Barnet Labour and Sara Conway Hail CCTV Expansion in Barnet 2026

Key Points

• Barnet Labour is celebrating an expansion in Barnet Council’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) network following the addition of new ‘redeployable’ cameras.
• Barnet Council now operates 60 redeployable cameras—up from 33 after 27 new units were introduced this year—which Barnet Labour states “can be moved quickly to record and disrupt crime and anti-social behaviour”.
• The ruling administration reports that 950 live camera streams are now fed into the council’s control room, compared to 127 fixed cameras (of which only 37 were working) when Labour took control of the council in 2022.
• Councillor Sara Conway, Barnet Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, criticised the previous Conservative administration for “coasting on the community safety agenda” and highlighted Labour’s introduction of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) and in-house summer parks patrols capable of issuing on-the-spot fines.
• A recent council update also confirmed that the CCTV project and deployment of redeployable cameras in fly-tipping hotspots have secured more than £40,000 in penalties.

Barnet (North London News) November 13, 2026 – Barnet Labour has announced a major expansion of the borough’s surveillance infrastructure, confirming that Barnet Council now operates 60 ‘redeployable’ CCTV cameras and feeds 950 live streams into its central control room, up from 127 cameras when the party assumed control in 2022.

According to reporting by Barnet Post, the ruling administration is celebrating the growth of CCTV across the London borough following a recent rollout of mobile units. As reported by Barnet Post and a news release from the Barnet Labour Group, Barnet Labour stated that the 60 redeployable cameras “can be moved quickly to record and disrupt crime and anti-social behaviour”.

In a detailed breakdown of the figures published by the Barnet Live Newsdesk of Barnet Live, the expansion reflects the addition of 27 new redeployable cameras in 2026, bringing the previous fleet of 33 units up to 60. Alongside these moveable cameras, Barnet Live reported that the council’s broader surveillance estate comprises 498 permanent cameras across high streets, highways, and libraries, 33 mobile cameras located on Barnet Homes housing estates, and two community safety vehicles operated jointly with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, each equipped with four cameras.

What Did Councillor Sara Conway Say About Community Safety in Barnet?

Addressing the expansion, Councillor Sara Conway, Barnet Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, contrasted the current administration’s record with that of the previous leadership.

As reported by Barnet Post, Councillor Sara Conway stated:

“When Labour took over the Council, Barnet Conservatives were coasting on the community safety agenda.”

In the same statement covered by Barnet Post, Councillor Sara Conway added:

“Labour has pushed things forward – from introducing a Public Space Protection Order to tackle anti-social behaviour to bringing our summer parks patrols in-house so that they can issue on-the-spot fines.”

According to the Barnet Live Newsdesk of Barnet Live, the announcement was issued as a party statement by the Barnet Labour Group on 12 November 2026 rather than a formal cross-party council release, and the Conservative group was not part of it.

How Are the New Redeployable Cameras Being Used Against Fly-Tipping and Anti-Social Behaviour?

Additional council documentation provides context on how the expanded camera network is being deployed across the borough. As reported by Barnet Live, the comparison between the 2022 figure of 127 and the current figure of 950 reflects a shift from counting individual fixed cameras—of which council papers from 2022 indicated only 37 were operational—to counting individual live camera views generated by modern multi-lens units.

Furthermore, in a separate update issued by Barnet Council on 10 November 2026, officials confirmed that several of the 27 new redeployable cameras introduced this year have been placed directly in fly-tipping hotspots alongside approximately 900 static camera views. According to Barnet Council, the CCTV enforcement project has secured more than £40,000 in financial penalties against offenders, supported by daily joint visits between enforcement officers and Street Scene teams to clear dumps, gather evidence, and identify breaches of the borough’s Public Space Protection Order.

What Is the Background Behind Barnet Council’s CCTV Upgrade?

The expansion follows a multi-year overhaul of Barnet’s public surveillance network initiated after Labour won control of Barnet Council from the Conservatives in the May 2022 local elections. According to a 2022 council programme paper cited by the Barnet Live Newsdesk of Barnet Live, the borough’s CCTV infrastructure had suffered significant failures between 2017 and 2021 under the previous Conservative administration due to a lack of adequate council oversight, leaving only 37 of the 127 fixed cameras functioning.

Following a £2.3 million capital upgrade to the network, Barnet Council marked two years of the modernised system in October 2025. At that milestone, council figures showed that the central control room had logged 13,649 incidents since the upgraded network went live—including more than 7,200 incidents during the 2024/25 period—and had assisted the Community Safety Team in issuing over 120 fixed penalty notices within that single year. Notably, the political landscape in Barnet shifted again in the May 2026 local elections, which left the council in no overall control with both Labour and the Conservatives holding 31 seats each, making community safety and public spending key areas of scrutiny across the chamber.

How Could This CCTV Expansion Affect Barnet Residents, Local Businesses, and Offenders?

For Barnet residents and high street businesses, the expansion to 950 live feeds and 60 moveable units means greater surveillance coverage across town centres, housing estates, libraries, and residential streets prone to anti-social behaviour. Because redeployable cameras can be relocated rapidly in response to emerging reports, neighbourhoods experiencing acute issues—such as persistent fly-tipping or breaches of the Public Space Protection Order—may see faster targeted monitoring and evidence gathering. At the same time, residents remain able to submit subject access requests for footage of themselves and view camera locations published on the Open Barnet portal.

For individuals engaging in fly-tipping or anti-social behaviour, the combination of mobile cameras, multi-lens live streams, and in-house enforcement patrols increases the likelihood of detection and financial penalties. With the council already recording over £40,000 in fly-tipping penalties and integrating camera evidence with on-the-spot fine powers, offenders face a heightened risk of prosecution or fixed penalty notices when operating in monitored hotspots.