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On May 5, voters across the UK will head to the polls to decide who will run their local authority.
With just a couple of weeks to go until polls open, the Local Democracy Reporting Service takes a look at the big issues, key facts and political background in Barnet.
Key Issues
The council is Conservative controlled but despite never ever winning control in Barnet, the borough has emerged as one of Labour’s top targets.
On April 8, Labour leader Keir Starmer was joined by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and local councillors and candidates for the party’s official campaign launch in Barnet.
Mr Starmer took aim at the Government’s handling of the cost of living crisis in the hopes that voter unease will allow his party to capitalise on the gains it made in 2018.
But much of the campaign launch was also focused on Labour’s handling of the antisemitism crisis within the party which dogged the 2018 campaign.
The issue was cited as one of the reasons that Labour councillor Jessica Brayne defected to the Lib Dems in 2019. Around 15 per cent of Barnet’s population is estimated to be Jewish.
While Labour is hoping to capitalise on national issues to make headway in Barnet in May, the Conservatives are hoping that local issues such as council tax, rubbish collection and development of greenbelt land will be enough to see of Labour’s challenge.
An issue which the Conservatives will aim to capitalise on are plans by Transport for London to build homes on Tube station car parks. One such development, on Cockfosters station car park in neighbouring Enfield, has drawn the ire of locals and last month saw an intervention from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who blocked the plans.
Conservative Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has also been vocal in her opposition to the scheme.
Details
Barnet London Borough Council was established in 1963, replacing the five local authorities that had been responsible for the area…
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Source : times
