Council doubles down on business support claim

23 April 2026

Barnet Council has doubled down on its claim that businesses have requested parking controls in Underhill, overruling a complaint and refusing to apologise.

This is despite a petition with more than 2,000 signatures, statements from several local businesses against the measures and the fact that, according to a freedom of information response, no non-residents have requested permits for the Underhill South CPZ.  Underhill Residents Group provided several testimonies from local businesses opposing parking controls.

Dismissing a complaint about Barnet Council's claim in its 7 July 2025 letter about the Underhill South Controlled Parking Zone that 'Some residents and businesses have therefore made requests for the Council to introduce parking controls to help resolve their parking concerns' the Council insists that this is correct.

The Council says that:

“…during informal parking engagements we ask whether the responder is a resident / business / place worship / school etc. Highways do not ask for the name of the business as part of this process. The businesses name/address details are not requested and are therefore not held.”

The Council's informal engagement was carried out between Monday 7 July and Monday 28 July 2025.

Responding to a request that Barnet Council withdraw its claim that businesses have requested parking controls and apologise, the Council review found that there was no fault or maladministration.

The Council did nevertheless say that it would pass on the petition to its Governance team.

A spokesperson for Underhill Residents Group said:

“Once again, the Council is marking its own homework.  We have not come across a single local business that supports the Council’s measures and the way in which it is hiding behind technicalities and failing to substantiate its claim is typical.”