The full truth about the Pike Road Closure and A41 Roadworks - Freedom of Information request reveals no concern for residents at all and no proper consultation

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Many residents in Mill Hill and Edgware have been massively inconvenienced by the roadworks on the A41/A1 and the closure of Pike Road. I sent an email to Barnet Council requesting all of the documents that relate to the closure. There are nearly two hundred pages worth of emails etc. Barnet Council have redacted most of the names, so it is difficult to see who was informed, however it is clear that local councillors raised no written objections prior to the fiasco and only Councillor Shuey Gordon contacted them before I submitted the request. Here is the email fromthe Council informing me that they had information. Some has been withheld, so clearly we can only guess what that said. They have claimed this was to protect the identity of junior staff.

Barnet Council Response to ... by Roger Tichborne

When we actually look at the information, for me the key exchange is on page 49, where Barnet Council raise no objections to the closure of Pike Road on the 17th March (see screen shot at top of page and in document). The previous council administration tried very hard to pin the blame on TFL, but as you can see from the documents, the evidence is there in black and white that Barnet Council were consulted and raised no objections. 

It is worth having a read through these documents. It is clear to me that the impact on local people was totally ignored. It also seems pretty clear, that unless Barnet Council have inexplicably withheld emails from the former Hale and Edgware Councillors, they did not say a peep. I am happy to give them a right to reply. The bottom line is that the former administration let the people of Edgware and Mill Hill down and the evidence is here in Black and White. This is not a political point, it is a criticism of the bureaucracy and culture in Barnet Council and local people should know that the claims of working on their behalf are not supported by the evidence. Should anyone be prepared to supply any further ( ( (redacted if necessary) emails, I'll happily update this blog accordingly.  

Pike Road Closure Documents by Roger Tichborne on Scribd

I started writing this blog not to score political points, but to make sure local people were properly informed as to what is happening in our local community. I have to laugh at how Barnet say they have redacted names of junior staff, when the title below their namer says "Senior".  I understand that no one wants to be associated with a complete cock up like this, but some of these people have large salaries and should be held to account.