Following Barnet Council’s Annual Council meeting last night (20 May), it was confirmed that Cllr Paul Edwards, who will be retiring as a councillor at the next local elections, has made the decision to stand down as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care this year.

Councillor Danny Rich has become the 61st Mayor of Barnet, after being officially sworn in during the Annual Council Meeting held on Tuesday 20 May at Hendon Town Hall.

Councillor Danny Rich takes over from the borough’s previous Mayor, Councillor Tony Vourou. The Mayoress will be his wife, Ms Laura Lassman. Councillor Rich has selected Unitas Youth Zone and the Jewish Deaf Association as his chosen charities for his Mayoral term.

Barnet Council has marked the mid-point of delivering 'Our Plan for Barnet’ with a review of how the corporate plan is enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

This mid-point review of Our Plan for Barnet: 2023-26 reflects on our journey so far and sets clear objectives for 2025-26.

Barnet Council has launched a new Community Energy Fund to support innovative, locally led projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions as part of the council’s commitment to transform Barnet into a Net Zero borough by 2042.

The £50,000 fund will help Barnet-based organisations develop and run schemes to promote use of renewable energies, lower energy usage and cut domestic fuel bills.

Community conscious groups are receiving nearly £30,000 to reduce waste in Barnet Council’s drive to become net zero as a council by 2030 and as a borough by 2042.

The funding is being distributed by the North London Waste Authority. In Barnet, the grants are being split between £5,000 for Friern Barnet Community Library, £7,200 for Living Way Ministries, and £15,000 for Edible London.

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) is returning to Barnet in June, with a diverse programme of events taking place across the borough.

This is the third year that Barnet has been named a key destination within the festival’s programme, being recognised for its continued importance on London’s architectural and cultural landscape.

John Anthony will become the new statutory Director of Children’s Services at Barnet Council when he takes up the post in July.

He is currently the Operational Director for Children and Families at the London Borough of Redbridge, where he leads family help and social care services and manages a budget of £45m. Prior to this role, he spent seven years as Head of Service for Children and Families at Redbridge.

The result of yesterday’s by-election in the Whetstone ward was declared last night (Thursday 15 May) at Barnet Council Headquarters, in Colindale. 

The seat was won by Labour Party Candidate, Ezra Cohen.   

This means the political composition of the council is now 40 Labour, 20 Conservative and 3 members who are not part of a council political group. 

The London Borough of Barnet hosted representatives from Barnet’s twin towns over the weekend (10 – 11 May), to celebrate the boroughs milestone 60th anniversary.

Representatives from across the world including France, Germany and Cyprus gathered for a programme of art, cultural, historical and environmental flavour.