The Annual Council meeting of Barnet Council saw the election of Councillor Barry Rawlings as the new Leader of the Council following a closely contested vote. The meeting also addressed constitutional amendments and the appointment of various civic representatives and committee members.

Appointment of the Leader

Following the local government elections on 7 May 2026, the council convened to appoint a new Leader. Councillor Barry Rawlings was nominated by Councillor Ross Houston and seconded by Councillor Anne Hutton. Councillor Peter Zinkin was nominated by Councillor Charlotte Daus and seconded by Councillor Caroline Stock. After speeches from the nominees' supporters, a recorded vote was held. Councillor Zinkin's nomination was lost by 31 votes to 32. Subsequently, Councillor Barry Rawlings was elected as the Leader of the Council for a four-year term, with 31 votes in favour, 31 abstentions, and one vote against.

Constitutional Amendments and Political Proportionality

The council considered proposed constitutional amendments, which included changes to committees and the allocation of seats to comply with political balance requirements. Councillor Charli Thompson opposed these changes, arguing that they would weaken democratic participation and transparency, particularly the removal of deputations from full council. Despite her objections, the proposed constitutional amendments were agreed by 62 votes to one.

The council also noted the political balance of the council, with 31 members from the Labour group, 31 from the Conservative group, and one member from the Green Party. The allocation of seats on committees was agreed to comply with political balance regulations.

Official Announcements

The Mayor, Councillor Danny Rich, made several official announcements. He welcomed councillors to the chamber and paid tribute to former Councillor Edith. He also highlighted the impact of global events on Barnet, referencing a letter from the Mayor of Ramat Gan and expressing sympathy regarding the arson attacks on Hatzolah ambulances in Golders Green. The Mayor condemned these attacks as reprehensible anti-Semitic acts and reaffirmed the council's commitment to combating hate crime. He also announced the visit of His Majesty King Charles III to Golders Green to show support for the Jewish community and mentioned the presentation of Civic Awards, including a posthumous award to the family of Sina Ghami.

Election of the Mayor

Councillor Zara Begg was elected as the Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet for the municipal year 2026-27. She was nominated by Councillor Philip Cohen and seconded by Councillor Simon Radford. Following her election, Councillor Begg made the declaration of acceptance of office and appointed Councillor Humayune Khalick as Deputy Mayor and Councillor Lachhya Bahadur Gurung as Civic Ambassador.

Appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies

The council agreed to delegate authority to the Head of Governance, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition, to make final amendments to committee appointments. This was deemed necessary due to the complexity of forming committees with a 31-31 split between the two main parties. The council also agreed to nominations for appointments to outside bodies and council companies, including changes to the Barnet Group Board and the Barnet Education and Learning Service Limited Board.

Dispensations and Waivers

The council agreed that general dispensations, as highlighted in the report, would be granted by the monitoring officer to councillors until the end of May 2030. These dispensations will be included in the member code of conduct.

Members' Allowance Scheme

The council approved an amendment to the Members' Allowance Scheme for 2026-27, which includes provisions for elected members to join the Local Government Pension Scheme and reflects the new committee structure.

The meeting also included the formal opening of the meeting with prayer, the noting of apologies for absence, and the confirmation of minutes from the previous meeting. There were no declarations of interest made.