Harlow Council leader gives details of budget plans for years ahead
Harlow Council / Tue 7th Mar 2023 at 12:52pm
THE CONSERVATIVE leader of Harlow Council has produced a video giving further details of their budget for the upcoming year.
Councillor Russell Perrin, Leader of Harlow Council said: “On 23 February 2023, Harlow Council approved a budget which freezes Harlow Council Tax and continues to invest hundreds of millions into regenerating our town.
Our budget invests your money into your priorities. It is a budget which will continue to make Harlow a better place to raise your family, to work, to live and to grow old.
First, our budget freezes Harlow Council’s share of your Council Tax bill. We are the only council in Essex to freeze its share of the bill and we further plan to freeze our Council Tax up to 2026. This is because we will do everything we can to help you and your family with the cost of living.
Second, our budget delivers £25m to improve the standard of our homes, giving priority to fixing roofs, damp and mould works, fire safety and energy efficiency works. This is all part of a £102m investment over five years to improve council housing.
Third, we are investing even more money into building new Council homes for Harlow families. Our housebuilding programme will now be delivered with further investment totalling £39m.
Fourth, it is because of our commitment to restoring pride in our estates and neighbourhoods that we will put a further £170,000 into our Estate Renewal Fund.
Fifth, the town’s community services like pets’ corner, the playhouse, the museum, our town’s splash parks and paddling pools, are loved by so many. So that is why we are continuing to invest more money into these popular services.
We are also investing £79 million into improving other facilities. This includes millions of government funding to improve your town centre with a new bus station, new arts and cultural quarter in Playhouse Square, and enhancements to Broad Walk. All part of one of the biggest programmes of regeneration this town has ever seen.
And finally, we are freezing charges in all council run car parks and keeping Essex County Council’s streetlights on in Harlow all night, every night.
We are doing all this with no cuts to the essential and popular services you love, and with no detrimental impact on the council’s future finances.
A Council Tax freeze from Harlow Council and hundreds of millions to continue regenerating our town. A budget that continues our job of investing your money into your priorities and making Harlow the best town in Britain.
Gary Roberts
2023-03-07 13:57:42
Is there an local election soon? Of course there is. But millions for this and millions for that doesn't impress. Warm words with little or no action is what the electorate say. Remember the commitment to get a well-being hub in Potter Street renovated last year by this regenerational council: it never happened. The question is will the turn out be as low as 22% again based on apathy or despair at this budget?
ME
2023-03-07 14:08:45
The light situation is shocking. So many streetlights not working. I am not sure if that is deliberate or not, but it needs tobe sorted asap. Some areas are pitch black as soon as it is dark outside and that is no good for anyone other than wronguns.
David Forman
2023-03-08 02:33:27
The joys of l.e.d. street lighting. According to the County Council's website on the l.e.d. replacement programme it says the new lanterns will last up to 20 years and reduce maintenance costs! See Phase 4 Questions and Answers (Question 1) at https://www.essexhighways.org/replacement-by-leds-programme
Kim Oconnor
2023-03-08 10:07:18
Freezing council tax, and then you go and put all rents up. Haha Mr perrin how many council homes are being built. ??? Our splash parks and town park, will be the only place we have left, by the time all theses unaffordable housing estates continues.
Maureen
2023-03-08 11:52:46
Kim O’Connor what ‘unaffordable’ housing estates are you talking about? Of course they are affordable. Developers do not build houses to remain empty. Look how all the new homes in Newhall and Gilden Way are being sold, many to Harlow residents who want a better neighbourhood. Did you know that Harlow has one of the highest levels of social housing in the region even after Right to Buy disposals? It has more than most other New Towns built around the same time. Where is there space to build many more? We are already saturated. The houses built by HGGT are not in Harlow.
Kim Oconnor
2023-03-08 15:00:25
Maureen, they are on the fringe of Harlow, they will use the resources of Harlow, which are sparse any way. As for affordability let's see what theses houses are going for shall we, and will not be affordability to most Harlow people, there for creating a mass influx to the town, AND, surrounding areas which is all ready struggling with the limited infrastructure, so clearly this is a disaster waiting to happen. Our town council is very clearly deluded, in there belief that theses project s will bring any benefits to Harlow. As it would appear heartfordshire will reap, any meger revenues that theses project may bring. And all this at what cost, what cost to our environment, and wellbeing, in terms of green space, for future generations. We clearly do not agree Maureen, so there would be no point to you responding to this.
Maureen
2023-03-08 18:29:49
Kim O’Connor, we probably agree on more than you imagine. I am all for protecting the environment. I recycle everything I can. I have solar panels, I cycle whenever possible, etc. We have millions more people in this country than when Harlow and other New Towns were built, we have illegal migrants entering at will, we are a small island and too much is concentrated in the South East around London. We are in that category and given that our land prices are comparatively cheap, the market will always go for optimal returns. Land in and around Harlow is much cheaper than in Epping, Stortford or Hertford. We as a District have allowed this to happen. Other New Towns have developed far more prosperous communities over the same period as Harlow. So we have to face the consequences of relative failure , much of our own making over many years, sadly.
Mark Gough
2023-04-06 21:47:11
These new bulbs in the street lights are useless. The current single one in my cul-de-sac has lasted about a year. It's predecessor less than a week. The current one has now been out nearly three weeks and has been reported five times during that time by myself and my mother, and is still not fixed! Pathetic service to the Residents of our town! No wonder I am back on a ballot paper is it! Mark Gough - Reform UK
8 Comments for Harlow Council leader gives details of budget plans for years ahead: