highbarnet.org » Uncategorized http://highbarnet.org News from High Barnet Liberal Democrats Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:08:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Off to see Spurs http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/16/off-to-see-spurs/ http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/16/off-to-see-spurs/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:16:21 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=274 I’m not a huge football fan. I normally go to a couple of Barnet matches during a season and that’s about it. However my eldest daughter has suddenly acquired an interest in Spurs and with the help of a friend who is a season ticket holder we have obtained two tickets for this afternoons match against Hull City. The only other time I’ve been to a premiership match was also a Spurs match. It was years ago against Crystal Palace (probably well before the premiership). The Company I was working for was involved on a project with another company that had a box at Spurs and we managed to get to invited to fo to their box. A colleague picked me up in his car which was an old LADA estate that was only one step removed from a tractor.  The sight of us pulling up at the gate to the executive car park in this clapped out old Lada is one I won’t forget in a hurry. The match was a very forgettable 0-0 draw. Let’s hope that today’s match is better.

UPDATE

Well it was another 0-0 draw but it was a decent match.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/16/off-to-see-spurs/feed/ 2 The big freeze http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/10/the-big-freeze/ http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/10/the-big-freeze/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:09:43 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=272 Firstly, happy new year! We seem to be in the longest freeze that I can remember. It has certainly caused me to cut my car usage. Barnet’s main roads are not too bad but the side roads and the pavements are very icy. I walked up to Barnet yesterday for my surgery at Chipping Barnet Library. I usually walk up the path from Mays Lane past the tennis courts and into the Old Court House park. To my surprise the path had been gritted the whole way up which is more than you can say for either Manor Rd or Fitzjohn Avenue which would be the alternative pedestrian routes. Walking along the High Street I was amazed to see the number of shops that still have their doors wide open. The amount of heat they must be wasting is frighting. Others have commented on the lack of political leadership during te freeze. (Apparently the Leader and deputy are on holiday). Frankly this is symptomatic of this administration.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2010/01/10/the-big-freeze/feed/ 0 Tudor Park – new play area http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/23/tudor-park-new-play-area/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/23/tudor-park-new-play-area/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:30:56 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=270 There are plans to build a new play area in Tudor Park using funds from the playbuilder programme. You can view the proposed scheme and make make comments by following the link below.

http://www.barnet.gov.uk/index/council-democracy/consultations/playbuilder-consultation.htm

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/23/tudor-park-new-play-area/feed/ 0 10:10 campaign http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/1010-campaign/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/1010-campaign/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:40:20 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=268 At the last Council meeting we discussed the 10:10 campaign. This is a campaign that individuals or organisations can sign up to that commits to try and cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. The motion for the Council to join the campaign was defeated by the Conservative majority and a much weaker piece of waffle passed in its place. I have therefore decided to join the 10:10 campaign as an individual and try and cut my and my families carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. My first action as mentioned in a previous post is to opt out of the Councils courier service, which will save vehicle journeys and a considerable amount of paper. The campaign will send me emails every so often with further ideas. You can read more about the campaign and join your self by going to http://www.1010uk.org/

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/1010-campaign/feed/ 0 Courier service http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/courier-service/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/courier-service/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:31:28 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=266 For a while now I’ve been concerned about the cost both environmentally and monetary of the Council’s courier service. The courier service delivers committee papers including agenda’s and minutes and any other post that comes directly to the Town Hall to councillors home addresses. At the last council meeting I asked about the cost and was told that the cost of just delivering to Councillors for the last financial year was £26,600. Now given that all the committee papers are available electronically and that most other post that I receive via the Town Hall is not time sensitive it makes sense to opt out of the courier service. This is what I have now asked to happen. So if you want to write to me on a time sensitive issue then please use my home address as listed on the council’s website or if you live in High Barnet please use the freepost address given on my Focus newsletters. Or better still email me and save the paper.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/22/courier-service/feed/ 0 Full Council http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/15/full-council-2/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/15/full-council-2/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:18 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=264 Tonight’s Council meeting decended into farce. The Tories elected the new leader of the Council Lynn Hillan. They then spent too long celebrating in the break so that there was no one there to move the administration policy item and so it was not taken. When they did all return they voted down the opposition policy item which was about signing up for the 10:10 campaign (A cross party non political campaign to aim to reduce Carbon emissions by 10% in 2010). Then having elected a new Cabinet, one of the new cabinet members who wished to raise an issue under the work of the cabinet section of the meeting found he could not do so because he was now in the cabinet. Total farce. Total disregard for the meeting. If residents ever actually saw the antics that take place at the town hall then they would be even less likely to want any involvement with local democracy.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/12/15/full-council-2/feed/ 2 Trainspotting moi http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/28/trainspotting-moi/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/28/trainspotting-moi/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:50:45 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=252 Sir Nigel Gresley

Sir Nigel Gresley

Well there’s a first time for everything. I was told by a friend who really is a bit of a train spotter that Sir Nigel Gresley was coming through New Barnet this afternoon so I took the opportunity to go down and take a picture. There were a few hardy souls waiting and it wasn’t long before the train steamed through at quite a pace. I wonder if someone will be taking pictures of the trains that currently use the line in 50 years time and feeling slightly nostalgic.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/28/trainspotting-moi/feed/ 0 13 December a Date for your diaries http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/13-december-a-date-for-your-diaries/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/13-december-a-date-for-your-diaries/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:05:24 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=235 Whilst I’m on the subject of parks. The Friends of Ravenscroft Gardens in High Barnet are holding a Festive celebration on the Sunday 13th December 5pm – 7pm. There will be Carol singing, musicians and even Santa may turn up. Given the huge success of the Victorian day earlier in the year I’m hoping this event will be just as much fun.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/13-december-a-date-for-your-diaries/feed/ 0 Highlands Gardens http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/highlands-gardens-2/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/highlands-gardens-2/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:02:25 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=233
Highlands Garden sign

Highlands Garden sign

Highlands Gardens is a beautiful little park in Leicester Road New Barnet. It’s a park that over the years has been sadly neglected. There is a small friends group that have managed to raise enough money to re-instate the pumps for the water features and is working on getting the ponds relined so that there is enough water to operate the waterfalls that make this park so special.

A few weeks ago Barnet Council installed new signage. A cause for celebration? Well take a look at the photo. As far as I’m concerned these signs are ugly and inappropriate for the style of the park and unfortunately the Friends of Highlands Gardens were not consulted about the design. If they had been then we could have suggested better ways to spend the money. For example the Friends have developed a tree trail for the park that could have been implemented instead.

]]> http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/highlands-gardens-2/feed/ 0 The cat is out of the bag http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/the-cat-is-out-of-the-bag/ http://highbarnet.org/2009/11/21/the-cat-is-out-of-the-bag/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:53:46 +0000 duncan http://highbarnet.org/?p=225 My colleague Cllr Jack Cohen has posted the following on his Hendon Times blog.

The tories are in a real mess over this as they desperately avoid trying to admit what the Future shape programme is actually about.

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