Search

Council Tax will be raised to cover increasing demand for services as government funding decreases. It will be raised by 1.99% and the Adult Social Care Precept of 2% will be applied during the next financial year, from April 1 2020. The increase – totalling 3.99% – is equivalent to £48.87 extra per year for an average Band D property.

There are lots of ways to get involved, with the centrepiece of the day being a panel discussion with a range of women from across the organisation, followed by some inspirational videos on this year’s theme of #EachforEqual.

Stop Smoking London designed the award-winning “Amazing Things Happen” campaign based on insight with London smokers, which discovered many Londoners are tired of hearing about the harm smoking does - they want to hear more about the benefits of quitting. Their research also underlined the strong social element to smoking, with three quarters of smokers interviewed saying that smoking is “normal amongst me and my friends”.

The slower the illness spreads, the more prepared all of our services can be. Information about what can be done can be found at www.nhs.uk and www.phe.gov.uk, and you can find the symptom checker at: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19. Handwashing and avoiding touching your face are two ways that the rate of infection can be significantly slowed.

The immediate priority is for you to stay safe and prevent the spread of infection. You’ll find the government’s latest guidance below my message.

Libraries All libraries in the borough will be closed from 10am on Saturday 21 March until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience, but the safety of our staff and customers is our priority. We have extended the loan time on all the books and CDs you have borrowed for six weeks and removed all fines. Any fines due on DVDs from this time will be waived when they are returned.

If you're out in a park, please follow the government’s guidance on social distancing and stay at least two metres apart from each other.

This means that the council will now, temporarily, collect recycling waste on a fortnightly basis We will continue to collect general refuse waste from black bins on a weekly basis. You can find your fortnightly recycling collection dates at barnet.gov.uk/covid19

We’ve set up the Community Help Hub to provide non-medical help and support for people in the borough that are self-isolating or being shielded, and may not otherwise be able to get the things they need.

The Essential Supplies Hub is just one of the new ways our Community Help Hub is supporting our vulnerable residents. As well as many Barnet Council staff, that are working outside of their normal daily duties, nearly 200 Barnet residents have already signed up to volunteer. The council is working with Volunteering Barnet to place volunteers in roles supporting charities and faith groups across the borough.