Barnet Council has granted planning permission for a major new residential development at Bunns Lane, Mill Hill, delivering 130 Build to Rent homes, fifty percent of which will be affordable.

The homes, which will be owned and managed by the Council, will be built on a council-owned car park next to Mill Hill Broadway station.

Barnet Council yesterday (Tuesday 15 July) launched the Barnet Children & Families Autism Hub, a collaborative initiative with Resources for Autism, a national charity providing specialist support for autistic under 18s and their families.

The new hub is dedicated to supporting autistic children and young people and creating a supportive, neuro-affirmative environment where families can access a wealth of resources and information, both before and after an autism diagnosis.

Barnet Council is inviting residents to bring their neighbourhoods to life by hosting a one-off play street to celebrate World Car Free Day during the weekend of 20-21 September.

A play street is a resident-led event which gives communities the chance to temporarily close a road to traffic, to create safe, vibrant spaces where children can play freely and neighbours can come together.

Play streets promote active and outdoor play for children and encourage us to socialise with our neighbours.

Cllr Danny Rich, The Worshipful the Mayor of Barnet, has led tributes to former councillor and Mayor of Barnet, Agnes Slocombe MBE, who passed away over the weekend (Saturday 12 July).

Agnes who celebrated her 90th birthday last month, was first elected as a Labour councillor in 1982. She gave nearly four decades of public service, representing the West Hendon ward continuously until the 2018 local election.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the 7 July terror attacks on London, we will be holding a minute’s silence at Full Council in remembrance of the 52 lives lost, the hundreds injured and all those survivors whose lives were changed that day.

Tragically, eight of Barnet’s residents lost their lives at the hands of terrorists who sought to drive a wedge between the communities that exist in harmony in our great and diverse city.

Thirteen volunteers cleared 220 metres of invasive plant species from the Silk Stream in just one of over 20 environment-enhancing events taking place during Barnet Climate Action Month (BCAM).

The hardy bunch took on around three hours of hard graft each to remove Himalayan balsam from the waterway in Montrose Playing Fields, totalling 39 hours of volunteer work. They also collected around 12 bags of litter from the river, as well as removing a bike, trolley, strimmer and a large piece of wire mesh.

A landlord has been ordered to pay a fine of £75,000 plus costs, after being found guilty of illegally letting two flats in North Finchley, London, for short-term rental bookings on Airbnb and Booking.com.

Barnet Council has secured a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its vision for a year of culture events featuring music, performance, arts and heritage.