A lull in Council meetings provides an opportunity to catch up with the more important aspects of a Councillor’s work. But, just to mention the Planning Meeting last week. The Planning and Environment Committee is the main planning committee and usually deal with large applications which cross Ward Boundaries or development where the Council itself has an interest. This Committee seems to go along with Officer Recommendations much more than some of the planning sub committees.

The Madame Chairman of the Meeting upset a member of her own party who got quite hot under the collar. Her crime? She skipped agenda item 2, “Absence of Members”. As it was obvious everyone was there I could not understand the fuss. The Power Point Presentation did not work. This led to much scurrying around to try to fix it.

The Committee approved all the applications. Two which got the thumbs up will mean two more petrol stations losing out to flats. I believe there are now fewer petrol stations in England than when the motor car first hit the road at the beginning of the last century.

Last week I held two of our regular Ward surgery. On Thursday I was at Childs Hill Library and on Sunday in the Allotment Hut at the Railway Cottages in Cricklewood.

On Sunday the Residents turned up in large numbers. They are always polite but very determined to see that the Council does not forget this corner of the Borough. They left me with a long list of issues to take back to the Council. This I duly did later in the day by email to the top Council Officials.

To be fair to the Council Officers they do put in a lot of effort to assist with resident’s concerns. I am sure they are not helped by some of the policies and decisions of the Conservative Administration; the move to North London Business is an example. It is all very well centralising the Council activities on one site, but unless this is properly thought out, residents living at the furthest boundary are bound to feel they are left out and neglected.

The Cricklewood bit of my ward is bounded by Camden and Brent. On Sunday Residents compared Barnet unfavourably to amenities provided by these two adjoining Boroughs. A representative from a Residents association in Brent joined us. They have organised a Northwest Two rainbow day on 28th June. Brent has made a grant of £20,000. They wish to brighten up Cricklewood by providing hanging baskets and putting up signage that will highlight the best of the Broadway. They told me that Brent complain that Barnet is reluctant to spend this kind of money. Perhaps if we get some of the Iceland money back a teeny amount could be used in Cricklewood (I think to myself).

When I first came on to the Council in 1986 the Conservative had a trump card and they used it to good effect. At every opportunity they told residents they were so lucky to live in Barnet. Low Rates (not called council or poll tax in those days); money not wasted in Barnet contrast to the “loony schemes” in "lefty" Brent and Camden.

How the worm has turned. On Sunday residents told me they wish they lived in Camden or Brent where things are done much better. And who runs both these Boroughs? Step Forward the Liberal Democrats!