Jump to content

Barnet London Borough Council

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barnet Council
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of arms
Logo
Council logo
Type
Type
HousesUnicameral
History
Founded1 April 1965
Leadership
Zahra Beg,
Labour
since 19 May 2026[1]
Barry Rawlings,
Labour
since 24 May 2022[2]
Cath Shaw
since June 2024[3]
Structure
Seats63 councillors[4]
Barnet Council composition
Political groups
Minority administration
  Labour (31)[5]
Opposition parties
  Conservative (31)
  Green (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
2 May 2030[6][7]
Meeting place
Image
Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BQ
Website
www.barnet.gov.uk

Barnet London Borough Council, also known as Barnet Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Barnet in Greater London, England. The council is responsible for providing certain services within the borough of Barnet. The council has been under no overall control since 2026, with Labour and the Conservatives having an equal number of councillors, and one Green councillor. The council meets at Hendon Town Hall and has its main offices at 2 Bristol Avenue in Colindale.

History

[edit]

There has been a Barnet local authority since 5 October 1863 when a local government district was created for the town of Barnet, also known as Chipping Barnet, governed by an elected local board.[8] Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894, which saw the board replaced by an urban district council.[9][10]

The much larger London Borough of Barnet and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963,[11] with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council operated as a shadow authority alongside the area's five outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Finchley and Hendon and the urban district councils of Barnet, East Barnet and Friern Barnet. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished. The minister responsible for the decision to merge the councils was Sir Keith Joseph.[12][13]

The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Barnet". The councils logo includes the copy "Barnet London Borough".[14]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the borough councils (including Barnet) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Barnet has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London borough councils, with some services provided through joint committees.[15]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[16]

Barnet Council created an ALMO, Barnet Homes, in 2004 to manage some housing services. The organisation was initially focused on managing the decent homes programme. Barnet Homes became part of The Barnet Group in 2012 and other council services were transferred to the organisation to manage.[17]

In 2010, outline planning permission was provided for Brent Cross Town, which is part of one of the largest regeneration projects Barnet Council has ever managed.[18][19] Barnet Council created a joint venture with Argent Related (now known as Related Argent[20]) which is responsible for the redevelopment.[21]

In 2012 Barnet outsourced the majority of its functions to Capita under what it called the 'One Barnet' programme, to be managed from locations outside of Barnet, including Northern Ireland, and the South West and North of England.[22] The scheme was controversial; a local resident, Maria Stella Nash, tried to challenge the council's decision via a judicial review, without success and an application to appeal the decision was unsuccessful.[23][24] Most of the outsourced functions were brought in-house during 2023,[25] and some contracts ended in 2026.[26]

Barnet was one of six local authorities in London that were given permission by the government to relax funding rules, in financial year 2025 to 2026, allowing them to raise an extra £55.7 million by borrowing or via the sale of assets.[27] For financial year 2026 to 2027 they were allocated £79.3 million of exceptional financial support, due to a funding deficit.[28]

Powers and functions

[edit]

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963[11] and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority it also collects precepts for the Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[29]

Barnet sets planning policies which complement the Greater London Authority London Plan and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly.[30][31] It is a local education authority[32] and is also responsible for social services,[33] traffic and most roads, anti-social behaviour reviews,[34][35] libraries,[36] and environmental services including waste collection and disposal.[37]

Social housing

[edit]

The council's social housing, consisting of 13,000 homes, is managed by Barnet Homes, which is part of the Barnet Group, a local authority trading company.[38][39] They were awarded the highest possible rating by the Regulator of Social Housing, in 2025.[40] In April 2026, Barnet Council renewed an agreement with Barnet Homes, that contracts the company to manage their social housing for another 10 years.[41] In September 2026, they were criticised for appointing Laura Johnson, the previous Housing Director for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea when the Grenfell Tower tragedy occurred.[42] The Grenfell inquiry found that her decisions reduced fire safety. Barnet Homes responded by saying she was the most suitable candidate for the role,[38] but confirmed in October 2026, that she was no longer employed by their organisation.[43]

Political control

[edit]

The council went under no overall control at the 2026 election, after which a Labour minority administration formed to run the council.[44]

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:

Party in control Years
Conservative 1965–1994
No overall control 1994–2002
Conservative 2002–2022
Labour 2022–2026
No overall control 2026–present

Leadership

[edit]

Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Barnet. The leaders since 1969 have been:[45]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Alan FletcherConservative19691973
Andrew ParesConservative19731975
Leslie PymConservative19751991
Roy SchutzConservative19911994
Alan WilliamsLabour19942002
Victor Lyon[46]ConservativeMay 2002May 2005
Brian Salinger[47][48]Conservative17 May 2005May 2006
Mike Freer[49][50]Conservative16 May 200615 Dec 2009
Lynne Hillan[51][52]Conservative15 Dec 200917 May 2011
Richard Cornelius[53][54]Conservative15 Jun 20119 May 2019
Dan Thomas[55][56]Conservative21 May 2019May 2022
Barry Rawlings[57]Labour24 May 2022

Elections

[edit]

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Seats are filled using plurality block voting; elections are held every four years.[58]

Following the 2026 election, when Labour lost 10 seats to the Conservatives, the composition of the council is:[59]

Party Councillors
Labour31
Conservative31
Green1
Total 63

The next election is due in May 2030.[60]

Wards

[edit]

The wards of Barnet and the number of seats:[58]

  1. Barnet Vale (3 seats)
  2. Brunswick Park (3)
  3. Burnt Oak (3)
  4. Childs Hill (3)
  5. Colindale North (2)
  6. Colindale South (3)
  7. Cricklewood (2)
  8. East Barnet (3)
  9. East Finchley (3)
  10. Edgware (3)
  11. Edgwarebury (2)
  12. Finchley Church End (3)
  13. Friern Barnet (3)
  14. Garden Suburb (2)
  15. Golders Green (2)
  16. Hendon (3)
  17. High Barnet (2)
  18. Mill Hill (3)
  19. Totteridge and Woodside (3)
  20. Underhill (2)
  21. West Finchley (3)
  22. West Hendon (3)
  23. Whetstone (2)
  24. Woodhouse (2)

Premises

[edit]
Image
2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale: Council's main offices since 2019

The council has its main offices at 2 Bristol Avenue in Colindale, which was completed in 2019.[61][62] Council meetings are held at Hendon Town Hall, which was completed in 1901 for Hendon Urban District Council.[63][64] The town hall in Wood Street, previously used by Barnet Urban District Council, was subsequently used by Barnet Council as its register office, before becoming the premises of the North London Coroner's Court.[65]

Image
Barnet House, 1255 High Road, Whetstone: Council's main offices 1986–2019

Prior to 2019 the council's main offices were at Barnet House in Whetstone, which had been built in 1966 as 'Ever Ready House', being the headquarters of the British Ever Ready Electrical Company. The council moved into the building in 1986 and renamed it Barnet House.[66]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Councillor Zahra Beg sworn in as 62nd Mayor of Barnet". London Borough of Barnet. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2022". Barnet London Borough Council. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Barnet Council names new Chief Executive". Barnet Council. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  4. ↑ "People representing Barnet and its citizens". www.barnet.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Local elections 2026: Labour retain control of Barnet Council". Barnet Council.
  6. ↑ "Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England". GOV.UK.
  7. ↑ "Representation of the People Act 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk.
  8. ↑ "No. 22776". The London Gazette. 2 October 1863. p. 4745.
  9. ↑ Kelly's Directory of Hertfordshire. 1914. p. 32. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Barnet Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 "London Government Act 1963". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  12. ↑ McConnell, Anita; Wallis, Helen (1995). Historian's Guide to Early British Maps A Guide to the Location of Pre-1900 Maps of the British Isles Preserved in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0521551526.
  13. ↑ Jones, Nick (1 April 2025). "Reliving the argument when Finchley and Hendon lost out to the three Barnets in deciding the name of the London Borough of Barnet". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Intellectual Property Office - Trade Marks Journal". www.ipo.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  16. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  17. ↑ Youde, Kate (6 September 2013). "New and improved". Inside Housing. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Brent Cross £8bn Glow-Up: 150 Shops, Cinema 2026". North London News. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Brent Cross Cricklewood". www.barnet.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Argent Related rebrands for future growth | Related". www.related.com. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "Project History". Transforming Brent Cross Cricklewood. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  22. ↑ Blunden, Mark (5 December 2012). "'easyCouncil' Barnet offloads services to Capita in £1bn deal". The Standard. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  23. ↑ High Court (Administrative Court), Nash, R (on the application of) v Capita Plc & Ors (2013) EWHC 1067 (Admin), published 29 April 2013, accessed 30 August 2022
  24. ↑ "R (Nash) v Barnet London Borough Council". Keating Chambers. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "Council services return in-house as outsourcing contract ends". Barnet Council. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  26. ↑ Ives, Joe (15 September 2026). "Council set to take IT systems in-house as Capita contract expires". Barnet Post. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Warren, Jess (20 February 2025). "London councils allowed 'exceptional' government funds". BBC News. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Joe, Ives (18 September 2026). "Council accepts financial review recommendations as leader pledges to prioritise 'sustainability'". Barnet Post. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Bishop, Robin (14 August 2026). "Mayor Khan's proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  32. ↑ "The Local Education Authorities and Children's Services Authorities (Integration of Functions) Order 2010". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  33. ↑ Floyd, David (2 December 2025). "Greens highlight "profound crisis" in social care ahead of extraordinary council meeting". Barnet Post. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "Anti social behaviour". www.barnet.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  35. ↑ "Antisocial activity". Barnet Homes. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  36. ↑ Howarth, Grace (28 May 2025). "Barnet mobile library to be axed as some opening hours cut". Barnet Borough Times. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  37. ↑ Jones, Nick (27 December 2025). "Barnet Council to reintroduce food waste collection service – households will receive new food caddies and bins over next few weeks". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  38. 1 2 Murray, Jessica (13 September 2026). "Director who oversaw Grenfell cost-cutting given senior council housing role". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "Home". The Barnet Group. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "London Borough of Barnet (00AC) - Regulatory Judgement: 29 October 2025". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "Council's social housing awarded highest grading by regulator". Premier Construction News. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  42. ↑ Buksh, Ayshea (15 September 2026). "Ex-Grenfell housing chief Laura Johnson given new council role". BBC News. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
  43. ↑ Buksh, Ayshea (12 October 2026). "Ex-Grenfell housing chief no longer at Barnet Council". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
  44. ↑ Hill, Dave (21 May 2026). "Barnet Council has a Labour leader again. How did it happen?". On London. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  45. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac: London Borough of Barnet". London Councils. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  46. ↑ O'Neill, Natalie (7 July 2011). "Former leader of Barnet Council Victor Lyon has died". Times Series. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "Council minutes, 17 May 2005" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  48. ↑ Marzouk, Lawrence (18 May 2006). "Barnet: 'Right-wing coup'". The London Now. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  49. ↑ "Council minutes, 16 May 2006" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  50. ↑ "Council minutes, 15 December 2009" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  51. ↑ "Council minutes, 17 May 2011" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  52. ↑ O'Neill, Natalie (5 April 2012). "Tributes paid to former Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan". Barnet Borough Times. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  53. ↑ "Council minutes, 15 June 2011" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  54. ↑ "Election of the Leader of the Council" (PDF). Barnet Council. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  55. ↑ "Council minutes, 21 May 2019". Barnet Council. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  56. ↑ Howarth, Grace (16 May 2024). "Tory group leader at Barnet Council stepping down". Barnet Post. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  57. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2022". Barnet Council. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  58. 1 2 "The London Borough of Barnet (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2020/1106, retrieved 12 April 2024
  59. ↑ Jones, Nick (8 May 2026). "Devastating losses for Labour in Barnet Council elections as the authority faces uncertainty with no party in overall control". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  60. ↑ "Barnet". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  61. ↑ "How to get to our Colindale office". Barnet Council. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  62. ↑ "Colindale Office". Price Myers. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  63. ↑ Historic England. "Hendon Town Hall, Barnet (Grade II) (1294762)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  64. ↑ London's Town Halls. London: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1998. p. 11. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  65. ↑ Jones, Nick (10 September 2012). "Barnet's town hall: an inspiring conversion". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  66. ↑ "Ever Ready House". Modernism in Metro-land. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barnet_London_Borough_Council&oldid=1381220197"