The week of 18-22 October is Local Democracy week, and we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight all the ways you can get involved in local democracy and have your voice heard. For more information on any of the options below, please click the titles to be taken to the relevant page.
Local Democracy Week
Submitting an issue to a Residents Forum
Resident Forums are an opportunity for you to raise and discuss any local issue (except from Planning) directly with elected Councillors. There are three Area Residents Forums: Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green and Hendon. Submit an issue or find out more
If you and other residents have an issue that you collectively want Barnet Council to investigate, you can submit a petition. You will need at least 25 signatures and all signatures must be from residents living within Barnet.
We accept e-petitions – which can be submitted through our website
Or
We also accept paper petitions which should be clearly labelled as a petition and addressed to the Head of Governance, Assurance Group, London Borough of Barnet, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW.
Asking a public question or raising a comment at a meeting:
If you have a specific question or comment you would like to make in relation to a substantive item on an agenda for a meeting, you can do so by contacting the lead Governance Officer for that committee. Contact details will be found on the front cover of the agenda. All meetings and agendas can be found via Committee structure (moderngov.co.uk).
One comment per resident, per agenda item will be accepted. These will be published alongside the agenda.
One question, per resident, per agenda item will be accepted, up to a maximum of 2 questions in total for each item. Questioners can ask one supplementary question at the meeting.
There is a 100 word limit for both comments and questions.
Speaking at a planning meeting:
If there is a planning application that you feel strongly about, you can request to speak at the meeting at which the decision is being made.
Requests must be submitted to the relevant planning case officer by 10am the third working day prior to the meeting. Find the relevant case officer. There are always 2 speaker slots available and 1 additional slot reserved for the applicant. Where more than 2 residents register to speak, individuals will be contacted and asked to decide who will represent them at the meeting.
Barnet Youth Assembly is an opportunity for young people to come together to debate local issues and work on projects collectively with young people from across the borough. It is open to ages 11-18 (up to 25 for those with additional needs) who live, study or work in Barnet. To find out more please contact YouthAssembly@barnet.gov.uk
Attending a meeting as an observer:
All meetings are open to the public and are held at Hendon Town Hall, with seats available within the public gallery. Our calendar of meetings can be found here - Monthly meetings calendar - October 2021 (moderngov.co.uk)
Raising an issue with a Councillor:
All Elected Members can be contacted directly about local issues in your ward. Full list of contact details.
Becoming a Councillor
Are you passionate about your local community and want to make a difference? Have you considered becoming a Councillor? The next Local Elections will be on 5 May 2022. For information on what standing for a Councillor involves, please visit this page: Standing for election.