Barnet Council is committed to changing systems and services to address gaps

Barnet Council has committed to tackling inequality in its new ‘Towards a Fair Barnet’ strategy for the next six years.

This comes after the “State of the City” report published last year highlighted major inequalities in the neighbourhood.

More than a third of working-age disabled residents and a third of black residents were reported to have been “economically inactive” and not looking for work in the past four weeks. Men also earned on average 10% more than women.

The council’s “road map” explains that while the gaps were localized problems, many of these problems were “rooted in the city and the country”.

The strategy details how the council would tackle these gaps, stating: “Our approach will change from typically seeing inequalities as single-issue effects that happen to individual residents who need help, to understanding that sometimes our residents are , also affected by the structural inequalities that impose on us. to change the way we operate systems and services to address inequity in access and outcomes.”

Community engagement was said to be key to designing the roadmap, with two phases of community outreach and resident engagement contributing to the new policy.

The first phase of community engagement found that residents wanted easier access to services, more opportunities for cross-community events and increased protection against discrimination.

The second finding, residents wanted the council to emphasize an understanding of residents’ individuality, which included their lived experiences, to recognize differences not only between but also within communities, and to recognize that services will need to work harder to become more accessible.

At the annual council meeting at Hendon Town Hall this week, councilors approved the new strategy, presented by Zahra Beg, cabinet member for equalities, voluntary and community sector.

She said: “I am delighted to present our ‘Towards a Fair Barnet’ roadmap for equality, diversity and inclusion. This roadmap is not just a policy document, but a strategic framework designed to address persistent inequalities in our communities.

“Our roadmap is built on three pillars, people, place and planet. In terms of our people, we have changed our approach. Instead of focusing on individual problems, we will consider each person as a whole and recognize the other challenges they face in order to provide them with the best possible service.

“Where people live can affect their life chances, so we plan to work with local communities and partners to agree shared priorities for the most unequal neighbourhoods.

“For the planet, we’re committed to becoming a net-zero neighborhood, but we’ll review the impact of climate policies to ensure they don’t fall unequally on different groups of people.”