Hendon Town Hall
Barnet Labour Group have retained control of Barnet Council as a minority administration, with Cllr Barry Rawlings confirmed once again as the Leader of Barnet Council.
Labour were returned to Barnet Council’s administration following a close vote by councillors at this evening’s (19 May) Annual Meeting at Hendon Town Hall.
The Conservative nomination for Council Leader fell by 32 votes to 31. In the nomination for a Labour Council Leader, the Conservatives abstained to allow the appointment of Cllr Barry Rawlings by 31 votes to one.
At the local elections held on 7 May, Labour and Conservatives tied on winning 31 seats each, with one seat won by the Green Party. Thirty-two seats are required for a majority, meaning no overall control of the council was achieved by either party. In line with the council’s constitution, the 63 newly elected councillors are then required to vote for a party to take control of the council.
On being re-elected Leader, Cllr Barry Rawlings named his Cabinet:
Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of the Council, Strategic Partnerships, Economy & Effective Council
Cllr Ross Houston - Deputy Leader, Homes & Regeneration
Cllr Anne Clarke - Culture, Leisure, Arts & Sport
Cllr Pauline Coakley-Webb - Family Friendly Barnet
Cllr Sara Conway - Community Safety, Community Cohesion and Ending Violence Against Women & Girls
Cllr Alison Moore - Adult Social Care and Health
Cllr Nagus Narenthira - Equalities, Poverty Reduction and the Voluntary and Community Sector
Cllr Simon Radford - Financial Sustainability
Cllr Alan Schneiderman - Environment and Climate Change
Under the minority Labour administration, the Leader of Barnet Conservatives, Cllr Peter Zinkin, will attend the Leader’s Cabinet meetings as a non-executive member to allow Opposition input into discussions.
Councillors also approved enhanced arrangements to allow the Opposition more meaningful opportunities to scrutinise decisions before they are taken.
The new arrangements include Conservative chairs for most Overview & Scrutiny sub-committees, with the addition of two new sub-committees to scrutinise Finance & Growth and Environment matters. The Conservatives will also chair the Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee (GARMS) and the Pension Fund Committee.
Labour will retain the chair of decision-making committees such as Planning and Licensing.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Barry Rawlings, said:
“I am honoured to be reappointed to serve as Leader of the Council, and to take forward our ambitious agenda for Barnet.
“We will continue to care for people, our places and the planet, work to drive down poverty and towards our Net Zero targets, invest in community safety and prevention to ensure everyone can live their best lives, deliver the public realm improvements residents want to see, and bear down on costs to get us to financial sustainability.
“We will work constructively with the Opposition to govern in the best interests of residents and deliver the improvements Barnet residents need and deserve.”
ENDS
Notes for editors
These local elections produced a record 312 candidates – compared to 207 in 2022 – standing for 63 seats across the borough’s 24 wards.
- The Conservatives won 31 seats.
- Labour won 31 seats.
- The Green Party won 1 seat.
The previous administration was made up of 40 Labour councillors, 19 Conservatives, two councillors that are not part of a Council Political Group, and two vacancies.
The two councillors that were not part of a Council Political Group represented Reform UK and the Green party.