As Leader of Barnet Council, and as someone who calls Barnet home, I am proud of the borough’s diverse communities knitted together by close ties, which mean that people of all backgrounds get on well. We are a designated Borough of Sanctuary and actively oppose hate crime, which sadly all too often targets our faith communities. This Islamophobia Awareness Month, I call on all Barnet residents to pause and reflect on what they can do to tackle Islamophobia.

Barnet residents will have the chance to pay their respects to those who have died in conflicts around the world at Remembrance Day services across the borough this weekend.

Services and parades will take place in solemn commemoration this Sunday 10 November, as well as on some other days around that date.

Barnet residents and visitors are urged to stay vigilant before and after parking in the borough after a triple whammy of scams targeting drivers were identified by the council.

One scam involves one or more people causing a distraction while you are paying for parking, stealing your card, then claiming it has been swallowed by the machine. Sometimes they will claim you should use another card, and then repeat their crime. It is not possible for your card to be swallowed by a council parking machine.

Barnet Council’s Leader has welcomed the government’s budget calling it “a step in the right direction for Barnet” but warning that there is still more work to be done to stabilise the council’s finances.