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Harrow London Borough Council
Coat of arms or logo
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Salim Chowdhury,
Conservative
since 16 May 2024[1][2]
Paul Osborn,
Conservative
since 24 May 2022
Alex Dewsnap
since May 2023[3]
Structure
Seats55 councillors
Political groups
Administration (31)
  Conservative (31)
Other parties (24)
  Labour (23)
  Independent (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Harrow Arts Centre, 171 Uxbridge Road, Pinner, HA5 4EA
Website
www.harrow.gov.uk

Harrow London Borough Council /ˈhæroʊ/,[4] also known as Harrow Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2022. Full council meetings are held at the Harrow Arts Centre and the council's main offices are at the Council Hub in Wealdstone.

History

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The first elected local authority for Harrow was a local board, established in 1850 covering the central part of the ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill.[5] Such boards were reconstituted as urban district councils under the Local Government Act 1894.[6]

The urban district was significantly enlarged in 1934, at which point it was renamed from 'Harrow on the Hill' to just 'Harrow'. Harrow Urban District was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1954, governed by a body formally called the "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Harrow", generally known as the corporation or borough council.[7]

The London Borough of Harrow and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[8] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing Harrow Borough Council, which covered the same area. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965.[9] The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Harrow".[10]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Harrow) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Harrow has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[11]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[12]

Powers and functions

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The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[13] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[14]

Political control

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The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2022.

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[15][16]

Party in control Years
Conservative 1965–1971
No overall control 1971–1974
Conservative 1974–1994
No overall control 1994–1998
Labour 1998–2002
No overall control 2002–2006
Conservative 2006–2010
Labour 2010–2013
No overall control[17] 2013–2014
Labour 2014–2022
Conservative 2022–present

Leadership

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The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Harrow. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[18][19]

Councillor Party From To
Charles Jordan Conservative 1965 1968
Edward Buckle Conservative 1968 1971
Cyril Harrison Labour 1971 1974
Harold Mote Conservative 1974 May 1977
Edward Buckle Conservative 19 May 1977 May 1979
Brian Clark Conservative 17 May 1979 May 1984
Donald Abbott Conservative 17 May 1984 12 May 1987
Ron Grant Conservative 12 May 1987 21 Oct 1991
Donald Abbott Conservative 21 Oct 1991 1994
Chris Noyce Liberal Democrats 1994 27 Apr 1995
Andrew Wiseman Liberal Democrats 27 Apr 1995 25 Apr 1996
Chris Noyce Liberal Democrats 25 Apr 1996 May 1998
Bob Shannon Labour 20 May 1998 28 Feb 2002
Archie Foulds Labour 28 Feb 2002 13 Oct 2004
Navin Shah Labour 21 Oct 2004 May 2006
Chris Mote Conservative 25 May 2006 8 May 2008
David Ashton Conservative 8 May 2008 May 2010
Bill Stephenson Labour 25 May 2010 8 Nov 2012
Thaya Idaikkadar Labour 8 Nov 2012 16 Sep 2013
Susan Hall Conservative 16 Sep 2013 May 2014
David Perry Labour 12 Jun 2014 19 May 2016
Sachin Shah Labour 19 May 2016 24 May 2018
Graham Henson Labour 24 May 2018 May 2022
Paul Osborn Conservative 26 May 2022

Premises

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Council Hub, Kenmore Avenue, Harrow, HA3 8LU: Council's main offices, built 2022

The council has its main offices at the Council Hub on Kenmore Avenue in Wealdstone. The building was purpose-built for the council in 2022.[20] Full council meetings are held at the Harrow Arts Centre in Hatch End, which also houses the mayor's parlour.[21][22]

Harrow Civic Centre: Council's former headquarters 1973–2023

Prior to 2022 the council was based at Harrow Civic Centre on Station Road in Harrow, which had been purpose-built for the council, being completed in 1973.[23]

Elections

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See also: Harrow London Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022, the council has comprised 55 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[24]

Councillors

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As of 5 May 2022, the composition of Harrow Council is 31 Conservative councillors to 24 Labour councillors:

Harrow Councillors[25]
Ward Councillors Party
Belmont Mina Parmar Conservative
Anjana Patel Conservative
Canons Ameet Jogia Conservative
Amir Moshenson Conservative
Centenary David Ashton Conservative
Govind Bharadia Conservative
Salim Chowdhury Conservative
Edgware Nicola Blackman Conservative
Nitin Parekh Labour
Yogesh Teli Conservative
Greenhill Ghazanfar Ali Labour
Sue Anderson Labour
Aneka Shah-Levy Labour
Harrow on the Hill Stephen Hickman Labour
Eden Kulig Labour
Harrow Weald Ramji Chauhan Conservative
Stephen Greek Conservative
Pritesh Patel Conservative
Hatch End Matthew Goodwin-Freeman Conservative
Susan Hall Conservative
Headstone Simon Brown Labour
Natasha Proctor Labour
Sasi Suresh Labour
Kenton East Chetna Halai Conservative
Nitesh Hirani Conservative
Samir Sumaria Conservative
Kenton West Vipin Mithani Conservative
Kanti Rabadia Conservative
Marlborough Varsha Parmar Labour
David Perry Labour
Antonio Weiss Labour
North Harrow Christopher Baxter Conservative
Janet Mote Conservative
Pinner Kuha Kumaran Conservative
Paul Osborn Conservative
Norman Stevenson Conservative
Pinner South June Baxter Conservative
Hitesh Karia Conservative
Jean Lammiman Conservative
Rayners Lane Thaya Idaikkadar Conservative
Krishna Suresh Labour
Roxbourne Graham Henson Labour
Maxine Henson Labour
Roxeth Peymana Assad Labour
Rashmi Kalu Labour
Jerry Miles Labour
Stanmore Marilyn Ashton Conservative
Phillip Benjamin Conservative
Zak Wagman Conservative
Wealdstone North Shahania Choudhury Labour
Phillip O'Dell Labour
Wealdstone South Kandy Dolor Labour
Dean Gilligan Labour
West Harrow Asif Hussain Labour
Rekha Shah Labour

References

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  1. ^ "Council meeting, 16 May 2024". Harrow Council. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Cllr Salim Chowdhury, Harrow's first Bangladeshi Mayor". Harrow Council. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Chris (19 May 2023). "Harrow Council appoints new Managing Director". Harrow Online. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  4. ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, p. 368, ISBN 9781405881180
  5. ^ Lawes, Edward (1851). The Act for promoting the Public Health, with notes. London: Shaw and Sons. pp. 264–265. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Local Government Act 1894", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1894 c. 73, retrieved 12 April 2024
  7. ^ "Harrow Urban District / Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  8. ^ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1978 c. 33, retrieved 16 May 2024
  9. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0901050679.
  10. ^ "Insurance London Consortium Agreement" (PDF). Sutton Council. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  12. ^ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  13. ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Harrow". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Tories get control of Harrow Council after Labour split". BBC News. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Council minutes". Harrow Council. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  19. ^ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Harrow's regeneration business plans approved". London Borough of Harrow. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Browse meetings: Council". London Borough of Harrow. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  22. ^ Williams, Grant (1 February 2023). "Harrow Council's town hall will be demolished and turned into housing". My London. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  23. ^ London's Town Halls. London: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1998. p. 109. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  24. ^ "The London Borough of Harrow (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2020/72, retrieved 12 April 2024
  25. ^ "Your Councillors". www2.harrow.gov.uk. 1 January 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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