Have your say on Barnet Borough Council at residents' forum

12:20pm Saturday 12th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Natalie O'Neill

People can question councillors about their work in Barnet at one of three residents’ forums next week.

Any issues other than planning or licensing matters can be discussed at the meetings which will be chaired by Barnet Borough Council representatives.

The forums will be held at 6pm on Wednesday January 16 at Barnet House in High Road, Whetstone, St Michael’s Church Hall in The Riding, Golders Green, and Hendon Town Hall in The Burroughs.

Any issues can be submitted up until 6pm the day before to chippingbarnet.residentsforum@barnet.gov.uk, f&gg.residentsforum@barnet.gov.uk
or hendon.residentsforum@barnet.gov.uk

Comments(10)

Mr Reasonable says...
11:00pm Sat 12 Jan 13

Please stop publishing this rubbish. You cannot ask your councillors about anything other than a very narrowly defined topic called "public works". The residents forums have been constrained so as to completely stifle public debate. Barnet Council has done its utmost to stop residents asking the key questions about what they do. Go along, try asking a question about anything which is borough wide, or policy or in anyway related to the details of the council's strategy and your question will be ruled out of order. They are a complete sham.

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AlanSxx says...
8:10am Sun 13 Jan 13

Oh, I don't know, Mr R. Maybe they should keep publishing and maybe people will actually be encouraged to go along for themselves and see just what a farce the whole process actually is!

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Jon10 says...
7:18pm Sun 13 Jan 13

"People can question councillors about their work in Barnet.."

Oh, come on, you were being ironic, surely!

Did you notice Barnet is in Private Eye again, by the way?

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Grumblepop says...
10:34am Mon 14 Jan 13

Do we have to say Heil Councillor and click our heels before being allowed to speak?

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Raycze says...
10:44am Mon 14 Jan 13

Unless Barnet residents do turn up for these events and make a nuisance of themselves, then this farcicle situation will never change.

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Mr unreasonable and always looking for fault says...
1:37pm Tue 15 Jan 13

Mr 'Reasonable' should change his name to Mr 'Easily and/or Intentionally Confused'.

For Borough-wide questions etc you can contact councillors directly or as and when issues come up, ask questions at the appropriate cabinet or scrutiny committee. You may not like the answer but that's how you ask Borough questions on policy etc.

For local issues, which is what most residents are most interested in, go to the resident forums. Mr Reasonable and his anti-council friends don't like the fact that they can't turn local resident forums into political anti-council ranting sessions!!

Public debate has not been stifled - nothing stopping Mr Reasonable and his chums gathering in public and telling eachother how much they diasgree with x, y z - as they do sometimes.

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Mike NW7 says...
5:26pm Tue 15 Jan 13

Hello Unreasonable

What are residents allowed therefore to ask about in residents forums and what are they not allowed to ask about.

Looking forward to your clarification

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Mrs Angry, Broken Barnet blog says...
6:31pm Tue 15 Jan 13

to the Tory councillor masquerading as 'Mr Unreasonable etc' - we do know who you are, by the way ... trying to justify the suppression of the freedom of expression - nice. What are you so frightened of, that you must stop the residents you are supposed to represent from holding you to account?

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Mr Reasonable says...
7:32pm Tue 15 Jan 13

Cllr Unreasonable is sadly mistaken. Cllrs do not reply to correspondence on policy. Committees do not give you answers to the questions you ask (although they do answer questions you haven't asked). Forums are supposed to be about debate and dialogue, something which Barnet Cllrs seem to have a total aversion to. Just be honest and scrap the forums because we know you don't give a stuff what residents say.

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Mike NW7 says...
4:34pm Wed 16 Jan 13

Looks like Cllr Unreasonable is too "frit" to respond! Oh dear, I was looking forward to some entertainment!

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