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143 stories from and about Barnet, mostly transport & tfl, local news, council & politics. The most recent ran on 14 September 2026. Page 2 of 8.
A 76-year-old Barnet resident admitted killing five or six koi carp and causing £565 of damage to a neighbour’s fishpond after a dispute over noise from a water pump. CCTV showed him entering the garden and damaging the equipment.
David Stevenson, abandoned as a baby in a Golders Green flat in 1960, has traced his Dutch birth family after 65 years. DNA matches and ITV’s *Long Lost Family* revealed his mother’s identity and Indonesian heritage, while police records helped fill gaps in his story.
Barnet Council’s reintroduced food waste service collects over 100 tonnes weekly, with two million collections since March 2026. The Labour administration restored the scheme after Conservatives scrapped it in 2018, citing £300,000 annual savings. Fox spillages remain rare, with crews clearing incidents during rounds.
At least 23 people were injured when a crowd surged at the entrance to Ghana Party in the Park in Hendon after a small fire forced temporary gate closure. Police closed the event early, citing overcrowding at Copthall Playing Fields.

Forty firefighters from London Fire Brigade attended a fire at a shop with flats above on Barnet High Street on 3 August 2026. The incident required no evacuations, and the cause remains under investigation by the brigade.
A woman in her 20s was taken to hospital after a crash on Mill Hill Circus roundabout in Edgware at 2.40pm on 2 August. Police closed three lanes, causing significant disruption, but no fatalities or arrests were reported. Enquiries continue.

Alexandra Palace Way in Haringey remains partially blocked following an emergency service incident on 2 August. Police and council officials have not released further information, leaving residents uncertain about diversions and reopening times.
Three people were taken to hospital after a fire near the entrance of Ghana Party in the Park in Barnet caused gates to close, leading to a crowd surge when they reopened. The festival was stopped early, with 23 people receiving assistance from emergency services.
A small fire at the Ghana Party in the Park festival in Barnet led to temporary gate closures, followed by a crowd surge when they reopened. Emergency services treated 23 people, with three hospitalised. The event was cancelled early on safety advice.
A new weekly mindfulness meditation drop-in starts this Thursday at St Mark’s Hall in Barnet, led by local teacher Ruth McDonald. Sessions run from 6.15 pm to 7.15 pm, cost £5 or £10 by donation, and are open to all levels, including complete beginners.
Colin Purkey, a Barnet resident and former further education teacher, has published a memoir detailing his imprisonment under South Africa’s apartheid regime. The book, 'Time Served', covers his arrest, hospitalisation after a car accident, and activism in the 1980s and 1990s.

Barnet Council will increase its work experience placements and convene local businesses to create more opportunities, following a protest by students from Hendon School and St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School. The council currently offers ten places and does not coordinate business offers.
A 1930s plan to extend the Northern line beyond Edgware to Bushey Heath was halted by the Second World War and post-war green belt restrictions. Only half-built arches at Brockley Hill remain as evidence of the scheme, formally abandoned in 1954 by London Transport.
More than 8,000 attendees were at the annual Ghana Party in the Park festival when overcrowding at the entrance led to injuries. Emergency services, including two air ambulances, responded. Organisers and Barnet Council confirmed the early closure, citing health and safety concerns.

Watling Park in Barnet has been awarded Green Flag status after a £1.5 million refurbishment. The project included rerouting Burnt Oak Brook to mitigate flood risks, new playgrounds, and workout equipment, funded in part by Defra.
A planning application has been submitted to Barnet Council to change the use of a property in Braemar Gardens. The home, located at 1 Braemar Gardens, could become a residential care facility for up to three children, shifting from its current Class C3 residential use to Class C2.

Barnet Council has refused to remove Union Jack flags in Temple Fortune after Labour MP Sarah Sackman described them as 'divisive'. The council cited safety concerns and cost, while local Conservatives accused Sackman of 'political theatre' amid funding cuts.
Barnet and North London sole traders and landlords with annual incomes above £50,000 must submit digital tax records quarterly under new HMRC rules. The first deadline is 7 August 2026, replacing the traditional annual Self Assessment process for affected individuals.
Barnet Council has told Sadiq Khan he cannot change Green Belt boundaries after the mayor’s draft London Plan identified seven train stations in the borough as potential development sites. The council says no direct talks have taken place with City Hall on the proposals.
Barnet Council has opened a public consultation on its draft youth strategy, aiming to address gaps in social and employment opportunities for young people post-pandemic. The 10-year plan follows new government guidance but faces criticism for omitting work experience references.
Borough-wide and national stories that name Barnet or bear directly on it.
BBC forecasters say London will not see a heatwave in September, with Met Office temperatures forecast between 24 °C and 19 °C. Thames Water’s hosepipe ban, issued on 23 July, remains active for Barnet, and the Environment Agency warns the drought will persist until nationwide rainfall resumes.
Local authorities have removed 3,393 dockless e‑bikes across London in 2026, a 23% increase on the previous year. Lime operators account for over 2,000 of those bikes. The RNIB says the growing clutter endangers blind and partially sighted people, prompting calls for city‑wide regulation.
The BBC gives a 47% likelihood of thunder and lightning at about 10 am on Sunday 13 September, and the Met Office expects rain between 5 am and 11 am. Temperatures will reach 23 °C, dropping to 16 °C overnight, prompting residents to carry umbrellas.
A technical failure at NATS caused 177 flights to be cancelled on Wednesday, mainly from Heathrow. Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its customers were impacted, while British Airways cancelled or diverted over 100 flights. Luton Airport remained open but warned of possible delays.
A technical fault in NATS’s flight‑processing system forced the cancellation of over 400 flights on Tuesday. Ryanair, British Airways and EasyJet all reported large numbers of disrupted customers, while the transport secretary said she is seeking assurances that the problem will be prevented in future.
A Traveller community in North London reports that on one pitch up to 15 people are forced to share a single bathroom. The group says the situation is dangerous and calls for immediate action, while no official response has been recorded.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on the government to lower business costs and undo the £20bn increase in employer National Insurance contributions. Chancellor John Healey is expected to announce a £150m fund for fast‑growing northern firms on 28 October.
On 4 September 2026 Mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled a £15.6 million fund aimed at making streets, parks and transport hubs safer for women and girls. Delivered through City Hall, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and TfL, the scheme joins a wider £37 million citywide plan.
Barnet Council has joined three inner-London boroughs in a formal challenge to government funding reforms that would remove £292 million over four years. The councils say the cuts threaten essential services and will force council tax rises. Residents can respond through a survey open until 15 October 2026.
London Stadium 185 has asked Newham Council to raise the number of non‑sport events from ten to 24 per year, increase concert capacity to 85,000 on eight days and lift noise limits. The stadium claims the changes are needed to offset £19 million in yearly losses.
The Office for National Statistics July 2026 release indicates London’s average private‑rental price climbed 2.2% to £2,302 a month. Kensington & Chelsea stayed the priciest borough at £3,596, Bexley the cheapest at £1,528, and Barnet’s exact figure was not disclosed.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged £168.3 million to reduce rough sleeping in London by Christmas, with Barnet-based charity Homeless Action in Barnet allocated £330,997. The funding aims to provide emergency accommodation and support services, though no fixed duration for housing offers has been set.
Children in Barnet and across London showed faster lung growth after the Ultra Low Emission Zone was introduced, according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health. The research tracked 3,400 pupils aged six to nine in 84 schools, comparing London with Luton, where no clean air zone exists.
Residents using High Barnet and Edgware Tube stations face longer waits as Transport for London reduces escalator replacements. Over a quarter of London Underground escalators now operate beyond their expected lifespan, with TfL spending £56.1m last year on repairs and upgrades.
Barnet residents selling homes are waiting nearly a week longer than last year, with properties now taking 52 days on average to secure a buyer. The increase mirrors a wider slowdown across London, where 23 of 32 boroughs report longer sale times amid higher mortgage rates and rising inventory.
Barnet and the wider south-east could see another heatwave in September, the Met Office has warned, as the region remains a month’s worth of rain below normal levels. Heavy rain forecast for Monday may ease wildfire risks but will not end drought conditions or hosepipe bans, experts say.
Barnet Council’s December 2025 rejection of 283 flats at High Barnet Underground Station may now be harder to defend under new planning rules. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s policy requires councils to approve developments within a 10-minute walk of transport hubs unless strong evidence justifies refusal. The scheme was later approved by City Hall after a mayoral call-in.
Metropolitan Police seized 2,367 illegal e-bikes in the year to 19 May 2026, the highest total in the UK. Under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, officers can now confiscate modified e-bikes without issuing a warning. Barnet residents report rising concerns over speeding and pavement use.
Virgin Trains will operate international rail services from London St Pancras to Europe from October 2030, breaking Eurostar’s 36-year monopoly. The Office of Rail and Road approved 20 daily return trips to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam until 2040, pending final safety and network approvals.
An emergency alert warning of extreme wildfire risk was sent to mobile phones across the UK on 14 August 2026, disrupting television broadcasts. Barnet residents were advised to avoid barbecues, fireworks and other fire risks as temperatures reached 38.1°C in London.
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