The Labour-run council has opted to return to a cabinet system of governance, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Barnet Council's cabinet 2023/24 — Barnet Council’s cabinet 2023/24

A cabinet of senior councillors has been appointed to run Barnet Council for the first time in nine years.

The ten-person team – all members of the Labour administration – will make key decisions covering the town hall’s key areas of responsibility, including housing, health, social care and the environment.

Separate scrutiny committees, which will include both Labour and Conservative councillors, will be set up to hold the decision-makers to account.

A cabinet last ran the council from 2001 until 2014, after which the Tories brought back a committee system where decisions are made by cross-party groups of councillors on a majority basis following a period of debate.

Members of the town hall’s current Labour administration voted to switch back to a cabinet system on 2nd May, and the executive team was officially appointed during the council’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Tuesday (23rd).

Addressing the AGM, council leader Barry Rawlings listed a range of achievements his administration has made since taking power just over a year ago, including introducing community skips and community hubs, improving CCTV coverage and setting up a citizens’ assembly on climate change.

Adding that Barnet Labour is “ambitious” and “still has more to do”, he claimed the new system would lead to “more efficient and transparent decision-making, so we can continue to achieve the transformation change that we promised at even greater pace”.

Cllr Rawlings said: “Our new governance arrangements are a key part of our agenda to shape our service and shape the borough, to care for people, places and our planet.”

The Tories opposed the switch back to a cabinet system, claiming it would undermine scrutiny and stifle debate.

Deputy Conservative leader David Longstaff criticised the descriptions of some of the portfolio holders. He said there were important words missing from the descriptions, such as “safeguarding” and “children”, and asked why the “faith community” had not been included as part of the equalities portfolio.

Cllr Longstaff added: “Most significantly, Barnet is noted for its excellent schools and education provision, and while the word ‘community’ appears three times in the portfolio list, ‘education’ does not appear at all.

“That is a serious disappointment on a number of levels, and it sends a message that we don’t consider education as highly as we ought to.”

The cabinet members and their portfolios are as follows:

Barry Rawlings: council leader and portfolio holder for resources and effective council
Ross Houston: deputy council leader and portfolio holder for homes and regeneration
Zahra Beg: equalities and the voluntary and community sector
Paul Edwards: adults and social care
Alan Schneiderman: environment and climate change
Ammar Naqvi: culture, leisure, arts and sports
Anne Clarke: community wealth building
Sara Conway: community safety participation
Pauline Coakley-Webb: family-friendly Barnet
Alison Moore: health and wellbeing

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