David Floyd on the upcoming election to Barnet Council

Barnet voters go to polls this month in one of the most unpredictable local elections the borough has ever seen.

The candidates for May’s election to Barnet Council were announced on Friday, 10th April with 311 hopefuls battling to win 63 seats across the borough’s 24 wards.

Labour, which currently leads the council, is standing a full slate of 63 candidates, as are the Conservatives, the Greens and Reform UK.

The Liberal Democrats have 45 candidates, while there will be eight representatives of Rejoin EU standing, along with five independents and one candidate from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

Perhaps surprisingly, the left-wing Your Party, whose most prominent member nationally is former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, is not running any candidates in the borough.

While most recent electoral battles have been a straight fight between the Conservatives and Labour, this time both Reform UK on the right and the Greens on the left are offering a clear alternative to their more established rivals.

Both insurgent parties are running a full slate of candidates and have high hopes of having councillors elected for the first time.

However, the most likely post-election scenario remains that either Labour’s Barry Rawlings will continue to lead the council or Conservative Peter Zinkin will replace him.

Campaigning in Whetstone earlier this week, the Conservatives expressed their optimism about returning to power at the town hall.

Shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Richard Fuller, who had joined local activists on the campaign trail, said that while his party had struggled in local elections while in national government, voters were now losing faith with Labour. He said that Barnet voters “can see that they had a Conservative council here just three/four years ago that was doing good stuff”.

He said for many voters the position had been “I liked my local councillors but I didn’t like the national Conservative back then” but that “now they can say, I still like my Conservative candidate but I also like Kemi Badenoch”.

While the Barnet Conservative manifesto leads on “fixing the finances” and a pledge to “reverse this damage” done by Labour since 2022, Labour say: “The Conservatives ran Barnet on the snooze button for 20 years, with no real vision for the borough, and left a legacy of cuts, depleted reserves and run-down services.”

They added: “Labour has been ambitious for Barnet, delivering a far-reaching programme.”

The Greens combine a strong commitment to housing with equally strong opposition to most approaches to development currently being pursued in the borough

Reform UK on the other hand are seemingly steering clear of more controversial national positions and focus on local measures such as tackling potholes and free parking at Barnet Hospital.

The Liberal Democrats are focusing on community campaigning and offering a moderate alternative to both the two main parties and their radical challengers.

Among the independent standing are Frank Orman, chair of Mill Hill Residents Association, who is standing in Mill Hill ward and Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association, who is standing in Underhill.

Information on how and where to vote in the election is available from: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/elections-and-voting

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.