Councillor Giulia Monasterio

Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee - Wednesday 22nd January, 2025 7.00 pm

The Committee accepted all of the recommendations made in the Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership – Addendum to Annual Report 2023/24, the Complaints and Compliments Annual Report 2023-24 and the Family Services Quarterly Update. It also agreed to take forward an action to engage with the Barnet Youth Parliament.

Budget Scrutiny, Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday 12th December, 2024 7.00 pm

The committee considered a report on proposed changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme. It was noted that a separate public consultation was in progress, and the cabinet will consider the committee's views alongside the public consultation responses in February 2025. The committee recommended that the cabinet consider what other councils in London were doing. The committee also noted the Cabinet Forward Plan and considered a proposal to add the Open Door Homes acquisitions update to the plan for June 2025. There were no objections, so this was agreed. The committee noted the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme and agreed to move their meeting from 5 June to 12 June. They also agreed to consider the budget papers on 30 January to allow members to make comments ahead of the final budget being produced. Finally, the committee considered two reports on the council's budget: the Chief Finance Officer Report – 2024/25 Quarter 2 Financial Forecast and 2024/25 Budget Management and the Business Planning and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025-2030. These reports revealed a challenging financial position for the council, with an anticipated overspend of £25 million for 2024/25. The committee recommended that the cabinet consider how the budget consultation might be improved in future years, potentially by adopting a themed approach where each department could be scrutinized separately.

Barnet Children's Partnership Board - Tuesday 19th November, 2024 4.30 pm

Council - Tuesday 15th October, 2024 7.00 pm

The meeting began with a series of speeches on the topic of Black History Month and then moved on to approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 July 2024, note the contents of a number of reports, appoint new officers, and approve a new constitution for the council. Two motions were debated and voted on: a motion to celebrate the achievements of the Labour administration, which was carried, and a motion to regret the government's decision to means-test Winter Fuel Allowance, which was lost.

Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee - Thursday 12th September, 2024 7.00 pm

The Committee noted the minutes of the previous meeting and received apologies from Councillor Woodstock-Vellaman. Councillor Naranthira sat in on his behalf. The Committee noted Councillor Conway's declaration of interest as a local headteacher at the 9th Room Primary School, a Jewish Independent School in Henson.