Barry Rawlings has been given a seal of approval from his Labour colleagues to continue leading the group in the wake of the party’s historic local election win this month.

Cllr Rawlings said he was “honoured” to win the backing of his colleagues and he looked forward to working with them “to achieve the change that the residents of Barnet voted for” in the election.

He is now set to be appointed council leader when the local authority holds its annual general meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, 24th May.

Ross Houston, who represents West Finchley, has also retained his position as deputy leader of Barnet Labour. Both he and Cllr Rawlings were elected unopposed during the group’s AGM on Tuesday.

The Labour group swept to victory during the elections on 5th May, winning an overall majority on Barnet Council for the first time since the London borough’s creation in 1964. Labour now has a majority of 19 on the council after gaining 16 seats from the Conservatives compared with its 2018 election result.

After winning backing to continue as Labour leader, Cllr Rawlings said: “I am honoured to have been re-elected as leader of the Labour group and to have the continued confidence of my Labour group colleagues.

“I would like to thank our deputy leader, Cllr Houston, and all the Labour group for their support and hard work over the years and during the election – they are an amazing team!

“I look forward to working with them to achieve the change that the residents of Barnet voted for in electing a new Labour council.”

The council’s AGM, where the mayor of Barnet is also set to be elected, is due to take place at 7pm at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday.