Harlow Tories put on united front to give under fire council leader their “total confidence”
News / Tue 7th Feb 2023 at 06:24am
THE HARLOW Tories have broken their silence to give their under-fire leader their “total confidence”.
In a joint statement, the cabinet has stated that they have “given their support and expressed their total confidence in the leader Russell Perrin” adding ‘we are committed to delivering a very ambitious programme of reform and Russell is the right person to lead us in doing this.’
The leader and cabinet members also thanked Cllr Dan Swords for “everything he has done during his time as the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration”. The regeneration agenda will be headed up by Cllr Mike Hardware .
In other departments Cllr Alastair Gunn is moving from the Governance brief to Housing where he will continue the administration’s work to improve the Council’s ageing housing stock and head up tenant and leaseholder engagement.
New to the Cabinet is Cllr Stacey Seales. Cllr Seales will continue with the brief of making the Council more efficient so it can better serve residents.
Cllr Nicky Purse will continue in Environment where she has been working hard, amongst other things, to make improvements to the way that we manage our green environment around Harlow with colleagues in HTS. Signs of these improvements are already starting to be seen with the Council’s newly revised working practices.
Cllr Joel Charles will remain responsible for leading on Community and Business Resilience matters. Cllr Charles will continue to deliver on the administration’s ambitious agenda to support our local community, faith and voluntary and business sectors.
Cllr James Leppard is remaining in Finance.
The Cabinet
Cllr Russell Perrin Cllr Alastair Gunn Cllr Joel Charles
Leader Harlow Council Portfolio Holder for Housing Portfolio Holder for Community and Business Resilience
Cllr Nicky Purse Cllr James Leppard Cllr Stacy Seales
Portfolio Holder for Environment Portfolio Holder for Finance Portfolio Holder for Governance
Cllr Mike Hardware
Portfolio Holder for Regeneration & Strategic Growth
gary roberts
2023-02-07 06:44:19
"Cllr Stacey Seales. Cllr Seales will continue with the brief of making the Council more efficient so it can better serve residents." That is not even funny, is it? I mean "continue", I ask when did it start? And perhaps she should start by serving up local services to her own constituents before anything else. Unless of course she can tell me she is already doing it and if that is the case, how? As for the rest, a picture tells so many stories!
Mark
2023-02-07 06:48:16
Harlow's Conservative Councillors are wasting time playing political power games. Since taking control of the Council less than two years ago, making promises they couldn't keep, Harlow's Conservatives have: 1) Elected a racist councillor who was forced to resign after just four days following a national outcry. 2) Organised a coup to take down and force the resignation of their own leader, Cllr Andrew Johnson. 3) Pushed out Cllr Joel Charles as Deputy Leader. 4) Sacked Cllr Simon Carter, portfolio holder for Housing blaming him for their horrendous mismanagement of leaseholder building maintenance. 5) Seen the sudden, unexpected and unexplained retirement of Harlow Council Chief Exec, Brian Keane. 6) Sacked their pothole chief, Cllr Steve LeMay. 7) Gone so far off course, Cllr Dan Swords has resigned as Deputy leader. It's chaos and it's a betrayal of the trust given to them by the electorate. It's time to boot the Tories out.
Tom Compton
2023-02-07 08:09:40
This is now becoming a total farce. While Cllr Perrin continues to play musical chairs with his team, Harlow is broken. Just look at the potholes, which he recently promised would be fixed on First Avenue ….nothing. I am no fan of Labour, but if the Tories want to stay on power, they need a proper leader. Cllr Perrin is a hot air merchant.
Janet Abraham
2023-02-07 08:11:39
Still no clear explanation as to why Cllr Swords stepped down. He was a dynamo and really pushing regeneration of our town centre. Am very worried about our town. Both Labour and Conservatives have pretty lame duck leaders, more interested in becoming MPs than fighting for Harlow. The Council needs a Leader committed to Harlow. Neither Labour nor Conservatives offer this.
Steve
2023-02-07 08:13:44
OK, so who is the new Deputy Leader? Who is the Portfolio Holder for HTS, Properties and Facilities? It was LeMay but didn't he resign? Am I missing something? What a total mess.......................... The big question though is....... will Councillor Hardware fit into the Batman costume? Have him down as more of a Buzz Lightyear. Need to get a grip on the Council, its sinking fast.
Maurice Marshall
2023-02-07 08:13:49
As a life long Conservative voter, I can no longer support and vote for this circus run by Councillor Perrin. For God’s sake get a leader who can lead! This is now embarrassing.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-02-07 08:17:04
There are 19 Conservative Councillors, two of whom have been sacked, one resigned and seven pictured. I wonder whether the other nine support Cllr Perrin? I wonder if any will decided not to stand for election again come next May? I note there is no mention of who the Deputy Leader is.
Seamus
2023-02-07 09:06:58
Phewww what a relief they took a picture together. That really put my mind at rest over this tory clownsle.
Tom Compton
2023-02-07 09:12:05
Losing one Cabinet member looks like an accident, losing a hand fall is chaos. Nicholas Taylor makes a good point. The Cabinet is only about a third of the Tory councillors. Be intriguing to hear what the majority thinks of this shower. If they want to remain in power, they need a credible leader, otherwise it will be curtains come May.
Kim Oconnor
2023-02-07 09:16:47
What improvements to environment, 😂 All we see is ,it's being, and is going to be destroyed in abundance by the time you lot finish with it. Nice picture by the way, that should make us all feel less worried. 😂
Steve
2023-02-07 09:17:22
We all cant be wrong. The council is in big trouble and needs to change, and quickly. Vote of no confidence..... all those in favour say AYE?
Nicholas Taylor
2023-02-07 10:04:30
Aye. The Conservative improvements to the environment includes the removal of many mature trees from the land around Sherards House. Planning permission has not yet been granted for the redevelopment of the site but work commenced last Saturday to clear it despite the opposition from dozens of residents. So much for consultation, the 'we know best' attitude keeps on.
Steve Dodd
2023-02-07 10:35:01
Great photo. How many of them will still be there by next week. Perrin and his clowns!
Rachelle Brodie
2023-02-07 10:40:45
Cllr Perrin runs his cabinet similar to that of Putin. Anyone challenging his ideas disappears. Let’s see how many of these cabinet members are still here next week after Vladimir Perrin has had his way?
The Von Trapps
2023-02-07 10:50:18
Dedicated to all those in the photo. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!!.........
Nicholas Taylor
2023-02-07 11:40:55
Cllr Perrin made a very clever choice for his cabinet. If this seven stick by their guns, none are up for election this coming May so it will be some 15 months before any of them can loose their seats on the Council. So more of the same I am afraid unless there is another coup within the local Party, in which case the faces might change but the policies wont.
novoman
2023-02-07 12:40:22
A question for the older readers: Is it Reginald Perrin come back as Cllr Perrin, another version of The Office or "Yes Minister" or a resurrection of a Brian Ricks' farce with a host of comedic characters coming through stage left doors and exiting stage right through a succession of embarrassing situations. Might be a version of Rome burning while Nero fiddles. Certainly can't be responsible local government.
Theman
2023-02-07 14:05:30
I have a friend who worked in politics with UN and EU. When he started he asked the top man for some advice. “ do not use verbs, as they imply you have to do something” came the reply. Apparently this is the no.1 rule in politics if you want a career. Go figure! Turns out the sitcoms were right all along. Now now Perrin I did not get to where I am today by……………..
Colin
2023-02-07 14:11:23
The first thing as others have already noticed is the lack of a deputy leader which one would have thought was a must. I also note that none of the more experienced "back bench" Councilors have been elevated to the level of portfolio holders why is this I wonder? Is it because they also disagree with the leadership or as someone pointed out they maybe coming to the end of their term as Tory Councilors?
Steve
2023-02-07 14:36:45
Well, it is a well known fact that our Tory councillors read the stories on this website, and frequently comment. I notice no responses so far from any of them. May I be so bold as to ask for their comments? Who is the new Deputy Leader? What is the real problem at the moment? (Maybe Councillor Swords can answer that or one of the others who have been sacked or resigned recently?) You have all been elected to represent us and lead this council in a professional, fair and honest way. Your not, so please tell so some of us may have a little faith restored in us to actually vote you back in next time. Ok come on, lets hear it!!!
Gary Roberts
2023-02-07 16:42:56
Mr. Casey, has Cllr. Perrin asked for an interview yet? He really should to explain the current state of the council because at the moment his credibility as a leader is being challenged, ísn't it?
Steve
2023-02-07 16:50:28
John I'm not sure they are all happy. Numerous sackings and resignations does not sound like a happy ship to me. The buck has to stop with one person and that is Councillor Perrin. Let him explain the reasons. He knows why all these people have been sacked or resigned. The biggest danger also is those who have been sacked and resigned are all still there, so he has very little choice now to start replacing others. What a mess!
Yasmin Gregory - Green Party candidate for Old Harlow, Churchgate Street, Newhall & Gilden Park
2023-02-07 17:59:20
Let this be a lesson for those eligible to vote in the Harlow elections. Approximately 30% (and I’m being generous) use their opportunity to vote. It is no excuse to trot out rhetoric such as “They’re all the same/They’re all as bad as each other/I don’t know much about it/I don’t care etc.”. I implore every single one of you to vote to ensure that this maladministration does not return to ruin our town. Even if you spoil your ballot paper, you have made a stand. I have had enough of my voice not being represented so I became involved in local politics. I am trying to make a difference and welcome any ideas to end this voting apathy. The town will once again have the opportunity to vote for a Green candidate at this years elections. Please vote for whoever you think will make this town a better place for you.
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