Cllr Linda Lusingu gives her view on how three young lives were lost under Barnet Labour administration’s watch

The avoidable deaths of Nonita Grabovskyte and two further 18-year-old care leavers stand as a tragic and deeply troubling legacy of the current administration. These were children the council, as their corporate parent, was legally and morally bound to protect. That duty was not upheld. Instead, they were failed in ways no child in the care of the state should ever be failed.

The coroner’s findings in Nonita’s inquest were explicit and devastating. Leadership failures, including the lack of coordinated transition planning, the absence of an adult social care assessment, no EHCP despite clear need, inadequate mental-health support, placement in unregulated accommodation, and failures in sharing vital risk information, were judged to have made “a more than minimal contribution to her death”. These were not isolated lapses; they were systemic failures with fatal consequences.

What makes this even more alarming is the continued lack of transparency. Councillors were not informed of the two further deaths until journalists uncovered them. One of these tragedies formed part of a joint learning review completed months earlier, yet elected members and the public were kept in the dark. For those tasked with scrutinising children’s services to be denied such fundamental information raises profound questions about culture, candour and accountability.

In this context, the council leader’s repeated assurance that “lessons have been learned” rings hollow. In my view, it is disingenuous to claim lessons were ever being learned when it appears that none of these tragic deaths would have been disclosed had Sky News not exposed the situation publicly.

The administration did not volunteer these facts; they were cornered by scrutiny and forced to respond. Many will understandably feel that, without media intervention, these young people’s deaths might have remained hidden.

The silence from the wider Barnet Labour Group has only deepened public concern. When three young people die avoidably under a council’s corporate parenting responsibility, residents expect their representatives to demand answers, challenge leadership and insist on accountability. Their collective quiet invites a troubling question: were they unaware or unwilling to confront their own administration? Neither explanation is acceptable.

Ultimately, responsibility lies with leadership. And leadership must not deflect blame downwards. Frontline social workers — already overwhelmed by crushing caseloads — must not be scapegoated to shield senior political or executive figures from the consequences of systemic failures. If resignations are required, and I believe they are, they must come from those with oversight, authority and the power to act: the leader of the council and the cabinet member for family friendly Barnet.

For these reasons, I have submitted a motion calling for their immediate resignation. It is the only moral and responsible course of action and the only step that can begin to restore trust. It also honours the memory of the young people who, in my opinion, were failed in unimaginable ways.

I also call for a clear commitment that no junior staff member will be sacrificed to protect those at the top. Accountability must not descend the hierarchy, it must begin where the failures began.

Finally, there must be a permanent act of remembrance. Nonita’s artwork or a tribute representing all three young people should be displayed in the council chamber as a constant reminder of the human cost when a corporate parent fails.

Barnet’s children deserve leadership that is transparent, accountable and unafraid to confront painful truths. Real accountability begins at the top and it is long overdue.

Linda Lusingu is an independent councillor for Friern Barnet ward.

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