We asked, you said, we did

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We asked

We asked for your views on the revised Gambling Statement of Principles, which The Gambling Act 2005 requires the Council to review and publish every three years.

You said

A total of 16 responses were received.

The analysis of the responses indicated that 54% of the respondents thought positively about the introduction of a more detailed Local Area Profile and gambling vulnerability zones within the draft Gambling Statement of Principles. 38% were not in favour of any Gambling being carried out in the borough and 8% neither agreed nor disagreed with the content of the same document.

Of the 38% of respondents who were not in favour of the draft Gambling Statement of Principles the respondents either did not wish for any Gambling taking place in Barnet or sought for the Licensing Authority to restrict the number of licensed premises being granted.

The Gambling Act 2005 does not give the Licensing Authority the ability to restrict the number of licensed premises opening in a particular area. We believe that the additions to the Local Area Plan will go some way to ensuring that any licences granted, do not attract additional criminal activities. In addition, the risk assessment submitted with each new application should seek to address issues such as the location of its premises to vulnerable groups and set out ways in which it can limit its potential negative impact upon an area.

We did

Following the consultation feedback, we amended and updated the draft document where appropriate/possible to do so. In addition to these amendments the Licensing Team are now working with our Insight and Intelligence team and looking to develop, in advance of the next revision of this Statement of Principles, a comprehensive intelligence led local area profile dashboard. This dashboard will enable applicants, licence holders and any other interested parties to consider relevant issued faced in the specific area that the premises in question is located.

You can view the Full Council decision to approve the revised Gambling Statement of Principles here.

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We asked

We asked residents to give us their views on the proposals to increase the charges for the garden waste collection service.

You said

The consultation received 2,439 responses. At least 2,093 (85.8%) of these responses were from current service users.

The majority of respondents opposed an increase in charges (92.74%, 2,262 out of 2,439 respondents). A minority of respondents supported an increase in charges (4.18%, 102 out of 2,439 respondents). 27.64% of respondents opposed a concessionary rate being applied for residents claiming Council Tax Benefit which would freeze the current charge at £70 (27.64%, 623 out of Garden waste charges consultation 2024/25 5 2,254 respondents). 38.77% of respondents supported a concessionary rate being applied for residents claiming Council Tax Benefit.

We did

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change in consultation with the Chief Officer for Customer and Place took all the feedback into consideration and agreed to increase the charges. The revised charges and the offer of a concessionary rate via a rebate for residents in receipt of Council Tax Support at Band 1 level applied from 27 March 2024. You can read more information in the full consultation report.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the Brent Cross Cricklewood Experimental Controlled Parking Zone (ECPZ) at Brent Terrace, Clitterhouse Crescent, Clitterhouse Road and a section of Claremont Road put in place in March 2023.

Following feedback from the initial Brent Cross Cricklewood Experimental Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) consultation, which started 20 March 2023, we proposed changes to the operation times which required the ECPZ to be extended for a further 6 months.

Initially, the ECPZ operated every day of the week from 8am to 10pm. Resident feedback indicated that reduced operation timings were preferred. We proposed that the ECPZ would be in operation every day of the week from 9am to 6pm from Thursday 26 October.

You said

We received five responses to the consultation:

• Three respondents requested further reduced hours; and
• Two respondents objected as they feel the scheme would cause parking stress.

We did

In line with the experimental process, we have reviewed all correspondence received.

After reviewing all feedback and observations from the experimental period and both consultations, the council has decided to make the CPZ permanent starting from Thursday 20 June 2024. The CPZ will operate on every day of the week from 9am to 6pm.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed schedule of fees and charges for Building Control Service, to be implemented from April 2024.

You said

We did not receive any responses to the online questionnaire.

We did

The fees and charges were authorised under the delegated authority of the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member for Resources and Effective Council. You can read more in the report authorising the new fees and charges.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the proposal to reduce the Published Admission Number (PAN) for the three community primary schools named below, on the grounds that these schools have experienced a significant fall in pupil numbers in recent years and are expected to see a continued decline in the demand for school places for the foreseeable future.

• Deansbrook Infant School, from 90 to 60 places
• Moss Hall Infant School, from 120 to 90 places
• Wessex Gardens School, from 60 to 30 places

You said

We received a total of 17 responses. Of those who expressed an opinion, mostly were in favour of the proposed reduction to the schools’ PANs. Only one respondent felt inclined to disagree with the proposed reduction to Deansbrook Infant School’s PAN and two respondents were inclined to disagree with the proposed reduction to Moss Hall Infant School’s PAN. No respondents disagreed with the proposed reduction to Wessex Garden School’s PAN.

Respondents in favour of the proposed PAN reductions acknowledged the issue with falling pupil rolls and the financial implications associated with a growing number of surplus school places. Those who disagreed expressed a preference for smaller classes.

We did

The PAN for all three schools has been reduced as proposed, with effect from 1 September 2025.

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We asked

We asked residents, community groups and wider partners to help us develop and co-produce our new Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy for Barnet. To build on the Phase 1 engagement in 2023, Phase 2 involved more focussed work to develop and test the emerging EDI priorities and objectives.

You said

Between September – December 2023, we delivered a series of workshops in collaboration with local groups. Over 80 people shared their views on the emerging EDI themes and priorities. Through this phase, we learned that residents wanted us to:

• emphasise the understanding of residents’ individuality which includes their lived experiences
• recognise differences not only between communities, but within communities
• acknowledge that services are going to need to work harder to become more accessible
• think about our community development offer
• promote respect for all and foster togetherness in addition to celebrating diversity.

We did

We analysed the insights gathered and produced an EDI policy engagement (phase 2) report which included the following recommendations:

Refine the emerging EDI themes and priorities

• embrace the emerging themes and priorities, incorporating resident feedback to enhance comprehension e.g. outlining actions that will be taken
• explicitly demonstrate how the themes and priorities are integrated into the overarching Corporate Plan priorities.

Create a unifying EDI vision

• develop a concise and easy to understand EDI vision
• ensure the vision is adaptable, allowing for varied articulations while maintaining a strong unifying message.

Follow inclusive language principles

• demonstrate that consideration of diverse perspectives and outline guiding principles in the use of collective terms to foster transparency and understanding.

We have developed ‘Towards A Fair Barnet – Our roadmap to create a more equal Barnet’. Work is underway to working identify and agree a set of actions across the Council to ensure the commitments laid out in the roadmap lead to a positive impact.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the initial proposals for Watling Avenue Car Park.

You said

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the community engagement activities to date for the proposals for Watling Avenue Car Park in Burnt Oak. During October and November 2023, there were 847 website visits, along with around 150 responses through feedback forms, emails, and calls. The public drop-in events engaged over 60 local residents, while a session with 25 young people provided insights into their needs.

In addition to this, Linkcity spoke to businesses and completed a leaflet drop to 650 homes, supplemented with an in-person leaflet distribution along the high street, at local venues and outside Burnt Oak tube station in the evening.

Linkcity have thoroughly analysed all the feedback on the proposals for Watling Avenue Car Park and the top three comments were:

• concerns about the loss of car parking, specifically regarding the implications for commuters and residents. Respondents anticipate challenges in finding parking spaces and express broader concerns about the impact on Watling Avenue and its surrounding roads.
• building height and density were noted, with some respondents referencing the scale of development as excessive.
• another key theme focused on the capacity of existing services, particularly the ability to access GP surgeries and schools to accommodate the increased number of residents in light of the other schemes coming forward in the area.

In addition to these three main themes, the community asked about enhancing the safety of the area and ensuring the sustainability of the scheme. Suggestions were provided for the new park, including advocating for improved safety features such as CCTV and lighting. Some respondents favoured a play area and there was also the endorsement of a variety of wildlife and plants.

You can read the feedback received so far in full on the consultation website.

We did

To engage with residents further, Linkcity will be hosting another in-person event at Burnt Oak Library late spring. At the event, they will present more detailed designs and gather feedback.

The consultation website will be updated with the date and time of this event and we will add the information to this page. If you have any questions or comments in the meantime please get in touch with the Linkcity team.

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We asked

We asked for your views on a proposal to end council funding towards waking night support for all tenants at Deborah Lodge, Gadsbury Close and Speedwell House, but to make sure that any individuals with eligible care and support needs will continue to have their needs met. 

You said  

29 people responded to the consultation.

Eight respondents strongly opposed (37.9%), four respondents tended to oppose (13.8%), four strongly supported (13.8%), two tended to support (6.89%), eight neither supported nor opposed (27.6%) and three were not sure or did not know (10.3%)

Of those who opposed, the primary reason given by most respondents was that they found having a waking night service reassuring.

We did

We took all the feedback into consideration, and we decided to end the waking night support service at all three sheltered schemes, to align the council offer with the other sheltered housing schemes in the borough. We have written to all tenants to advise them that if they feel they need additional support can have a Care Needs Assessment by our Adult Social Care Teams, who can tailor support to them individually. They can do this by telephoning Social Care Direct on 020 8359 5000.

Upon the review of all comments, we have provided information to tenants of the three schemes about community services which support residents with:

• Befriending
• Digital inclusion
• Finance
• Community activities
• General wellbeing.
• Digital Care Technology they can source directly themselves.

We have also reminded sheltered housing providers of their obligation to support their tenants, to report any concerns to the council and tell us if they feel individuals need additional support.

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We asked

We asked for your views on the introduction of a number of new road safety measures that will reduce the speed of vehicles on Mays Lane and its surrounding roads. This also included the proposed removal of the existing width restriction at Manor Road junction following concerns raised by residents.

You said

We received 194 responses from approximately 3441 properties, which equates to an overall response rate of 5.63%.

The most common objections were for the proposed:

• Bus-gate at the junction of Quinta Drive
• No entry into Connaught Road from Mays Lane
• Removal of the width restriction at Manor Road junction
• No-entry from May’s Lane onto Vale Drive (Vale Drive to be converted to one-way)
• Double-yellow lines on Chesterfield Road
• No right turn from Elton Avenue
• Introduction of the 20mph zone.

We did

Our decision on the proposals we progress will be based on our road safety report as well as feedback and objections received from residents.

We will make our recommendations to the Director of Highways who, as decision maker for this Local Implementation Plans (LIP) scheme, will have ultimate authority as to what proposals we proceed with.

We will write to residents again and update this page with the aspects of the scheme that will be delivered.

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We asked

To address road safety concerns, we asked for your views on the implementation of the Queenswell School & Surrounding Areas– 20 mph Zone.

The introduction of a 20-mph zone in the area surrounding Queenswell Infant and Nursery Schools aims to improve road safety and tackle significant safety concerns that will affect the following roads: Friern Barnet Lane, Myddelton Park, Queens Avenue, Oakleigh Road North, Oakleigh Park North, Oakleigh Avenue and Oakleigh Park South.

You said

We received forty-nine (49) responses from approximately one thousand seventy-seven (1077) letters dropped to the residents, which equates to an overall response rate of 4.55%.

Furthermore, 30.61%, fifteen (15) respondents, were unsatisfied with the current proposal for different reasons; in comparison, 48.98%, twenty-four (24) respondents, were in favour of introducing the proposed changes. 12.24%, around six (6) respondents, expressed their willingness to support the proposal if further actions accompany the proposed measures.

We did

After having reviewed the objections received and having evaluated the potential impact (road safety, community support and project goals) of the valid objections raised through this engagement exercise, the following are the suggested next steps that the design team recommends implementing:

• Engage with MP: Reach out to MP Theresa Villiers to discuss her concerns in more detail, explore alternative solutions, seek common grounds, and reach compromises.
• Review Proposal: In light of the significant objections received and having into consideration the low participation, it is recommended to exhaustively review the proposal presented to incorporate the comments we have received so far and to prepare the ground to conceive a better proposal that can be presented again to the public.
• Consider an extension on the consultation: Assess the possibility of allowing further discussions and obtaining a more representative response from the community that supports the proposal presented.