Edgware councillor Lucy Wakeley on cutting energy bills and engaging with the borough’s young people

Lucy Wakeley, Conservative councillor for Edgware ward in the London Borough of Barnet — Cllr Lucy Wakeley – Conservative, Edgware

Two weeks ago, my colleague Cllr Prager noted that a lot of the work councillors do for their local area goes unnoticed. As he did in his column, I will set out a few things we have done in Edgware Ward and then highlight one of the most important things to me, young people having the chance to engage in local politics and decision-making.

Working together with my ward colleagues, Cllr Gordon and Cllr Mearing-Smith, we have had some great achievements in Edgware over the last year. A real highlight was the £25,000 in CIL funding we secured for The Stonegrove Community Trust to put solar panels on the roof of the One Stonegrove building.

This project, when completed, will save the trust and St Peter’s Church thousands of pounds each year in energy bills which means more money can go directly into helping residents. There is also the possibility that the centre will be able to sell some of the energy made back to the grid and they have committed to spending any money earned on further environmental projects. As a trustee of the Stonegrove, I am excited about future developments for the centre and the good work it will do.

Another key project we have been working on is getting a refurbishment of Farm Road Park. After brilliant work from Cllr Gordon we secured funding for the refurbishment. Cllrs Gordon, Mearing-Smith and I were then consulted on the plans for the park.

During this process, we identified that the original plans did not have enough accessible play for children with disabilities and were able to rectify this. I am looking forward to the completion of the new park which should be by August 20^th!

As Barnet’s youngest councillor, I feel that I am also responsible for reaching out to young people across Barnet. Over the last year, I have had the privilege to work with some incredible young people on the Barnet Youth Assembly. I have been able to talk to them about the work we do in the council and help run sessions on things such as debating skills.

A highlight of these events is the ability to work cross-party to help these young people develop their public speaking and debating skills. Working with Cllr Emma Wyshall and officers to deliver these sessions was a great demonstration that despite our heated exchanges in the council chamber it is possible to have positive working relationships cross-party.

All these experiences have allowed me to become even closer to the communities in Edgware and learn so much. I would encourage everyone to see what they can get involved in locally. Whether that is standing as a local councillor, becoming a charity trustee, or just attending community events. As always, if there’s anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

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