Councillor Ernest Ambe Esq

Licensing and General Purposes Committee - Thursday 7th November, 2024 7.00 pm

The Licensing and General Purposes Committee approved a revised Licensing Policy [^1] for the period 2025 to 2030, and recommended that it be adopted at the next full meeting of the council. The committee noted that public consultation had taken place and that 24 responses had been received. Concerns were raised about a perceived increase in male-dominated cafés, with members citing businesses such as the Toscana, Cafe 01, Tirana, and Pizreni on Vivian Avenue in Hendon. Some respondents believed these venues were intimidating to women, with one resident stating:

the Licensing and General Purposes Committee of Barnet Council

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Monday 28th October, 2024 7.00 pm

The meeting considered a proposal for the extension of three contracts with Capita and the proposed new Fees and Charges for 2025/26. The committee requested further information from officers on business and Council tax collection rates and asked that an informal group be set up to look at the future of the Capita contracts. The committee also requested that officers investigate the possibility of tapering the proposed charge for arranging care for people above the capital and savings threshold.

Council - Tuesday 15th October, 2024 7.00 pm

The meeting began with a series of speeches on the topic of Black History Month and then moved on to approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 July 2024, note the contents of a number of reports, appoint new officers, and approve a new constitution for the council. Two motions were debated and voted on: a motion to celebrate the achievements of the Labour administration, which was carried, and a motion to regret the government's decision to means-test Winter Fuel Allowance, which was lost.

West Area Committee - Wednesday 18th September, 2024 7.00 pm

The West Area Committee met and agreed to note the status of their Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) budget and the Road Safety & Parking (RS&P) budget, both of which are funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). They also approved a number of grants from their NCIL budget.