Decision details

Councillor Rohit Grover moved the motion in his name.  Councillor Danny Rich moved the amendment in his name.  Debate ensued. 

The amendment in the name of Councillor Danny Rich was put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared LOST.

The motion in the name of Councillor Dean Cohen was put to the vote.  The motion was unanimously AGREED.

RESOLVED that:

Council acknowledges that in December, the darkest month of the northern hemisphere, many faith communities come together to mark important religious festivals.

Many Barnet Christians will be celebrating Advent in the run up to Christmas, and the Jewish festival of Hanukkah typically falls within this period. Buddhists celebrate Siddartha Gautama’s Enlightenment, while Zoroastrians mark the death of the Prophet Zoroaster. Some residents may even celebrate the Winter Solstice. Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains celebrated Diwali in November, while Muslims also recently celebrated the Birthday of the Prophet.

Council believes this is the season in which the borough’s cultural and religious diversity is most prominent, while also emphasising our shared humanity and shared home in Barnet.

However, Council also recognises the unwelcome rise of intolerance and extremism in many aspects of public life. Mindful that interaction with those of different cultures and traditions is often a salve to tensions, Council instructs the Community Leadership & Libraries Committee to consider means of bringing residents together during festive seasons, under the priorities identified in the Barnet Together Action Plan 2018.