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Barnet Council’s new Colindale CCTV control room has officially launched with updated new state-of-the-art technology and capabilities – alongside improved 24/7, 365-day-a-year monitoring. The launch of the control room is a key milestone in Barnet’s Strategic CCTV improvement programme and is part of the council’s wider community safety strategy, which sees the council working closely with Police and other organisations to tackle crime, violence against women and girls, and anti-social behaviour.

Newly published Key Stage 4 (KS4) data from the Department for Education (DfE), shows that Barnet is second in the country for Progress 8, which measures the progress that students have made between the end of primary school and the end of Key Stage 4 (16 year olds). The Barnet Progress 8 score for the 28 schools in the Borough was only beaten by the Isles of Scilly Local Authority, which has only one school in it. 

Our journey to becoming one of London’s most sustainable boroughs has been a remarkable feat for all involved. Only 18 months ago we were ranked 0 in the Climate Emergency UK’s Scorecard, and now we are among the country’s top 18% of local authorities for our progress towards becoming a net zero council by 2030 and borough by 2042. With a score of 46%, Barnet outperformed 114 other councils in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Barnet Council has marked the second annual End Digital Poverty Day by pledging to continue breaking down barriers to digital access, literacy and skills. The council has signed the Charter for Digital Inclusion, a commitment to making its services more accessible to everyone in the community - particularly those with low digital skills, disabilities, or other barriers.

Barnet has become the first council in the country to launch a new system designed to make it easier for residents to appeal planning decisions. The council is trialling an improved online Householder Appeals System that is simpler, accessible and more user-friendly.

Barnet residents have higher levels of overall satisfaction with their council than both the national and the London averages, according to the latest Adults Residents’ Perception Survey. The survey results, taken from winter 2023/24, found 65% of residents were satisfied with Barnet Council – in line with the last survey, which was taken in 2021/22. This beats both the London average (56%) and the national average (53%), both of which have declined since 2021/22.

Barnet Council has teamed up with national cosmetics brand Barry M in a new campaign tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), The campaign is aimed at Gen Z, as women and girls aged 16-24 are more likely to be victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape and stalking crimes than any other age group. 

Barnet Council hosted Burnt Oak’s Car-Free Day on Saturday 21 September where the streets came alive with activities focused on sustainability and improving air quality. The event, part of the Council’s ongoing Burnt Oak town centre improvements project, highlighted the importance of reimagining public spaces and promoting sustainable travel.

A crew of Barnet refuse workers had a narrow escape recently, as shocking film footage has emerged of a huge explosion as a bin is loaded into a refuse truck. The explosion was cause by combustible items such gas canisters or bottles, batteries or aerosols being wrongly placed into a residential bin, which when crushed by the lorry’s impactor caused the bin, and other debris to be fired out into the street.

Celebrations have been held at Cherry Tree Wood after it was officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks. The popular East Finchley park has received the coveted Green Flag Award - the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.