The council leader talks to Local Democracy Reporter Simon Allin after nearly one year at the helm of the town hall

Barry Rawlings addressing a meeting at Hendon Town Hall last year (credit Barnet Council)

Barnet Council is planning “big changes” as it works to slash carbon emissions and boost the creative economy – while keeping council tax low.

Labour council leader Barry Rawlings says the town hall has already begun working more closely with residents and dismissed claims that the authority was simply continuing where the previous Conservative administration left off.

Cllr Rawlings also denies breaking a promise to refund council tax and pledged to ensure outsourcing provider Capita is not running any of the town hall’s services by the end of the current administration, just over three years from now.

In February, the council approved its new corporate plan setting out its key ambitions for the next three years. It included actions to reduce poverty, improve the environment and make Barnet a more “fun” place to live. But Tory leader Dan Thomas claimed it largely repackaged his previous administration’s priorities with “some lefty overtones”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week, Cllr Rawlings acknowledged there were some continuities with the previous administration but insisted the council was taking a new approach.

He said: “The big changes are our responses to the cost-of-living and the climate emergencies – so putting more money into residents’ support, the extra £2million [residents’ support fund]. Now we are in the lowest half of council taxes in London, and we hope to stay there. The fact that there is a citizens’ assembly on climate change, which they [the Conservatives] complained about.

“I don’t think there was much participation in the last plan. The climate emergency […] was nowhere near a priority, whereas this is about investing in the future – not just in terms of money, but in the sense of improving public health, improving children’s health, having a more viable, cohesive society.

“Another big difference is we think the latent creativity in Barnet is huge. It mentions fun, but it’s also about having an arts and culture strategy; it’s also about celebrating diversity.”

One of the key aims set out in the corporate plan is to make Barnet a “borough of fun”. Cllr Rawlings said that far from being “trivial”, the idea was in fact a “real quality-of-life issue”.

“Creative industries are one of the big industries in this country,” he said. “We have universities, theatres, music groups and so on. The council’s job is to enable those to flourish – they provide employment.

“The other part of it is when you look at what creates emotional wellbeing, good mental health – one of the five main pillars of that is having fun. What we mean by that is having something to look forward to, using other parts of your brain, enjoying yourself and so on. I think we can do far more – we can celebrate the different cultures, the different foods we have, the variety we have, [and] see that as a strength.”

Cllr Rawlings said part of the approach would involve investing small pots of money into local groups as well as doing more to promote cultural activities. He added: “From theatre productions to orchestras, to play streets, it’s to enable people to say ‘it’s good to live in Barnet; there are things to look forward to; it’s enjoyable’.”

The environment is another key focus of the corporate plan, which builds on pledges to cut the borough’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2042 and enhance green and open spaces.

Other London boroughs have introduced low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) – zones that use bollards and cameras to stop through-traffic from using residential streets – in order to help slash carbon emissions. But some of these schemes have sparked a backlash from residents claiming they increase congestion, journey times and pollution.

Cllr Rawlings insisted he would not “force” LTNs on communities in Barnet. He said: “One of our principles is ‘aim to work with people’. If in a particular area more than 50% of residents want an LTN, we will send officers to see if it is possible and talk to people. If there is not the demand, I’m not going to force it on anybody.”

Asked whether his stance on LTNs could make meeting the council’s target of the borough becoming net zero by 2042 more challenging, Cllr Rawlings said that by then much of the traffic would be “electrical and hydrogen [powered]”. There would also be more trees, solar panels and more environmentally-friendly construction methods, he added.

The council leader suggested more cycle lanes could be built, although they may be introduced in side streets and areas such as parks rather than on busy main roads. He admitted he did not know whether the target to reach net zero would definitely be reached but said the council would invest in it and take the lead in cutting emissions.

The Conservative group has repeatedly accused Labour of breaking a promise to refund the 1% increase in the adult social care council tax precept which was added to 2022/23 bills by the then-Tory administration.

During a full council meeting in May last year, Cllr Rawlings said the council was working to deliver the refund by the autumn. However, it later emerged 1% would instead be deducted from this year’s bills. With a further discount factored in, it means bills will rise by 3.8% instead of the maximum legal amount of 4.99%.

Cllr Rawlings said he had not broken his promise, adding that bills would be 1% lower than they would have been without that change and financial support equivalent to a 1% refund had already been provided through the residents’ support fund. He previously stated that the administration had wanted to refund the tax increase sooner but that doing so “would cost the council taxpayer around £200,000 to administer”.

The council leader said he did not regret making the promise, which came before a large spike in inflation last year. “We didn’t know the economy would be crashed in such a devastating way and inflation would take off,” he said. “My view is we made a promise, we have kept it.”

Other boroughs, including neighbouring Enfield and Haringey, are having to make cuts despite increasing council tax bills by the maximum possible amount. Although Barnet is only planning a 3.8% hike, Cllr Rawlings insisted that it would not result in “massive cuts”. Pointing out that the council also makes money from business rates, he said: “Barnet is a successful borough. It will stay that way.

“We just think our different way of working with residents and getting local solutions […] is a brighter way of working. We will bring savings along. And where we are investing the big money, on CCTV, we are making the borough safer.

“People are cynical: ‘you have promised something to get elected’. No: you get elected to carry out your promises – and we will do that.”

Despite facing pressure from rising inflation and interest rates, Cllr Rawlings insisted the council’s move to insource services from Capita will go ahead as planned. Most will be back in-house by the end of this month, he said, and by the end of the administration in 2026 “Capita won’t be running any services for Barnet, certainly.”

The financial case for the insourcing was “balanced”, Cllr Rawlings explained, with some savings being made to offset costs such as pension contributions. He insisted the insourcing move was about accountability as well as cost: “By law, [Capita] was accountable to its shareholders – it had to make them happy,” he said. “It didn’t have to make the people of Barnet happy.”

In an alternative budget formulated while in opposition last year, Labour proposed making £2m of “senior management and other staff savings”. Since Labour gained power, however, the council has hired more officers – prompting accusations of a U-turn from the Conservatives.

Responding to the claims, Cllr Rawlings said: “My view is we have taken over, we are doing things in a new way that helps save money, helps invest in the future. We didn’t need to make those savings in that way.”

In May, it will be one year after Labour won outright control of Barnet Council for the first time since the borough’s creation in 1964. Reflecting on the group’s achievements so far, Cllr Rawlings said: “I do see it as a journey, so part of it is just changing the direction. Putting great emphasis to help people with the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.

“Within a few months, community skips were back, the first community hubs were up, we had started some of the ward walks, we had started some of the highway walks with residents. We have set up a citizens’ assembly.

“So we are already working in a different way with residents. Some very clear, obvious things we promised have been delivered. It has been enjoyable. I think there is still a sense of excitement about what can be done and the direction we are going in, but it is a journey – there is a lot more to do.

“The biggest thing is having a clear direction and starting those steps, and being able to deliver some things that people know will make a difference very quickly.”

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