a green & pleasant borough - barnetconservatives.london€¦ · london borough of barnet...

London Borough of Barnet Conservatives Manifesto 2018

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A Green &

Pleasant Borough

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


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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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