A better Barnet through effective scrutiny

Cllr Peter Zinkin on the opposition’s role in Barnet Council’s new governance set-up

Local democracy works best when there is both effective leadership and effective scrutiny. While the administration is responsible for running the council, the role of the opposition is to challenge, test and improve decisions on behalf of residents.

In a council with equal numbers of Conservative and Labour members, all committees are split 50/50 between the two groups. This means the chairman of each committee has an incredibly important role as in the event of a tie, they hold the casting vote.

After the local elections, and at our behest, Barnet Council has introduced new arrangements designed to strengthen scrutiny across the authority.

The Conservatives have secured chairmanship of four of the five scrutiny committees and a vice-chairmanship of the fifth. We also have the chairmanships of the pension fund committee and the governance, audit and risk management committee.

With these we will have wide ranging oversight of the council’s performance in key duties, accounts and compliance with its rules and procedures. We have also secured a place on cabinet. I now sit at cabinet meetings as a non-exec/non-voting member but with speaking rights and can make the case for the priorities we believe Barnet needs to focus on.

For Barnet Conservatives, scrutiny is about improving outcomes for residents. It is about asking difficult questions, examining evidence, focusing on the finances and ensuring that policies are delivering what they are intended to deliver.

In recent weeks, scrutiny committee chairs have begun working closely with senior officers to develop work programmes for the year ahead. This provides an important opportunity to focus attention on the issues residents raise with us every day: the condition of our roads and pavements, community safety, planning and development, transport, financial sustainability, and the quality of frontline services.

Our priorities remain clear. We want to see a council that lives within its means and delivers value for money for taxpayers. Barnet faces significant financial challenges, and scrutiny has an important role in ensuring that resources are spent effectively and directed towards services that residents rely upon most.

We want to see a renewed focus on the fundamentals of local government. Residents rightly expect clean streets, well-maintained parks, safe neighbourhoods and reliable local services. Through the scrutiny process, we will continue to press for practical improvements that make a real difference in the services used universally.

We also want to see residents treated as genuine partners in decision-making. Too often local government can become focused on processes and paperwork rather than outcomes. One positive example of change already underway concerns performance reporting and equality measures.

I made a point at the cabinet meeting on 15th June that some reporting had become overly focused on producing documents rather than helping residents understand how services are performing – this was agreed by the Labour administration, and we should be seeing some change in the future. We support a move towards clearer, more accessible reporting that focuses on meaningful outcomes and enables residents to hold the council to account.

The Conservative group’s vision for Barnet remains centred on six key priorities: fixing the finances, improving roads and parks, creating safer streets, building better homes, improving transport and respecting residents. These priorities are not simply election commitments; they provide a framework for the questions we ask and the issues we will pursue.

Peter Zinkin is leader of Barnet Conservatives.

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