Two consultation focus groups were held with Barnet children, young people and families to ask about their views on the draft strategy. A total of 20 residents attended the qualitative workshop, 12 adults and 8 young people.

• all participants agreed that it is a good vision and when exploring the vision themes of safety, belonging, culture, and identity were identified
• a few participants explored how more diverse representation in leadership can help to make important decisions and changes
• participants ranked ‘Safe and Secure’ was ranked most important priority
• a theme from qualitative discussions in both workshops was that education and community cannot be strengthened unless safety needs are met
• when thinking about ‘Audience’ in participation spaces, participants commented on the importance of knowing who will be there and how can be there to feel safe
• in both workshops participants highlighted the importance of accountability and that monitoring should not be focussed on satisfying leaders or counsellors but be focussed on young people
• in both workshops participants asked for the strategy to specify what age of child and young person this strategy is for.

You can read the full consultation findings in the consultation report.

We did

In response to the feedback, we set out recommendations for amendments to the strategy and action plan. The recommendations were:

• Strategic Purpose and Aims: Review the strategy to specify the age range and enhance the purpose and aims with simple language
• Inclusion: Review the strategy and consider how equity, diversity and inclusion is made more explicit, explored and highlight how the commitment to areas will be achieved.
• Priorities: Review the strategy and consider how the three priorities mutually influence each other, paying particular attention to the importance and details of feedback loops
• Monitoring the effectiveness: Review the strategy to show a clear governance and accountability process so children and young people can easily understand how they can hold leaders to account.

The My Say Matters Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy (2022 – 2025) has been finalised to incorporate the recommendations and was launched at an event by young people on 31 May 2022. View the final strategy.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our draft Domestic Abuse (DA) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-2025, which sets out the vision, objectives and ambitions for the borough.

You said

We received 28 responses to the online questionnaire. You told us:

• three quarters of respondents (76%) agreed with the overarching vision for the borough
• we must ensure the VAWG focus is maintained in the title to highlight Women and Girl’s experiences, whilst acknowledging that anyone can experience DA/VAWG throughout the strategy
• just over four fifths of respondents (82%) agreed with the partnership objectives
• 27 of the 28 respondents answered the question about personal experiences of DA and/or VAWG. Only 9 respondents hadn’t experienced any DA or VAWG personally
• 80% of the respondents who had personal experience, said they didn’t access help and cited the following reasons: I didn’t know where to get help; I didn’t feel ready to get help; I didn’t know I was experiencing DA or VAWG.
• respondents made suggestions of what would help them feel safer from VAWG in Barnet during the night. The most common responses were physical actions such as better lighting, CCTV and cutting back shrubs (six comments) and more visible police (five comments).

You can read the full consultation findings in the consultation report.

We did

In response to the feedback, we set out recommendations for amendments to the strategy and action plan.

The recommendations included amending the vision to “Our vision is for all residents of Barnet, especially women and girls, to live free of domestic abuse and all forms of VAWG. Working with our partners, we will raise awareness and work to prevent violence in the home, places of learning and employment, and in the community. The Partnership has zero tolerance for abuse and violence, perpetrators will be held to account and victims and survivors will be able to access the support and help they need.”

The recommendations were approved by the Safer Communities Partnership Board on 21 January 2022.

The DA and VAWG Strategy 2022-25 was finalised and launched on 8 March 2022 at StoneX Stadium with all the VAWG partners, survivors and SCPB members in the presence of the Mayor of Barnet.

The strategy can be found here

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We asked

In November and December 2019 we carried out an informal consultation with the residents and businesses of Park View Road and neighbouring streets on a proposal to extend the existing Church End Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). This was in response to earlier concerns raised by residents living in Park View Road about the high levels of parking by non-residents in the road. The residents asked for Park View Road to be included in the existing Church End ‘CE’ Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). On 8 October 2020, the Finchley and Golders Green Area Committee considered the results of the informal consultation and recommended that a statutory consultation be carried out in Park View Road, Park Avenue, Etchingham Park Road (between Holdenhurst Avenue and Squires Lane) and Park Crescent.

Between 27 May 2021 and 24 June 2021, we carried out a statutory consultation on the proposals as agreed and recommended by the Area Committee. We asked for your views on the proposed extension of the existing Church End “CE” Controlled Parking Zone.

You said

We consulted 225 properties as part of the statutory consultation. We received 81 responses to the consultation which included comments, suggestions, and objections, which are summarised below.

Some respondents stated that non-resident parking occurs in Park View Road and the surrounding area, especially those bordering Victoria Park. They include commuters, residents of neighbouring restricted roads who avoid paying for permits and other parking associated with garages, vehicle recovery/repairs and other motorists who leave their vehicles parked on the roads for long periods. They said the controls would make it easier to park closer to their homes by reducing parking competition with commuters. Some respondents requested to increase permit holders bays in place of the proposed Monday to Friday 11am-12pm waiting restrictions on the park side of Park View Road and Etchingham Park Road for their visitors or tradespeople and visitors to Victoria Park. Some respondents were on the opinion that due to many people working from home due to covid, the commuter parking is less of a problem on parking.

Most respondents welcomed the double yellow lines at the junctions saying they are required to improve accessibility, increase visibility for vehicle drivers and cyclists and enhance safety at the road junctions and on the bends.

Some respondents raised concerns of potential parking displacement to the neighbouring streets not included in the proposed CPZ extension.

We did

We have carefully considered all the comments and objections received to the statutory consultation and have decided to extend the Church End (CE) Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) on an experimental basis. This will enable us to keep the controls under review. It also gives the local community time to assess the effectiveness and impact of the measures and allow the council to consider if any further amendments will be needed to improve the parking situation. This may involve expansion of the existing CPZ to include the neighbouring streets. During the first six months, comments from the local community will be invited, considered and assessed to help decide if the experimental measures should be made permanent.

The experimental measures will help to assess commuting patterns and it will also help to assess the need to expand the controls to the neighbouring streets.

We have provided shared bays on the park side of Park View Road and Etchingham Park Road to help with visitors and permit holders parking and visitors to Victoria Park.

The neighbouring roads have also been included for parking controls consideration in the ongoing boroughwide CPZ programme.

We will hand deliver notification letters with the scheme plans to the properties within the experimental CPZ informing you of the properties that are eligible to apply for a resident permit, with information about how to apply for permits and how the scheme will work.

You can view the plans of the experimental CPZ extension boundary and the revised parking controls layout.

You can read more about this consultation here.

We asked

We asked your views on our Healthy Child Programme, which includes the health visiting, school nursing, healthy weight nursing, breastfeeding support, and oral health promotion services. The consultation included the completion of a combination of online and face-to-face questionnaires. We also consulted staff and stakeholders involved in delivering the service as part of this consultation.

We asked service users:

how much they have engaged with the services offered as part of the Healthy Child Programme

• about the quality of service that they received
• what they valued about the service and what they think the service should do to improve and develop
• what public health issues residents are concerned about
• whether staff and stakeholders understand the needs of service users or residents.

You said

Health Visitors

• we received 463 responses
• 80% of respondents said that the Health Visitor was one of their top sources of information and support when they had concerns about their family’s health, development and wellbeing
• 95% of respondents are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the service to others
• fewer service users want face-to-face contact with the Health Visitor, and more are interested in virtual contact instead.

School Nurses

• we received 511 responses
• 72% of students and 85% of parents and carers would recommend the School Nurse service to family or friends
• the emotional wellbeing of students was highlighted as one of the most important issues for School Nurses
• While most parents, carers and students are aware of the School Nurse, some were not or were not aware of what the School Nurse could offer.

Healthy Weight Nurses

• we received 40 responses
• 86% of service users were ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the service.
• most parents and carers (76%) reported having concerns about their child’s weight
• there was a group of respondents who were unaware of the service and would like more information about how to access support.

Breastfeeding Support

• we received 73 responses
• the overwhelming majority (96%) of respondents required support to breastfeed their child
• 96% were also ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the service
• some contact with service users became virtual during the pandemic, but the majority of service users (57%) would prefer face-to-face contact when possible.

Oral Health Promotion

• we received 137 responses
• 58% of respondents are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the service
• service users found the oral health promotion services to be informative and interactive
• practical advice about brushing and answering specific questions were most valued by service users.

We did

We have committed to taking the following actions:

Health Visitors

• make sure that the pathway to support for families is clear by increasing partnership working
• Harness technology to allow families to access information in a timely way.

School Nurse

• improve awareness of the School Nurse and the support that they can offer
• more presence in schools to ensure that the School Nurse is easily accessible (depending on the COVID – 19 restrictions).

Healthy Weight Nurses

• introduce accessible group activities for young people and families with a weight concern
• improve awareness of the service through greater partnership working.

Breastfeeding Support

• ensure service users receive clear information about how and when they can use the Breastfeeding Support service
• at home, face-to-face sessions when this is appropriate (dependent on the COVID – 19 restrictions)
• Breastfeeding Support services to be advertised earlier in pregnancy support classes/sessions.

Oral Health Promotion

• raise awareness of the service and the support on offer
• offer face-to-face sessions wherever possible, especially to very young children.

You can read more about this consultation here.

We asked

We asked for families, and all those who support children and young people with SEND, including those in receipt of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and children and young people who receive support through SEN Support for their views on the vision, aims, and priorities for the next three years set out in the Draft SEND Strategy.

You said

We received 27 responses to the online questionnaire. You can read more about the results here.

We did

We made some changes to the draft strategy. You can read the final strategy here.

You can read more information about this consultation here.

We asked

We asked for your views on our draft Infant Feeding Strategy 2021 – 2025, which sets out the direction to support agencies and the public, to protect, promote, support, and normalise breastfeeding.

You said

We received 62 responses to the questionnaire:

• an average of 95% agree with each of the strategies aims
• 95% agree with the vision laid out in the strategy
• an average of 85% agree the actions for each strategy pillar will help raise local breastfeeding rates

There were also a number of comments made by residents completing the questionnaire, in relation to the strategy and action plan:

• provision of adequate staffing levels for population demand (eight respondents)
• ensuring equality of services across the borough (four respondents)
• support for all types of feeding - breast and bottle (four respondents
• consistent and up-to-date advice, including baby’s birth weight, by three weeks (three respondents)
• normalising the breastfeeding campaign – including mum’s rights to breastfeed and feeing beyond one year (three respondents)

We did

In response to the comments made, the strategy and action plan were amended to include the elements that respondents asked to be incorporated.

The strategy is currently being finalised and the final version will be available in summer 2022 – you will be able to view the final strategy on the council’s website, Barnet Online.

You can read more about this consultation here.

We asked

Following the outcome of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) statutory review, the new electoral arrangements for Barnet Council will come into effect at the Local Government elections on 5 May 2022. Barnet will continue to have 63 councillors but the number of wards is increasing from 21 to 24. There will be 15 three-councillor and 9 two-councillor wards. These changes to the warding arrangements in Barnet mean that all polling districts and polling places have to be reviewed.

As part of this review, Barnet’s Returning Officer (RO) proposed for new polling districts and polling places. We asked residents to comment on the Returning Officer’s proposals and suggestions for alternative venues and locations.

You said

We received a range of comments on the proposals from residents and councillors – you can view the representations received here.

We did

On behalf of the Returning Officers, we reviewed all representations and presented final polling district and polling place proposals to the Constitution and General Purposes Committee on 6 January and Full Council on 25 January for final approval. All 24 new warding arrangements were approved. To find out more information, please visit www.barnet.gov.uk/find-my-polling-station

You can read more about this consultation here.

We asked

We asked for your views on moving from Band B to Band A Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) for parking contraventions.

You said

Feedback received included approximately 300 responses. Details of consultation responses is set out in the report to Environment Committee.

We did

The recommendations of the report to the Council’s Environment Committee were approved and an application to adopt Band A was submitted to London Councils’ October 2020 Transport and Environment Committee, where it was approved. The next step was for the Mayor of London to grant approval, which was given on 14 October 2021, (published here). On the issuing of the Mayor’s written notification to the Secretary of State for Transport a one month period began during which the Secretary could object to the proposals. This period elapsed with no objections being raised and Barnet is implementing Band A charges from 12 January 2022.