1. PROTECTING OUR GREEN SPACES AND FIGHTING OVERDEVELOPMENT
For many years, I’ve campaigned to protect our suburban environment. I’m fighting against proposals by the Mayor of London to build tower blocks in Edgware town centre. Working with residents, I'm also trying to stop the Mayor from building over tube station car parks in High Barnet and Cockfosters. And I also want to save the Spires shopping centre from being redeveloped and largely replaced by flats.
I’m backing new homes on brownfield regeneration sites in the borough, such as Dollis Valley. I helped secure £320m from Government for infrastructure to support 7000 new homes being delivered via Barnet Council's estate regeneration projects.
Following an amendment I tabled in Parliament, I persuaded Ministers to make significant changes to planning rules to give local communities a greater say in what is built in their neighbourhood. During my time as Environment Secretary, I had put forward ground-breaking legislation to protect biodiversity and the natural environment, and to promote nature recovery.
2. EXPANDING LOCAL NHS SERVICES
Securing the best NHS services for my constituents has always been a high priority for me. In the past, I successfully campaigned for the new £100m high-tech hospital at Chase Farm, as well as expansion of A&E services at Barnet Hospital in 2015. Now A&E is expanding in Barnet again, after I raised this at Prime Minister's questions. Finchley Memorial Hospital's diagnostic centre has been boosted by new equipment.
I’ve been pressing the Government to focus on improving early diagnosis of cancer. This will now be a big part of the NHS Long Term Plan which is backed by a the record £165 billion a year now being invested in the NHS.
I am urging the Government and the NHS to ensure this extra funding also delivers expanded GP services in Barnet, so residents find it easier to get appointments when they need them. I am supporting plans put forward by local GPs, for example in High Barnet and Whetstone, to extend their buildings to improve facilities for patients.
3. MORE POLICE AND SAVING OUR POLICE STATION
With local residents, I’ve been fighting to try save Barnet Police Station. The Mayor of London has closed the front desk and is now threatening to to sell off the building for development. I have raised this issue at Prime Minister’s Questions. We must keep the building in police use, and stop the Mayor from selling it off, because that would leave the constituency with no base for officers at all.
I successfully campaigned for more funding and more officers for the Met Police. Thanks to the Conservative commitment to 20,000 more police, the Met now have more uniformed officers than at any time in their history. I’m fighting to make sure Barnet gets its fair share, so we have more police on the beat and larger local neighbourhood police teams.
I am urging the police to focus on local priorities such as cracking down on burglaries, so people feel safer. It is also vital that the communities are protected against hate crimes and I helped secure Government funding for extra protections for shuls and Jewish schools.
4. IMPROVING LOCAL TRANSPORT AND FIGHTING AGAINST ULEZ IN THE SUBURBS
I fought against the Mayor’s expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone. I continue to campaign to try get the scheme cancelled because of the impact of these new driving charges on my constituents. I’m pushing the Mayor to speed up the introduction of low emission buses to improve air quality.
I am also opposing other anti-car measures such 'Low Traffic Neighbourhoods' and bus lanes in Barnet High Street, Whetstone High Road, and Cat Hill.
I was part of the successful cross-party campaign to bring back the 84B bus route between Potters Bar and Barnet Hospital. Working with commuters, I lobbied GTR strongly for the return of peak services removed from the timetable at Oakleigh Park and New Southgate, and these were reinstated on December 2019.
I have been keeping up the pressure on Barnet Council to fix potholes and I lobbied the Transport Secretary successfully for a share of the £8.3 billion fund for road repairs after London boroughs lots out on previous similar schemes. Barnet is getting £368,000 of this money this year.
5. GIVING BARNET CHILDREN THE BEST EDUCATION
I campaigned with parents to set up great new schools such as JCOSS, St Andrew the Apostle and Alma Primary School. I also helped secure funding to rebuild Cromer Road School.
Barnet has some of the best schools in the country, but their budgets have been under pressure. So I pushed for more money for every primary and secondary school in Barnet. I raised this in Parliament, and in face to face meetings with successive Prime Ministers. A real terms increase in funding for every primary and secondary school in Barnet was announced in 2019 and further increases in the Autumn Statement in 2022. Before that statement, I had met the Chancellor to make a direct appeal for more money for schools.
I fought a long campaign to secure funding for Barnet's maintained nursery schools when they were threatened with closure. This finally succeeded in 2022. I continue to make the case for more resources for our local schools.
I have championed apprenticeships as a great way for young people to get the skills they need to get on in life and achieve their goals. Over 5000 apprenticeships have been delivered locally.
6. RAISING LIVING STANDARDS AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND TOWN CENTRES
One of my top priorities as an MP has always been a strong economy to deliver rising living standards meaning people are better off. The inflation caused by Covid and the Ukraine war put great pressure on household bills. I have backed the Conservative plan at national level which has seen inflation falling, wages rising, pensions rising, energy bills falling, four million more people in work, 5.8 million apprenticeships, and taxes cut by £900. We are turning the corner.
I have also been working for many years to support our local town centres, including Barnet’s historic market. I called on the Government to provide help for local businesses and they responded with cuts business rates in successive Budgets.
As set out above, I am opposing plans by Sadiq Khan for bus lanes in Barnet High Street, Whetstone High Road and Cat Hill which would harm local high streets. In my former role as Environment Secretary, I brought forward measures to crack down on litter and flytipping, because I know how important it is to ensure our town centres are clean and welcoming.
Digital imprint: Promoted by Theresa Villiers of 163 High Street, Barnet, EN5 5SU.