The Cabinet meeting on Monday 15 June 2026 discussed a wide range of issues, including the council's financial outturn for the previous year, the Barnet Homes Delivery Plan for 2026-27, and the adoption of new Sustainable Design and Development Guidance. Key decisions included approving the Barnet Homes 2026-27 Delivery Plan, noting the final outturn for 2025-26, and adopting the Sustainable Design and Development Guidance Supplementary Planning Document.

Barnet Homes Delivery Plan Approved

The Cabinet approved the Barnet Homes Delivery Plan for 2026-27, which outlines the outcomes and targets for the first year of a new ten-year management agreement. The plan reflects strong performance in 2025/26, with improvements noted in repairs, tenant satisfaction, and the delivery of affordable homes. The plan also addresses the ongoing challenge of temporary accommodation, with initiatives aimed at prevention and increasing supply. Barnet Homes' C1 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing was highlighted as a testament to their commitment to delivery and improvement.

Financial Outturn and Capital Programme Updates

The Chief Finance Officer's report detailed the council's financial outturn for 2025/26, revealing an underspend of £9.775 million against the revenue budget. This positive result was attributed to hard work, new policies, and rigorous real-time budget scrutiny. The report also provided an update on the 2026/27 Capital Programme, which included expenditure of £264.1 million, £47.1 million below the approved budget, primarily due to timing and reprofiling of expenditure into future years. Cabinet approved the virements and write-offs detailed in the report, and delegated authority to the Chief Finance Officer for the allocation of the pay and non-pay inflation contingency budget for 2026/27.

Sustainable Design and Development Guidance Adopted

The Cabinet adopted the Sustainable Design and Development Guidance Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). This SPD consolidates previous guidance and provides detailed advice on the Council's expectations for development standards, focusing on placemaking, sustainability, health, and wellbeing. It aims to promote distinctive, high-quality development that responds to the borough's character and contributes to Barnet's net zero aspirations. The document was amended following public consultation to improve clarity and address feedback received.

Parking Charges in Mays Lane to be Reviewed

A petition regarding parking charges in Mays Lane was discussed, with concerns raised about the impact on local businesses. Councillor Alan Schneiderman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, acknowledged the concerns and agreed to ask officers to investigate the suggestion of aligning the charging hours with the broader Chipping Barnet CPZ, which would allow for a free parking period outside of those hours. A response to the petition is expected within 20 days.

Other Key Discussions

The meeting also covered several other significant topics:

• Reducing Poverty: The Cabinet acknowledged that while awareness campaigns are in place, further structural action is being considered to tackle low pay, housing affordability, and financial insecurity. The Council has signed up to the living wage and is encouraging other organisations to do the same.
• Adult Social Care: Concerns were raised about the worsening measure for social care-related quality of life, which now sits below both London and England medians. The Cabinet acknowledged this and stated that further investigation into the drivers of dissatisfaction is needed.
• Affordable Housing: The Cabinet accepted that house building alone is not solving the housing crisis and that local policy needs to explore alternatives such as bringing empty homes back into use and challenging policies that pit private developer viability against affordability.
• Community Engagement: The Cabinet accepted that while a wide participation strategy is in place, further efforts are needed to ensure meaningful participation, particularly when decisions affect disabled residents, housing, and public safety.
• Barnet Youth Strategy: The draft Barnet Youth Strategy (2026–2036) was approved for formal consultation.
• Safe and Attractive Neighbourhoods and Town Centres: Councillor Sara Conway, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, highlighted the hard work of teams in this area and noted that safety has been a particularly challenging year.
• Flood Alleviation Schemes: Councillor Alan Schneiderman highlighted award-winning schemes in Watling Park and Friary Park as practical examples of the Council's sustainability work.
• NHS Restructure: Councillor Barry Rawlings, Leader of the Council, noted the ongoing risk associated with the NHS restructure and the need for confidence in their ability to deliver preventative work.
• Council Tax and Business Rates Collection: Discussions covered a slight decrease in collection rates, with reasons including cost of living issues and the end of a contract with Capita. The Council is moving these collections in-house.
• Discretionary Support: The turnaround time for discretionary support decisions was noted as being 36 days against a target of 30 days, with reasons including the need for information from applicants.
• Safe Attractive Neighbourhoods and Town Centres: Councillor David Longstaff raised concerns about parking charges in Mays Lane, questioning the rationale behind the increase. Councillor Alan Schneiderman explained the introduction of residential CPZs in the area and agreed to ask officers to investigate potential solutions.
• Our Plan for Barnet: This end-of-year report highlighted the Council's busy workload and acknowledged both successes and areas for improvement, including efforts to grow the film, TV, and digital media sector.
• Sustainable Design and Development Guidance: This SPD was adopted to provide detailed guidance on development standards, consolidating previous documents and aligning with the Local Plan.
• Barnet Homes Annual Delivery Plan: The plan for 2026-27 was approved, setting challenging targets for repairs, tenant satisfaction, and the delivery of new homes.

The meeting concluded with congratulations to Dean Cohen on his MBE.