Cllr Anne Hutton’s November diary

A man in mayoral robes kneeling to place an arrangement of poppies on the ground — The mayor of Barnet laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday – (Credit – Barnet Council)

Residents’ advice surgery this month brought a complaint about noisy, speeding traffic down the High Road, particularly late at night. We discussed options such as speed cameras but that is not a quick fix. We will look into other options. Including discussing with highways department and the local police.

Speaking of which, there was a quarterly meeting with our local Safer Neighbourhood police panel this month. Chaired by a local resident, the panel includes the ward sergeant, as well as police constables and community safety officers, ward Councillors and other local representatives.

On the agenda was discussion around previously agreed priorities, local crime statistics, burglary etc., although these were down for that particular quarter, there was discussion around drug dealing in one hotspot and whether a nearby camera could perhaps be repositioned – but that may just result in moving the problem further down the road!

The message to residents is to report any incidents they witness on 101 (except emergencies) so that any crime can be logged and taken up, which may not necessarily result in an officer turning up immediately as there are only so many to go round! but does mean it will be investigated. We set targets for the quarter – shoplifting remains a priority as well as violence against women and girls (VAWG) and car theft. We were also reminded of the new MET Engage platform where residents can find out what’s going on in their area and log any concerns. Residents interested in getting involved should approach the chair of their local ward police panel.

Remembrance Sunday fell this month, and I attended the service at Hendon war memorial, along with the leader and other councillors to pay respect to all those who gave their lives in both world wars, many of whom, of course, came from Barnet. A memorial bench for John Parr, who was the first recorded soldier to die in the 1st World War, was put in place in Lodge Lane, near to where he lived. I laid flowers sent by one of our twin towns, Chaville, near Paris. We send a wreath to them for their service as well.

Barnet Library service was awarded ‘Library of Sanctuary Status‘ earlier this year and there was an event to celebrate in Church End library early in November. The borough already has ‘Borough of Sanctuary’ status. In order to gain its status, the library service had to show how inclusive our libraries are – so that everyone can have access. The presentation on the theme of ‘Learn, Embed and Share’ included talks, personal stories – and music from many of our refugee groups – and of course our dancing mayor took part, along with the head of the library service, Hannah Richens.

A visit to North Finchley allotments took me, plus camera, off the beaten track for a walk up by the Glebelands. The allotment society is saying that there are several plots they can’t use due to the adjacent trees on the Glebelands nature reserve being so tall that they block all the sunlight. They are asking for the council to at least lop them back to allow some sunlight on to the plots. I appreciate their point and took photos to see what the green spaces team say but I am not sure how much reduction will be possible in order to make any real difference. We will see – the trees are very tall! It was an interesting walk anyway – all in a day’s work!

I attended a coffee morning organised by the local MP, at the Greek Cypriot Centre in North Finchley, to deal with any local issues and spoke to several residents. One issue raised, was that of a parked/dumped broken down van. The problem is that the council has to write to the registered owner and it can take months for a reply, which may never come anyway! This is especially true if the vehicle has changed hands and hasn’t been registered at the correct address. Eventually, the council can impound the vehicle if necessary.

Most casework comes in via email, though and November brought the usual crop of issues. Not least cyclists complaining about scooters being parked outside a repair shop – which happens to be in the middle of a designated cycle lane! The scooters are moved when asked and then end up back again when no one is looking, much to the annoyance of cyclists! Request to support the installation of a cycle hanger, complaint about the standards of privately rented housing, parking and fly tipping also featured. There was a meeting with the Town Centre team to look at priorities for the use of government funds to improve town centres.

The first round of new applications for community projects from the Community Infrastructure Levy (NCiL) took place this month. I was on a panel assessing bids from the West of the borough, whilst those from Woodhouse were assessed by a panel of councillors from wards in the north of the borough. Results are due in December.

Work to install a new 20mph zone began on 12th November and I went to see how things were progressing. Installing traffic calming measures in 25 streets won’t be easy, but work seemed to be going well. One resident said they thought the cushions weren’t high enough as larger vehicles seemed to cross over at ease without slowing down. However, on checking with officers, it seems as if they are the requisite height. The intention is to keep traffic flowing at 20mph so it shouldn’t cause too much disruption, so long as vehicles adhere to the speed limit, which is the whole point!

Anne Hutton is a Labour councillor for Woodhouse ward

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.