My first speech at Full Council
Earlier this month I attended my first Full Council meeting as a councillor, where I gave my first speech in the council chamber.
I spoke about the importance of scrutiny and making sure residents genuinely feel heard at Barnet Council, particularly at a time when many people feel increasingly disconnected from local politics and decision-making.
I also challenged the new coalition formed by Labour and the Conservatives and the changes they have made to the constitution, which will reduce democratic participation and representation in the council. You can watch my maiden speech below.
It was very surreal to be on the other side of the plexiglass wall, having sat in the public gallery or watched online many times! I feel so proud to represent our diverse communities and hope I can do a good job of holding power to account from inside the chamber.
Great North Leisure Park Hearing at City Hall
This week I also spoke at City Hall during the Greater London Authority hearing into the proposed redevelopment of the Great North Leisure Park.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, the application was ultimately approved by Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe.
I spoke about the importance of protecting accessible leisure and entertainment spaces for young people, disabled residents and families, and raised concerns about the damage to Glebelands Nature Reserve and protected species and failure to prioritise truly affordable housing and council homes in the scheme.
Barnet has a huge housing waiting list, and many residents feel increasingly locked out of secure and affordable housing while developments continue to prioritise luxury flats and investor-led schemes that hollow out communities and damage nature.
You can watch the full hearing speech below.
I will be working alongside Our North Finchley campaign to challenge this decision and to hold Arada developers and the Council to account when it comes to delivery on Section 106 mitigations. You can donate to their crowdfunder to help cover legal fees here.
Resident Casework
A large amount of my time so far has been spent helping residents with local issues and ongoing casework. Some of the issues I have been dealing with over the past two weeks include:
- Supporting an older and disabled resident with delayed housing and unmet social care needs
- Chasing up missed recycling collections and replacement bins in a block of flats on Woodside Lane
- Investigating council decision-making on behalf of residents, regarding new pillow speed bumps linked to 20mph traffic schemes on Ravensdale Avenue
- Meeting with leaseholders on North Finchley High Road affected by the council-approved plans to add an additional storey onto their block of flats
- Chasing up a delayed EHCP (Education, Health & Care Plan) review for a child with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities)
- Following up on the lack of council action on persistent potholes on Woodhouse Road
- Enquiring into the Council’s enforcement policy of delivery vehicles on yellow lines and plans for alternatives for delivery drivers to avoid blocking the roads and pavement on the corner of Woodside Grove
One thing I am learning very quickly is how many people feel ignored, bounced around or exhausted before they finally contact a councillor.
Even where there isn’t an easy solution, I think it matters that residents know somebody is listening and willing to fight their corner.
I will be holding a monthly surgery for residents to come and meet me in person. This will be alongside Anne Hutton, the Labour councillor in Woodhouse Ward. We agree that holding a surgery together is best for residents and for casework efficiency. This will be on the third Saturday of each month. The first will be at the artsdepot cafe at Tally Ho on Saturday 20th June 10.30am – 12noon. We are, however, exploring other venue options where we can have more privacy.
Keeping Woodhouse Clean & Improving Local Streets
Residents recently contacted me about litter and cigarette butts building up outside North Finchley Library. Following those conversations, I’ve requested a new public bin with an integrated ashtray for the area.
This weekend Barnet Green Party volunteers carried out a litter pick to help tidy the area and remove all the cigarette butts and other rubbish. We have installed two temporary sand bucket ashtrays until a proper bin is installed and I have spoken with Library staff to make sure that people are aware of the changes.
Over the coming months, I also want to launch a more proactive neighbourhood monitoring project across Woodhouse Ward.
That means not just waiting for problems to become formal complaints, but working with residents to identify issues early. Things like potholes, fly-tipping hotspots, broken pavements, litter problems and neglected public spaces.
For years Green volunteers have already done huge amounts of groundwork in Woodhouse identifying and raising these issues. I want to continue building on that work and create a stronger community network that helps keep an eye on the ward and improve communication between residents and the council.
If you live in Woodhouse or anywhere in the nearby area and would like to get involved with local neighbourhood audits, community walkabouts or reporting local issues, please get in touch.
I am also really keen to hear residents’ ideas about how we can improve the area and do local politics differently. Things need to be more collaborative, more visible and more rooted in the community.
Workers’ Rights & Outsourcing
I have been contacted by Barnet UNISON regarding their ongoing campaigns, including the new petition to Barnet Council to pay Barnet’s outsourced cleaners on time and bring cleaning back in-house.
This sits alongside other ongoing campaigns, including:
- A holiday pay dispute between the Council and depot and street scene workers
- A ballot of Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet workers on management’s offer of new pay, terms and conditions.
- A call for Passenger Assistants for children with SEND to be directly employed by the Council, with proper pay, pensions and support.
- A call to bring school catering back in-house
- A ground-breaking equal pay claim against the Council and its two trading companies, The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills.
I will be following all these closely and meeting with workers and union representatives over the coming weeks.
Please support the cleaners, by signing their petition.
Community Events & Campaigns
Last weekend I attended the Coppetts Wood Festival and met local conservationists to hear more about the important environmental and community work taking place there. I am looking forward to building stronger relationships between local conservation groups and the council and supporting closer collaboration and co-production of solutions wherever possible. There was a great selection of stalls at the festival including Community Energy Barnet, The Finchley Society and I caught up with George Ttoouli, who was there representing GoodGym Barnet.
I also attended a meeting of the Our North Finchley campaign, which many residents will know has played a major role in local planning and regeneration discussions over recent years.
I was one of the founding members of the campaign before becoming a councillor and, although I have stepped back from a formal committee role to maintain appropriate independence in my council role, I will continue working closely with them and supporting all local residents and community groups campaigning for a better future for North Finchley.
I have also been invited to attend the Barnet Schools Music Festival at Artsdepot in June, which I am really looking forward to.
Thankyou
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me so far, whether to raise concerns, congratulate me on my win, share ideas, invite me to events or simply introduce yourselves.
I was elected to listen, support residents and push for a bolder, more transparent and democratic Council. I will continue doing exactly that.