Barnet Council Election 2018 - You can make a difference

Next May, all 63 Councillors in the 21 wards of Barnet Council will stand for re-election. The council has been run by the Local Conservatives since 2002. Prior to that it was run by a Labour/Lib Dem coalition. If you think things have been just fine and then the local Tories have done a marvellous job, then clearly you should vote for them. Regular readers of this blog, which started in 2008, will perhaps take a different view. The scandals and cockups have been numerous. Locl democracy has been all but destroyed by the One Barnet outsourcing, giving Capita control of planning. We are now even seeing local developers paying the wages of planners to work on pet projects. Yesterday we described a mega redevelopment of North Finchley by the developers of Brent Cross. After writing the blog, local blogger Mr Reasonable pointed out to us that the developer was paying the people who are meant to be impartial in the planning office.

Rog you missed a critical point. This is being driven & funded by the Brent Cross developer. They've paid Re officers to prepare this report

— Mr Reasonable (@ReasonableNB) October 3, 2017

We think that this is completely unacceptable. Planners are meant to be completely impartial. In recent months we've seen officers (who work for Capita) recommending all manner of completely unacceptable schemes. As there is an election next year, Tory councillors who normally adopt a very bovine stance on such matters, have realised their cushy £10,000 allowance and free parking permits are on the line and voted to reject them. 

Anyone who knows Barnet Council, will know that once they have secured another term, business as usual will resume. Barnet is a Mecca for developers, there are more flats going up here, than anywhere else in Western Europe. Virtually all our out of the price range of local first time buyers. That is why they are being marketed in Hong Kong.

The green belt is under threat like never before. Barnets solution to the backlog of people requiring social housing is to ship people up to Peterborough. This is ripping apart communities. We need a change. We need councillors who don't only care six months before an election. We need local people to be involved. In Mill Hill, I have made a commitment to support the local Lib Dems. I know many are still upset about the coalition, but in the local ward they offer the only realistic chance for a change. Anyone who reads this blog knows I care and I will work hard, 365 days a year. I will take the sticks and stones I will inevitably get. I don't hate the local Conservative councillors, I actually quite like all of them, but they have let us down and are ineffective. We will not be personally rude, we will concentrate on policies. Whether you agree or disagree with me, please get involved. It is too important not to.