Corporate Plan, Chapter 1: Introduction from the Leader
Welcome to Barnet’s Corporate Plan 2008/9 – 2011/12. Building on our hard work and successes of the last five years, Barnet has risen to the challenges set by central Government, improving our 3* score in its assessment of the council to a 4* score, despite much tougher inspection regimes. This means we are ‘improving well’ overall and that all our services have been recognised as ‘good’ by the Audit Commission. Most importantly, our residents still agree - 72% surveyed think we are ‘doing a good job’ which is well above the London average.
This is a massive achievement in challenging times but we still have work to do. Central government has set out its expectations of local authorities for stronger communities and local and national prosperity. Through action at a local level, we will continue to work with residents and businesses to sustain Barnet’s success. We have bold ambitions to develop Barnet further as an attractive, safe place to live and a vibrant and prosperous place to work and do business. This includes working with central government and the private sector to develop innovative ways to raise the money to deliver the infrastructure required for growth, keeping the cost to our communities as low as possible.
This is our Corporate Plan and vision for Barnet Council over the next four years. We hope it demonstrates our commitment to achieving these ambitions and to leading Barnet into the next decade as a thriving city suburb with stronger, integrated and more prosperous communities. The plan sets out how we will go about improving our services, emphasising value for money with modern, flexible and higher quality services at the lowest cost to you. It sets out the key priorities that will underpin all of our service and team plans, helping us to realise our vision of a successful Barnet in a successful London.
Councillor Mike Freer - Leader of the Council