Council Tax letter from Leader 2026
Dear Barnet Resident
We know households continue to face cost of living pressures, and so, to help families we are holding council tax below the maximum allowed.
We have kept it below the maximum for four years running, and this year we are one of only four boroughs in London to do so. This means Barnet has the lowest council tax of all our neighbours.We are determined to provide value for money, focus on your priorities and make sure every penny counts and is spent wisely.
You have told us that your priorities include community safety, highways, parks and open spaces and refuse collection and recycling.
So, these are just some of the things we have invested in:
- £2.3 million to fix and expand our CCTV network, with 900 CCTV camera angles, 33 moveable CCTV cameras and 2 mobile CCTV vans that have already captured 15,000 incidents helping to tackle crime and reduce anti-social behaviour.
- 14,543 potholes filled, 39 miles of roads repaired and 16 miles of pavements re-paved through our £97 million highways investment programme – the largest ever.
- Free community skips service, with 26,495 resident visits to skips to dispose of bulky waste, helping to keep fly-tipping down and 7,363 items sent for re-cycling or re-use.
- Tough action on fly-tippers with 148 fines issued, and over £100,000 collected in fly-tipping fines in the last year alone.
- 20 playgrounds in parks either rebuilt or upgraded, 2 parks awarded the prestigious ‘Green Flag’ status, and 3,000 trees planted.
And Barnet continues to be one of the most family friendly boroughs. Our schools deliver some of the best results in the country, with 100% of schools in Barnet now rated by OFSTED as Outstanding or Good / Expected Standard in every category and our Children’s and Adults’ social care services are both also rated ‘Good’.
However, we know many families are worried about the cost of living, and so we have helped more than 2,000 people since December 2025 to access support they are eligible for through our award-winning ‘Money Worries’ campaign and Financial Calculator. Check if you are eligible for financial support, try the calculator.
Barnet residents aged 60 or older are also eligible for the Freedom Pass, which is funded by all London boroughs and reduces the cost of travel.
Despite the current challenging financial backdrop that all councils are facing, we continue to focus on delivering quality services for residents.
We will continue to take the tough decisions to keep costs down and will keep engaging with residents to shape the council’s services around your priorities to make sure Barnet thrives as a borough of opportunity, and continues to be a great place to live, work and study.
Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council