Councillor Peter Zinkin

Employment Sub-Committee - Wednesday 26th February, 2025 1.00 pm

The Employment Sub-Committee met and decided to recommend to Full Council that Cath Shaw be appointed as Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) subject to no material and well-founded objection from a Member of the Executive. The Sub-Committee also confirmed the deletion of the post of Deputy Chief Executive.

Cabinet - Tuesday 18th February, 2025 7.00 pm

The meeting began with a discussion of Barnet Council's financial position, which is facing a projected budget gap of up to £79 million. Councillors noted a consistent shortfall in savings delivery, with the council consistently achieving only around 85% of its savings targets. They also expressed concerns about the increasing number of pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which is outstripping the overall pupil population growth and putting pressure on the council's budget. The council's low social housing stock was also highlighted as a contributing factor to the high costs of temporary accommodation. The impact of an ageing population on adult social care costs was also discussed.

Employment Sub-Committee - Monday 17th February, 2025 10.30 am

The Sub-Committee considered the draft Pay Policy Statement and agreed to refer it to the next meeting of the Full Council. The Sub-Committee also considered a report on a proposed restructure of the senior management team, approving a number of recommendations that had been made following a consultation on the proposals.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday 30th January, 2025 7.00 pm

The committee asked the Cabinet to consider the level of public concern about the Edgware growth area, including the lack of a definition of what a bus station is in the adopted Local Plan. The committee also asked the Cabinet to review a report on the Barnet Highway Network Task and Finish Group that recommends improvements to how roads in the borough are maintained.

Council - Tuesday 28th January, 2025 7.00 pm

The Council of Barnet Council met on Tuesday 28 January 2025. The meeting started with tributes to Councillor Eva Greenspan, and former Councillors Usha Chopra and Joe Lee who had all sadly passed away. The council then adopted the [Joint Report of the Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer (section 151 Officer)][Council cover report 28 January 2025], which detailed unlawful payments that had been made to, and from the Barnet Pension Fund. The Council delegated to the Pension Fund and Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committees the task of establishing the best way to rectify these unlawful payments, and delegated authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer, to put those steps into effect. The council also noted the appointment of Alexa, Alina, Zahra, and Shama from Copthall Girls School to speak about the 60th anniversary of the London Borough of Barnet.