Barnet Council Updates:
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Community skip service dates
Barnet’s community skip service now runs 48 weeks a year and operates at weekends rather than on weekdays with the hours extended to 8.30am to 3pm. You can get rid of up to three large unwanted household items every three months for free using the community skip service.
To view all the service date and locations please visit:
View Barnet’s planned road and pavement works
Barnet Council maintains 723km of roads throughout Barnet and fixed more than 4,400 potholes during 2024. As part of our £97m investment in Barnet’s roads and pavements there are also a number of major resurfacing works underway and planned for the coming months.
You can see which roads will be undergoing resurfacing or repair here. Start dates are usually confirmed around two weeks before works begin and the list is updated weekly.
https://www.barnet.gov.uk/roads-and-pavements/road-and-pavement-maintenance/road-and-pavement-investment/programmed
Free Dr Bike sessions
You can take your bicycle for a free, full safety check, including checks on the condition of tyres, rims, gears, brake function and tyre pressure. The sessions will take place between 4pm and 7pm. Details about sessions can be found here:
Volunteering in Barnet
Volunteering Barnet supports groups and volunteers in Barnet. From finding you a role and helping with applications to arranging regular support sessions, Volunteering Barnet supports your volunteering journey. Join the thousands of people who volunteer each year to support Barnet’s charitable causes and make a difference.
For more information and to get involved visit the Volunteer Barnet website
https://volunteeringbarnet.org.uk/volunteers/
Barnet’s schools to go smartphone-free from September
A new initiative will see schools across Barnet go ‘smartphone-free’ from September. Primary schools will not allow smartphones to be brought in and 23 secondary schools will commit to working towards removing smartphones entirely from the school day.
A Barnet Education & Learning Services spokesperson said: “Smartphone Free-Childhood Barnet is a schools-led initiative. We have supported a borough-wide letter to go out to parents of up to 63,000 school pupils to make Barnet schools smartphone-free by September 2025.
“Schools are in a powerful position to change the norm, and a large group of Barnet schools are committed to making our schools smartphone-free. From September 2025, a majority of secondary schools have already made the decision that the new cohorts of secondary school children (Year 7 pupils) will not be permitted to bring smartphones or smartwatches into school.
“Research shows that children aged 11-15 are most vulnerable to negative influences from social media and internet access via smartphones. We encourage parents to delay giving smartphones to children until at least age 14 and access to social media until age 16.”
Public Space Protection Order tackles anti-social behaviour
Community safety is a top priority in Barnet and we want to ensure our public spaces are clean and safe for everyone. A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) is in place across the whole borough to create a safer, more welcoming environment for all residents and visitors.
The PSPO means fines are issued for street drinking, aggressive begging and other behaviours that negatively impact our public spaces. Fines for breaching the PSPO can be up to £500 for alcohol-related offences and up to £1,000 for other breaches. We want Barnet to be a safer place for everyone.
New Local Plan will shape growth and change up to 2036
Barnet Council adopted its new Local Plan last week marking a significant milestone in the borough’s development strategy. The comprehensive Local Plan will guide growth and development across Barnet up to 2036, replacing the previous Local Plan from 2012.
The plan aims to deliver nearly 44,000 new homes by 2036 in the most sustainable locations, including ‘growth areas’, town centres, transport nodes, estate renewal, and major thoroughfares. It also seeks up to 67,000 m² of new office space across Barnet’s town centres, a new metropolitan town centre at Brent Cross, and a new regional park with three sports and recreation hubs.
The plan emphasises sustainable development with improvements for walking and cycling through a healthy streets approach, combined with more responsive and adaptable town centres, and space to support 27,000 jobs
Antiques Roadshow comes to Barnet this summer
Stephens House & Gardens in Finchley will be hosting the long-running BBC1 show Antiques Roadshow on Sunday 1 June. Specialists will be on hand to offer free advice and valuations to visitors who are invited to raid their attics and bring along their family heirlooms, household treasures and car boot bargains for inspection.
You can find out more, share your story with the Antiques Roadshow team and book tickets here https://lostintv.com/tv-show?id=1354