HARLOW Council has reached a major milestone in its mission to ‘invest in our housing’ – with the number of outstanding council housing repairs reduced to their lowest level on record.

This achievement marks a significant moment in the council’s Building Harlow’s Future plan and reflects a powerful joint effort between council teams, HTS, and local contractors to tackle repair backlogs and deliver real results for its tenants.

Councillor David Carter, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“We are delivering on our promise to get the basics right for Harlow’s tenants. This record-breaking reduction in outstanding repairs is thanks to the tireless work of our housing team, HTS, and the dedicated contractors we work with every day. Residents deserve timely, high-quality repairs – and that’s exactly what we’re focused on delivering. But the work does not stop here, we will continue to drive down the time our tenants wait for a repair and to ensure those repairs are right first time.”

Over the past year, the council has transformed the way housing repairs are handled – driving efficiency, cutting waste, and streamlining services to ensure that every repair is tracked and turned around quicker than ever before.

The results include:

Outstanding repairs reduced to the lowest ever level on record
Faster response times for day-to-day repair requests
A cleared backlog of more than 1,000 overdue roof and gutter repairs
A renewed focus on long-term improvements to council housing stock

Outstanding repair numbers now equate to about three to four weeks’ worth of work with around 700 new repairs being raised each week. A small number of repairs remain outside of the target time which the teams are working to urgently address.

In September, the council will introduce a new Repairs Policy to further reduce the turnaround time on a repair when it is required.

Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, added:

“This is what transforming our council and investing in our housing looks like in practice. We are making our services faster, better, and more focused on the people we serve. There is still work to do, but this milestone proves that by cutting back-office waste and focusing every pound on the front line, we can deliver the first-class services Harlow residents deserve.

“Two years ago, more than two in every three council tenants had an outstanding housing repair – now we’ve got it to record lows. That is Building Harlow’s Future in action.”

The council’s housing repairs performance will continue to be closely monitored as part of its wider mission to ‘invest in our housing’ and ensure every Harlow home is safe, warm and decent.

Tenants can report repairs https://www.harlow.gov.uk/housing-and-garages/repairs-and-maintenance/report-tenant-repair