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Barnet Council’s Environment Committee is set to discuss how it can make the most of its parks and open spaces for residents to enjoy, when it meets on Monday 11 January.   The Draft Parks and Open Spaces Strategy was commissioned to give the council a comprehensive review of the quality of Barnet’s parks and suggests a range of opportunities available where green spaces can improve the quality of life of its residents as well as provide valuable assets that support the economic success of the borough.  

As of Tuesday 5 September, the project had received 98 per cent of the total needed to turn the idea into a reality, with 21 days still remaining to find the remaining funds. In total, 94 backers have pledged more than £54,000 towards the project, with £5,000 of this having been committed by Barnet Council through the Barnet Together Fund.

The improved in-house model would mean staff would continue to be employed by the council, with the service transformed over the next 12 to 18 months. It would also enable the service to achieve savings as well as deliver its objectives to: • Re-use, recycle, or compost 50 per cent of all waste the council collects • Provide services to residents and businesses that are cost effective, easy to use, and help people do the right thing • Keep Barnet clean and green • Support a thriving local economy • Get investment in public spaces

The survey results, taken from autumn 2017, found that 85 per cent of residents were satisfied with the local area, which is in line with the results from the previous survey in spring. In addition to this, 75 per cent of the residents surveyed feel like they belong to the local area and 75 per cent see Barnet as a family-friendly place to live. Since 2013 overall satisfaction with the council has been consistently above the national average. In the most recent survey 65 per cent of residents are satisfied with the council, which is now in line with the national average.

Committee members approved the recommendation that Barnet Council will undertake the review, with a view to bringing a final business case to committee in the autumn. The business case will test all the options put forward in the report at last night’s committee. The review reflects the council’s ongoing commitment to ensuring service delivery arrangements are as effective and efficient as possible. It also takes account of both the positive benefits the contract has delivered and the new strategic approach outlined by Capita earlier this year.

Barnet’s results remain high this year, continuing to exceed national averages, with this year’s results matching those recorded 12 months ago. The results come amid further expansion of the new linear A-levels which focus mainly on exam results in determining a final grade, rather than classroom assessment carried out by teachers. Results received so far in Barnet show 98.5% of A-level examinations were awarded an A* to E grade. This is above the national average of 97.6%.

To help to continue to keep the borough clean, the council is planning to introduce guidelines to keep High Streets free of litter, fly-tipped material and clutter. A key feature of the guidelines is to introduce “time-banded” collections in Barnet’s High Streets, meaning residents and businesses affected would only be able to be place waste and recycling out for collection at restricted times.

The final decision on the 2016/17 budget will be taken at Full Council on 1 March, informed by responses to the consultation.  Barnet Council faces a savings gap of £81 million between 2016 and 2020, which is in addition to budget savings of £75 million that have already been achieved since 2010. 

Excitement across the borough is growing for the facility, which will offer 20 activities every night for young people aged between eight and 19, and up to 25 for those with additional needs.   Barnet Council are putting £4.2million towards the construction costs, and national charity OnSide has raised the remaining £2.3million from charitable trusts, foundations and philanthropists. OnSide has developed a thriving network of Youth Zones across the North West and Midlands and Barnet’s facility will be among the first in the South of the country when it opens next year.

The annual primary school performance tables, published by the Department for Education in December, show 73 per cent of 11-year-olds in Barnet achieved at least the expected standard in reading in 2016 – above the England average of 66 per cent. In Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS), 80 per cent achieved the expected standard – above the England average of 72 per cent. In maths, 77 per cent achieved the expected standard, compared with 70 per cent nationally.