Barnet LBC chief executive John Hooton was surveying the scene in front of him on election day.
As the returning officer for the May 2022 local elections, things were stressful and there was a lot of pressure.
No doubt Mr Hooton would have been thinking back to the experience of his predecessor Andrew Travers, who was forced to leave the council after an election error meant scores of voters were turned away from polling stations in 2016.
But six years later, Barnet had changed and there was an opportunity for Mr Hooton to enjoy the moment.
‘Election day is a brilliant opportunity to see local democracy in action,’ he says.
‘It’s always a great opportunity to reflect on why we do what we do.’
The election led to Labour taking control of Barnet during an election night that hit the Conservatives hard.
Labour had been expected to win but the strength of their mandate exceeded expectations and surprised close observers of the local political scene, with the party now holding 41 seats compared with the Conservatives’ 22.
This reversal of fortunes (the previous split was 38-25 in favour of the Conservatives) in the suburban north London borough, which has a large Jewish population, was viewed as a sign Labour had turned the corner on the anti-Semitism rows that dogged the leadership of former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
With this well-established population contributing to making Barnet a hugely diverse borough (the number of Cypriots, Chinese and eastern Europeans is also relatively high), the new Labour administration has highlighted community engagement as a major theme.
‘We don’t just deliver public services; we are part of the community,’ explains a fast-talking Mr Hooton.
‘We have a big community and faith sector, and we have a role in connecting people.
‘Despite the cynicism in politics in recent years, I think the role of local government is seen as important by communities. Generally, I think you’re trying to push at an open door in trying to forge links with community groups.’
Mr Hooton energetically explains that the council’s community role was partly behind the reason why the authority moved its headquarters to a brand new building in the most deprived part of the borough.
The move was part of the regeneration of the Grahame Park estate, which aims to create a ‘new and thriving mixed tenure community’.
Moving made financial sense as it involved breaking a lease that saved the council money but it came in 2019 – just a year before the pandemic struck.
Gathered outside after a recent fire alarm, Mr Hooton observed 400-500 employees on the street outside – about half of the building’s pre-pandemic occupancy.
‘We’ve settled into a hybrid pattern,’ he explains.
‘I honestly do think it’s one of those generational shifts and we don’t really know how it’s going to pan out. We’re not just going to be prescriptive and say you’ve got to do this as we need to attract the broadest and best talent. I think it’s working OK.’
The future for Barnet then will be very different and a far cry from when its ‘easy council’ project made critical headlines as the ‘daddy of all Conservative-led, outsourcing-driven council reform programmes’.
Mr Hooton says this controversial model is ‘well in the past,’ adding: ‘We’re in a very different era now, particularly as we’ve changed administration.
‘It worked in some areas and it didn’t work in other areas. There are things that Capita do really well – revenues and benefits, running our contact centre – but there’s a much less clear rationale to highways and regulatory services.’
The latter two departments have already returned to the council, along with finance and human resources, with planning due to come back next year.
Another change expected under the new administration will be to introduce a ‘faster and broader’ climate change and sustainability agenda.
New leader Barry Rawlings declared an immediate climate emergency after being officially appointed in May – a move that was previously voted down by Tory councillors.
Rather more quietly, Barnet re-joined the Local Government Association.
The council had previously questioned whether the membership fees were worth the price and quit on financial grounds.
However, the new Labour administration has taken a different view and this could mean Barnet’s role in the sector also changes.
‘I think you’ll hear more from Barnet,’ promises Mr Hooton.
‘We will be involved in the sector more broadly.’
Barnet then is back.