Council leader Barry Rawlings speaks to Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter, on his hopes of Barnet Labour winning a second successive local election

Barry Rawlings is aiming to lead Labour to a second successive local election win in the borough – but faces threats on multiple fronts.

Labour have been in charge of Barnet Council since the local election in 2022, when they won 41 of 63 seats. The result ended two decades of Conservative administrations, beginning in 2002.

Four years ago, Barnet Labour’s success came at a time of relative popularity for the party nationally – something they can’t count on this time around.

A recent YouGov poll found that only 17% of people across the country would vote Labour if there was a general election tomorrow. Ahead of the 2022 local elections that number was 38% – more than double the current figure.

Cllr Rawlings may hope his Labour administration will be judged according to its own record come Thursday, 7th May. But Barnet Labour’s success could depend on whether voters believe they can trust the party to guide the borough back from the precarious financial situation it currently finds itself in.

The local authority’s budget for the 2026/27 financial year saw the council using emergency measures to manage shortfalls for the second year in a row, with £79.3m of exceptional financial support (EFS) from the government needed to balance the books, on top of the £55.7m used last year.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Rawlings maintains that his administration is committed to looking after the local authority’s long-term financial health.

The council leader claims Barnet Labour have a solid plan to get back into the black – or at least a few shades closer to it. The council, he says, is now “living within” its budget and will continue a “relentless hunt for savings”.

Not all of this will be in his control, the Labour leader admits. “It might be that you get a bit off course and you need to deduct contingency,” he says, adding: “Hopefully interest rates will go down.”

“The cost-of-living crisis affects councils,” says Cllr Rawlins, pointing out that rising energy costs can increase spending on things like street lighting by hundreds of thousands of pounds, almost overnight.

Cllr Rawlings is also keen to counter the fierce criticism levelled at him by opposition Conservatives. The Labour leader believes his opponents “are right in some ways: finances are really difficult” but says he “won’t fall for the despair” pushed by the Tories.

“Yes, we’ve got to ride out a bit of a storm – but at least we know the direction we’re going in,” argues Cllr Rawlings.

Unlike the Conservatives, Cllr Rawlins believes savings can be found without making extensive cuts or retendering a significant amount of the council’s non-statutory services. These are services that, although generally beneficial to residents, local authorities have no legal obligation to provide, such as children’s centres and public leisure or arts facilities.

The Labour leader argues the council needs to hold its nerve in the face of mounting financial pressure, arguing these services – and “preventative work” in particular – will save the local authority money in the long run.

It’s hard to tell the extent to which the current leader’s views are based on data – and how much comes from his own ideals.

Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Rawlings was keen to bring specific discussions about balancing the books back to his general belief that investment in preventative services would save the council money in the long run. He also frequently spoke of plans to make greater use of artificial intelligence. But the exact amount of money the latter would save is hard to quantify.

Values play a role in policy, the Labour leader admits. “It’s not all about figures,” says Cllr Rawlings. “We’re in a people industry and about making things better for people, that also happens to save money.”

Long-term financial stability, he says, would not be possible “without doing the groundwork, without using technology in the right way, without trying to prevent people going into care, prevent people being homeless, prevent people needing residential care”.

“That is where you make the real savings,” says Cllr Rawlings, adding: “Even if it didn’t save us money we should be doing that because it’s the right thing to do.”

The Labour leader claims the Tories don’t have realistic plans for how to balance the books. But Cllr Rawlings’ own council tax policies have come under scrutiny recently. While setting the budget for the current financial year he said he was proud his administration had stuck to its manifesto promise of never raising council tax by the maximum amount. Nevertheless, this year saw the local authority raise tax by 4.98% – just 0.01% shy of the limit.

As a result, the overall Band D resident in Barnet will be paying nearly £77 more in council tax than they did last year. The 0.01% of grace will keep just an extra 15p in their pockets. Cllr Rawlings argues that the marginal figure means his party kept its promise which, he says, “is important”.

While Labour and the Conservatives remain at loggerheads in terms of finances, both parties have expressed a desire to work together to support the safety and wellbeing of Barnet’s Jewish community.

In late March, four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire in Golders Green. The arson attack has contributed to growing concerns about antisemitism in the borough.

Cllr Rawlings says the incident has “greatly affected the feeling of safety amongst large parts of the Jewish community”.

“Community cohesion is one of the most important roles councils have,” he adds.

It’s something Cllr Rawlings hopes will be prioritised regardless of which party is in power following the election.

Summarising the value and rewards of his role, the council leader says: “Local government is where a lot of the excitement in politics is, because you can make a big difference.

“I think we can make life a little better for people – and we’re asking for that chance.”

Wrapping up, the LDRS asked Cllr Rawlings to share his views on another key issue – music taste.

“I don’t listen to music that much,” the Labour leader admits. But if he had to choose a favourite artist it would be Bob Marley, who he saw live in Brighton in 1980. Cllr Rawlings is also a fan of Stevie Wonder, who he’s also seen live.

“It shows my age,” Cllr Rawlings joked. “I’ve picked people from 40 years ago!”

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