A plan to let people pay for their own pavement repairs has been thrown out after councillors refused to back it.

Barnet Council wanted to allow residents to pay for repairs and improvements on public highways outside their homes and shops.

The work – including fixing cracked paving flags – would fall outside the scope of the maintenance works already funded by the council.

But some councillors warned this would lead to a “two-tier” system in which people who could not afford to pay for improvements would be left with lower-quality surroundings.

Labour environment spokesman Cllr Alan Schneiderman branded the proposals a “crackpot scheme” at a meeting of the environment committee on Wednesday (September 11).

He said: “This will introduce a two-tier service where people who can afford it will get a first-class service and people who can’t will get a second-rate service.

“The council has a statutory responsibility to keep roads and pavements in satisfactory repair and needs to do better at that.”

Committee chairman Cllr Dean Cohen (Conservative) defended the proposals.

Cllr Cohen said: “If a resident wants to renew their footway or put something there to enhance the appearance, that is up to them.

“But at the same time, the council will continue to invest in footways and the highway network.”

But his Conservative colleague Cllr Laithe Jajeh admitted it “somewhat is a two-tier system”.

He said: “If you can afford it, you get it, if you can’t, you get the minimum statutory requirement.”

Cllr Jajeh also warned the council could face a large number of complaints from people who had paid for improvements that were later damaged by a third party.

When the plan was put to a vote, three Conservative members backed the scheme – but their three Tory colleagues abstained.

With four Labour councillors voting against, the plan was defeated.