We asked, you said, we did

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We asked

We asked for your views on the additional play equipment proposed for Hendon Park.

You said

We received 108 responses to the online questionnaire; we received one direct email and we spoke to 54 people at the event we ran in the park. The key themes from the public consultation were:

• the majority of respondents would like the new equipment located as close to the existing equipment as possible
• the majority of respondents liked the equipment proposed
• we received some comments about the poor paths and surfacing in the existing playground.

We did

The order has been placed for the new equipment, and this will be installed in Autumn 2023. The equipment will be located near to the existing playground.

The two pieces of equipment will be connected with surfacing, and we will be looking at how we can connect them to existing surfacing in the park.

This project and the agreed funding is for the new equipment only. Any surfacing work in the existing playground would be a separate project, which would require funding.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the equipment and layout proposed for the new accessible and inclusive playground at Victoria Recreation Ground.

You said

The consultation consisted of three online questionnaires. We received 24 responses to the professional questionnaire, 71 responses to the family and friends’ questionnaire and 16 responses to the potential user’s questionnaire. We also received seven direct emails.

The key themes from the public consultation were:

• respondents asked if the equipment can be used by children and adults, and those in wheelchairs
• over 80% of respondents said they would visit an inclusive playground
• concern that the existing playground at Victoria Recreation Ground will be removed
• request for more swinging items
• request for more sound and sensory items
• request for climbing equipment
• concern that the new equipment will be vandalised
• request for toilets including Changing Places toilet nearby
• respondents asked what the parking arrangements would be.

We did

Following the feedback, we are working on a revised design including some different equipment.

The equipment that will be included in the final design can be used by a wide age range and physical abilities. The intention is that there will be something for everyone. Most of the equipment can be used by children and adults. Some equipment can only be used by children, as we have been unable to source an adult version. There is equipment that can be used by those in wheelchairs, such as the swing, the roundabout and the seesaw. We are unable to have a hoist in the playground.

The existing playground at Victoria Recreation Ground will remain; this is an additional playground which aims to be accessible and inclusive.

There are several swinging items in the design including a wheelchair swing, two mirage swing seats and a nest swing. We are not planning on adding more swinging items to the design.

We have added more sound and sensory items into the revised design, with items that can be banged, spun and pushed, that create sound and/or patterns.

We are working to see if we can install a climbing net or similar into the revised design.

All the equipment has a lifetime guarantee. Vandalism can occur and we have tried to design the playground with this in mind.

New Barnet Leisure Centre is very close to the proposed playground. It has one Changing Places toilet and two accessible toilets.

In the local area there are the following parking options: the car park for the New Barnet Leisure Centre, the small car park on Park Road which is part of the park, and on street parking. Once the Fair Play Barnet playground has been constructed, we plan to undertake a user survey to understand if there are any specific challenges or barriers that require action. We will also listen to the comments from local residents.

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We asked

We asked for your views on our proposal to stop accepting cheques as a payment method. We wrote to 638 residents who had paid the council by cheque since April 2022, to ask them for their views, as well as carrying out an online questionnaire.

You said

The percentage of cheque users who responded saying they strongly opposed the proposal was around 15%, with a further 1% tending to oppose it. This consultation also captured reasons why people preferred to pay by cheque, with all cheque users since April 2022 subsequently sent guidance on how to switch their payment method based on these responses.

We did

The council has made the decision to stop accepting cheques as a payment method.

If you need support moving to an alternative payment method, please get in touch with the relevant team. Contact details will be on the bill or invoice you are paying.

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We asked

We asked you to apply to be part of the Culture Strategy Steering Group. This group will oversee the development of the Culture Strategy to ensure it sets out a programme for cultural development that reflects the needs of our borough and that the whole community can feel ownership of.

We asked you to answer some questions that focused on:

• why you thought you were a suitable to be on the steering group
• your knowledge and experience
• your connection to Barnet and how engaged you are with our local communities.

You said

We received a high volume of responses, with 55 individuals applying. The standard of these applications was extremely high and provided us with a broad spectrum of knowledge and expertise.

We did

We put in place fair and transparent methods to select members of the steering group. This assessment of applications was conducted by two individuals who work for the council and an independent non-council representative. 16 individuals were selected to be a member of the Culture Strategy Steering Group.

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We asked

We asked for for your views on the draft Children and Families Early Help Strategy, through a public consultation, consultation with children and young people during the Christmas BACE play provision, focus groups with parents and members and feedback from partners and internal staff. We asked if the strategy was easy to read and understand, if the strategy set out what children and families wanted to see, if it covered what was important to them, we asked about the design and layout to see if the strategy would be of interest to anyone who could access or deliver Early Help

We received feedback from 90 children and young people between 11-16 years, to the survey questions that specifically looked at whether the outcomes for their age groups resonated with them, their opinions on the design of the document and how easy it was to understand.

We received 83 responses to the online questionnaire.

You said

Children and Young people gave entirely positive responses on the children-friendly survey with no requests to change anything.

Generally positive feedback from parents/adults who said they particularly enjoyed the ordering of the document and viewed it as a guide of sorts on what to expect with their children as they grow.

You said you felt that it would be of benefit to parents for the document to be slightly more operational and to explain how a parent would go about accessing the support spoken about in the document, and what the criteria are for accessing the non-universal services. You agreed with the vision for each age group but would appreciate if the text was justified. You wanted the Early Help Hub details included next to the map, instead of separated. You wanted the priorities and outcomes to stand out and to have more specific detail on how children and families with SEND needs can access the support. You said you wanted a clear action plan to support the strategy.

We did

We updated the strategy to include more information on where to access support and what support is available through links to the Children and Family EARLY Help hubs. We added specific detail on the Local offer to support children with SEND needs. We made the outcomes and priorities stand out and be clearer in the document. We included the hub details with the maps showing the hub localities. The strategy is not an operational document however we ensured clear links in the document to our webpages and hub contacts where the operational delivery is set out. We did include how we will work together across the partnership in the strategy.We made changes to the graphics and layout following the feedback. You can view the final Early Help Strategy 2023 – 2027 here.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed relocated playground at Basing Hill Park.

You said

We received 56 responses to the online questionnaire, we received three direct emails and we spoke to 28 people at the two events we ran in the park. The key themes from the public consultation were:

• 78% of respondents liked the proposed location by Wayside
• 81% of respondents liked what was proposed for the new playground
• there was a request to include litter bins and benches in the design
• there was a request for a sand pit and/or water feature
• some people would like all of the playground fenced while others would like only parts of the playground fenced
• some people asked how the new playground will fit with the recently formally installed baseball pitch.

We did

Following the feedback received we have worked with the Herts Baseball Club, who are based in Basing Hill Park, and the national development agency for baseball, to understand the baseball pitch dimensions and the likelihood of balls travelling outside of the pitch. We have arranged for a map of the park to be drawn to scale, to include the baseball pitch, the existing backstop fencing and the soon to be installed lower fencing, as well as other key features of the park. We will use this map to have an informed discussion with our insurance team.

We have met with our play contractor and have discussed potential revisions to the playground, this will include providing litter bins and benches within the playground. The playground will all be fenced. Once the exact location of the playground has been agreed, we can finalise the design and place the order for the equipment. We will publish the final designs on this webpage.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed reduction to the Published Admission Number (PAN) of Friern Barnet Secondary School, from 162 places to 150 places, on the grounds that the school has been undersubscribed for some years and the demand is unlikely to increase in the foreseeable future.

You said

We received seven responses to the online questionnaire. Three respondents strongly agreed or agreed to the proposed reduction, one neither agreed nor disagreed, one tended to disagree, and one strongly disagreed.

Respondents in favour of the proposal gave the reasons that the school has been undersubscribed for some years and the proposed reduction would enable more efficient use of resources.

The first respondent who disagreed with the proposal gave the reason that there are an increasing number of new developments within the borough, and this may place pressure on secondary schools. However, our school roll projections, which take into account estimated pupil yield from new developments, indicate that demand for secondary places in the area will decline in the coming years. In the unlikely event that a rise in demand is seen, the school will be able increase the admission number, without the need for a formal consultation. The second respondent suggested that we should look at placing some of the pupils from the heavily oversubscribed schools in the area to the undersubscribed schools. Whilst we already offer Friern Barnet places as an alternative school option to local applicants whose school preferences cannot be met, we have a statutory duty to meet parental preference where possible, and we cannot enforce admission to alternative schools.

We did

The PAN for Friern Barnet School has formerly been reduced from 162 to 150 places, with effect from 1 September 2024.

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We asked

We asked for your views on a set of proposals on the way tennis is accessed across the borough and how they can be run in the future.

You said

We received 486 responses to the online questionnaire, and we received three direct emails.

The summary of the responses is:

• the majority of users played tennis once a week in parks
• suitable playable surface, court availability and advance bookings were the most popular answers given to what would make users play more tennis in parks
• the majority of respondents were happy with the online bookings platform
• most of the respondents were in favour of some form of charging structure, though a large number of respondents were against any charging structure at all.

We did

The results of the consultation were used to form a report that was presented to and approved at the Environment and Climate Change Committee in November 2022 (Agenda Item 10). The committee approved to introduce a sustainable operating model which also seeks to grow tennis participation in Barnet by:

• introducing an annual season ticket membership which allows the holder to book two 1-hour bookings per week
• providing three hours free to play on weekdays for all courts (10:00-11:00 and 16:00-18:00)
• bringing all bookings made by non-season ticket holders and outside of the free to play sessions in line with the existing pay and play model currently in place in Victoria Park and Hendon Park
• the installation of gated technology to protect and courts from misuse and damage
• provide for continued usage of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) online booking system across all sites
• delivering a borough wide investment programme to bring courts up to a good standard for safe and enjoyable play for all
• creating a sinking fund to safeguard the future quality and condition of the borough’s tennis courts.

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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.

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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.