London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018
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A Green &
Pleasant Borough
London Borough of Barnet Conservatives
Manifesto 2018
London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018
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London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018
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Contents
Foreword…………………………………………………………………5
Homes & Public Buildings…………………………………………7
Transport………………………………………………………………..9
Families…………………………………………………………………11
Getting a Good Deal………………………………………………..13
London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018
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London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018
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Foreword
e Conservatives are proud of what we have achieved in the last 16 years. We have
kept Council Tax as low as possible, always remembering that Council money is
the taxpayer’s money. That is why we have delivered a £97 real-terms cut for each
household over the last 4 years.
Our control of the administration has enabled a flexible approach to the way that the Council
performs its duties. Our rubbish is still collected weekly by employees of the Council. We
have kept all 14 libraries open. And we have delivered more affordable homes than our
neighbouring boroughs.
We remember that the borough is there to provide service to all and to provide a helping
hand to those who need it. Our commitment to this principle means we will:
● Keep Council Tax low
● Keep weekly waste collections
● Fight the Labour Mayor’s police cuts
● Stop overdevelopment and resist the Mayor’s plan to build in gardens & green spaces
● Invest more money in street cleaning and our roads & pavements.
Your vote will enable us to continue with this successful formula for another 4 years.
Vote Conservative on May 3rd.
Richard Cornelius, Leader of the Council
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Homes & Public Buildings
arnet has built over 6,600 more homes than any one of our neighbours over the last
ten years. In 2016/17, 8.5% of all housing completions in London were in Barnet. We
understand the anxieties of those looking for a home or helping their children to find
a home. We have built more affordable housing than Camden, Enfield, Haringey, and
Harrow. There are 27,000 more homes in the pipeline to be delivered over the next 25 years.
We are building 363 Council houses, 50 of which have been completed already. If we can find
sites, we will build more. We will meet our statutory duty to house the homeless in a fair and
efficient way. We will be robust in dealing with fraudulent housing claims.
We will look at innovation in housing; our minds are not closed to new ways of delivering the
homes that are needed for Barnet people. It is important to us that Barnet people get
preferential treatment when seeking homes within the borough.
This does not mean that this pace can be continued. There needs to be continued investment
in schools, hospitals and roads to ensure that we build successful communities. We will
replace the pools at Copthall and build a new leisure centre in New Barnet replacing tired
facilities with brand new ones. North London Aquatics will be supported in raising the cash
and getting a new diving pool at Copthall. We will continue to ensure that the parks and open
spaces which cover a third of our borough are protected and properly managed.
A Conservative Council will not support an increase in housing density across the borough.
There is no wish to change the built character of an outer London borough into a central one;
people live in Barnet because it is not like central London. The policy of building on
brownfield sites has been a success but these opportunities have been taken. Until public
transport is radically improved, the borough will continue to rely on cars. Therefore a
Conservative Council will oppose limits on future parking planned by the Labour Mayor.
We will protect the green belt and resist densification of suburban areas. We do not support
conversion of semi-detached houses into flats on more roads and we will amend our
planning guidance to reflect this. We will resist the Labour Mayor’s plans to build in back
gardens and green spaces.
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Transport
e will campaign for the restoration of the trains that have been taken out of the
Northern line rush hour service north of Golders Green and Finchley Central. The
trains are more noticeably overcrowded since this change took place.
Conservatives support cycling. Cyclists should have a fair share of highway space and we
need to develop safe cycling routes. This does not mean that we should replicate mistakes
made elsewhere. There is little advantage in losing road space to designated cycle routes that
are not then used.
Road transport is more important in Barnet than central London. The borough is
geographically large and has poor East-West links. Public transport is by no means
comprehensive and the car is a vital part of the mix. We will lobby for the re-opening of the
disused railway line from Hendon to Old Oak Common. This will link with Heathrow and
mainline service to the West and save going into central London to then come out again for
some journeys.
We aim to be a hump-free borough but recognise that sometimes traffic calming is essential.
20mph limits can also be used where needed and where the police will enforce the
restriction. A Conservative Council will be sensible and pragmatic. Air quality is also a
priority for Conservatives. As they stand, the Labour Mayor’s environmental plans do not
properly protect Barnet’s air quality. We will work to ensure they do.
We will continue our £50m investment to improve roads and pavements. The highways need
constant attention and there are four teams out repairing potholes at any one time. We have
new machinery to improve repairs and more is on order. The cold winter has done a lot of
damage and a big catch up job is required.
We have bought new street cleaning machines that are getting into action. We will bring
forward plans to clear parking spaces for a couple of hours with proper notice so that a
decent cleaning job can be done. This works well overseas and we seek to do the same here.
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Families
arnet has some of the best schools in the country and we want to keep them that way.
The Government’s recent ‘Race Disparity Audit’ showed Barnet children from all
ethnic groups are more likely to do well at school than their peers in surrounding
boroughs. That is something we can be proud of. We will continue to support parental choice
and we value faith schools. Academies and free schools provide additional opportunity and
choice. We will support the expansion of schools to ensure that children get the choice they
deserve.
Children’s Social Services will continue to receive special attention so that we will be graded
as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. All councillors are corporate parents to Children in
Care and it is our job to make sure they get a decent life. All children and young people need
protection from all kinds of danger and the Council will make sure that they get that safety.
This may be action by Council staff or the police and courts service. Your Conservative
Council will be robust in making sure that this happens.
Similar robust action will be applied to protecting vulnerable adults of all ages. We
Conservatives believe in helping those who can’t help themselves. Our parents and
grandparents need a dignified old age and Barnet will ensure that we play our part in
supporting the elderly. From the Freedom Pass to care, you can rely on Conservative
councillors to do the right thing. We will continue to protect the NHS budget by making sure
that Social Care gets those who have been in hospital home as soon as possible. Your
Conservative Council will support the integration of Social Care and the NHS and use our
democratic mandate to get excellent joined-up care. We will push for parity in the
importance and excellence of mental health care, which has too often been treated as a
secondary concern.
As Barnet is a borough made up of many different communities, the Council will help
provide the glue that keeps our society cohesive. There is no room in Barnet for any kind of
prejudice or suspicion of prejudice against any group. Conservative councillors will be
vigilant in calling out and eliminating anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of
prejudice against race, creed, age, and gender.
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Getting a Good Deal
arnet Conservatives will make their voices heard to get adequate policing for our
borough. It is no good us paying more into the Metropolitan Police budget than any
other borough while getting the fewest police officers per head in return. We are at
greater risk of burglary than any other borough and the Government has provided the cash
to the Labour Mayor for a good service. We need to see that delivered efficiently in Barnet
with our fair share.
Responsibility for policing rests with City Hall — but the Labour Mayor has turned the
Metropolitan Police’s three-year run of ‘Good’ efficiency ratings by the Inspectorate of
Constabulary into a poor ‘Requires Improvement’ rating. This is not good enough. Barnet
will not spend more of your money on extra police when you have already paid for them.
Labour’s Mayor owes you those officers and we will fight to see that they are delivered.
Where a Barnet voice is required in negotiating with Government or City Hall, a
Conservative Council will not sit quietly. As it stands, direct Government funding to the
boroughs is unfair; Barnet gets £200 per head whilst Camden receives £505 per head. Our
Conservative Government has started a process to sort this out; your Conservative Council
will make the case strongly.
We will continue to look at the way Council services are delivered, whether they be
outsourced or in-house. We will continue to seek good value for money and will work with
our staff and contractors to make sure Barnet gets the services it deserves. We will review the
way the Council works to ensure elected members can be certain that policy is executed as
they have decided. Contractors will be robustly monitored to ensure continued value for
money. Contingency plans will be maintained to ensure that, whatever happens in our
borough, the emergency will not catch Barnet Council out.
Above all, we will always remember that it is your money we are spending, and will do so
prudently.
Vote Conservative on May 3rd.
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Promoted and published by Rachel Shawcross on behalf of Chipping Barnet Conservative Association at 163 High St, Barnet, EN5 5SU,
Finchley & Golders Green Conservative Association and Hendon Conservative Association, both at 212 Ballards Ln, Finchley, N3 2LX
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