What we're doing to make Barnet more sustainable

Who is involved

Our Sustainability team works to ensure that we're on track to meet our net zero targets and improve sustainability across the borough.

The Lead Member for sustainability is the Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee and the lead officer is the Director for Growth.

Our action plan

Our action plan will be published to this page in Autumn 2022

We have already taken action to become one of London's most sustainable boroughs, but we recognise there is much more to do.  

Our action plan outlines the work of services across the council and allows the Sustainability Team to coordinate what we are doing to become more sustainable. The plan is based on the high-level commitments outlined in our Sustainability Strategy Framework.  

The action plan will be updated quarterly. The first update is due January 2023. Each action is subject to an Equality Impact Assessment to ensure we aren't disproportionally impacting on some residents or businesses.  

Our action plan addresses these 8 main areas where we can impact on sustainability:

Transport

We will create a safe and resilient environment for walking, wheeling and cycling.

We want to promote active travel, but we also recognise that this is not possible for all. Therefore, we will make public transport just as accessible.

We will also be encouraging the decarbonisation of transport and lower private car usage.

Waste

We want to reduce the production of waste across Barnet.

We will provide sustainable waste disposal choices and educate businesses and individuals on how best to use these services.

We can also ensure unavoidable waste is processed in line with our waste hierarchy principles.

Council operations

Sustainability principles will be part of our processes and encouraged in staff behaviour.

We want to lead by example in everything we do and want our policies to be inspirational for others in the industry.

Renewable energy

We will remove our use of fossil fuels where possible.

We want to make energy use across the borough more sustainable and affordable for residents and businesses, tackling fuel poverty.

Housing and buildings

We will lead by example, ensuring all housing stock is brought up to the highest sustainability standards.

We want new builds to be designed to a high quality with a strong emphasis on sustainability.

Business, skills and partner organisations

We will create opportunities to make Barnet an attractive place for sustainable business and investments, supporting the development of green skills.

We will highlight the benefits of sustainability for businesses and develop our relationships and partnerships by collaborating with others.

Supply chain

We will create opportunities to make Barnet an attractive place for sustainable objectives and strategies.

We will work with and monitor current and future suppliers to improve sustainability within their supply chain. We want to integrate sustainability in their procurement and decision making processes.

Natural environment and biodiversity

We will protect existing natural space and seek to expand coverage of green space across Barnet.

We want to balance the needs of residents against those of biodiversity and ecology. This will be done by educating people on the value of these natural spaces.