We asked, you said, we did

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We asked

Following the introduction of the Barnet Hospital (BH) Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in 2018, we carried out an informal consultation during July and August 2020 to find out the views of residents and businesses situated inside and outside the CPZ, including whether they or their visitors experienced problems parking close to their property and if so at what times of the day. We also asked them if they would support having a CPZ introduced in their road.

You said

Roads within the Barnet Hospital CPZ

We consulted 449 properties within the CPZ. We received 109 responses to the questionnaire which included comments, suggestions and objections which are summarised below.

The majority of the resident and their visitors said that they found it easier to park closer to their home since the Barnet Hospital CPZ was introduced and were also happy with the current hours and days of the CPZ.

A few residents of Wellside Close raised concerns regarding the difficulties that they were experiencing after 6.30pm in the evenings due to its close proximity to Barnet Hospital.

Roads situated outside the Barnet Hospital CPZ

We consulted 1691 properties within the CPZ. We received 162 responses to the questionnaire which included comments, suggestions and objections which are summarised below.

The majority of the residents that responded expressed that they were in favour of a CPZ to be introduced on their street with CPZ controls operating all day to mitigate the effects of commuter parking.

Concerns were also raised regarding inconsiderate parking mainly at junctions that have an impact on visibility, traffic flow and general road safety.

You can view the consultation report, including responses to objections.

We did

We have carefully considered all the comments received to the informal consultation and have decided to extend the Barnet Hospital CPZ on an experimental basis in the roads listed under Schedule 1. It has also been decided to extend the Barnet “Zone C” CPZ to include Regina Close and Elizabeth Close (Schedule 2) on an experimental basis. This will enable us to keep the controls under review.

We also upgraded the operational CPZ controls of Wellside Close from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday to operate 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday from 23 May 2022.

Introducing the above measures on an experimental basis 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.

In addition to the measures mentioned above a number of resident permit bays, operating 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, within the existing BH CPZ will be converted to shared use parking bays. These bays may be used by residents and businesses permit holders and Pay by Phone users. These bays will operate from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday in Grimsdyke Crescent, Kings Road, Cavendish Road and Elmbank Avenue. These measures are proposed in order to provide improved parking opportunities for residents, businesses, and visitors in the vicinity of Barnet Hospital. It will also help in reducing parking pressure in the BH CPZ area.

As well as the above measures, lengths of double yellow lines will be introduced on street at vulnerable locations in order to deter inconsiderate parking, improve sightlines and improve traffic flow.

We will hand deliver notification letters with the scheme plans to the properties within the experimental CPZ informing residents and businesses 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 a plan of the Barnet Hospital CPZ and Barnet “Zone C” extension boundary and detailed plans on the right-hand side of the consultation page.

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We asked

We asked your views on our Health Coaching Programme, delivered by Home-Start using their coordinators and volunteers. 49 questionnaires were completed in 2022, and included a combination of online and face-to-face questionnaire completion. We also consulted staff and stakeholders involved in delivering the service as part of this consultation.

We asked service users:

• how much you have engaged with the services offered as part of the Health Coaches Programme
• about the quality of service that you received
• what you valued about the service and what you 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

• 100% said you would be very likely or likely to recommend a health coach to your family or friends
• 64% would prefer face to face or home visit from their coordinator or volunteer.
• service users most value: Face-to-face contact (54%); Listening to worries and concerns (54%); Ability to contact them as necessary (42%).

We did

• we will continue to offer face-to-face support for those that prefer this
• we will ensure staff and volunteers receive adequate training about the range of support available to families, so that they can signpost
• we will promote the service to organisations that refer to Home-Start, ensuring they are fully aware of the range of support on offer
• we will consider a targeted recruitment campaign, focused on equality, diversity, and inclusion, to recruit volunteers from a range of backgrounds, especially those that speak multiple languages
• we will spotlight mental health in training, development, and activities since this has worsened as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic
• we will make families with young children aware of the scales available in Children’s Centres, after explaining the importance of monitoring their baby’s weight.

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We asked

We asked for your views on pharmaceutical services in Barnet. Pharmaceutical services include services provided from local pharmacies, dispensaries at doctors' surgeries, or specialist appliance contractors. Local pharmacies also provide healthcare help and advice and are often the first point of contact when people are concerned about their health.

You said

We received 482 responses to the public questionnaire. The analysis of the questionnaires shows:

• 90% of respondents have a preferred local pharmacy
• 67% of respondents have visited a community pharmacy at least once a month in the past six-month period
• 56% of respondents the main method of transport was walking
• 89% of respondents were able to reach the pharmacy within 15 minutes (100% within 30 minutes)
• 29% of respondents identified a difficulty in getting to a pharmacy, 23% of whom identified parking as the main issue.
• from the public questionnaire, accessing a community pharmacy in Barnet was not seen to be an issue by the vast majority.

We did

In response to the comments made, the Barnet draft PNA 2022 was compiled and available for consultation from 13 June to 12 August 2022. Anyone who uses local pharmaceutical services is invited to comment during the consultation process. We want to make sure that you can access pharmaceutical services easily and that you are happy with the service you receive.

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We asked

We invited members of the local community who care about North Finchley Town Centre, and have the time, to come together and work in partnership with the council and others to support the town centre to thrive.

You said

We received 16 applications to join the board.

We did

We assessed the applications in line with the Council’ standard procurement system and 11 members from the local community joined. The first meeting was held on 22 November 2021. More information on the North Finchley Partnership Board is available here and you can find the agendas and minutes for previous meetings online.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our draft Fit and Active Barnet Framework 2022 – 2026, which sets out the direction for the development and delivery of physical activity in Barnet over the next five years. This is underpinned by our proposed vision to ‘create a more active and healthy borough’ through a whole-systems approach.

You said

We received 73 responses to the questionnaire:

• an average of 77% agree with the vision of the framework
• 92% agree with the guiding principles laid out in the framework
• the majority (between 87% and 92%) agree with the aims of the framework.

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

• consideration needed for funding (2 comments)
• suggestions for more specific wording (2 comments)
• barriers to access (e.g. cost) (11 comments)
• inequalities (4 comments)
• Community Safety (3 comments)
• Active Travel (22 comments)
• consider provisions available for people with a disability (6 comments)
• culturally specific interventions (3 comments)
• improve parks and open spaces (13 comments)
• comments on community support (3 comments).

We did

In response to the comments made, we amended the Framework and it’s supporting implementation plan to include the elements that respondents asked to be incorporated, and/or provided as suggestions.

The Framework has now been finalised and the final version is available on the Barnet Council website

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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.