Harlow Alliance Party: Do we know enough about re-organisation of local councils?
Politics / Mon 16th Jun 2025 at 08:56am
THE HARLOW Alliance Party has continued to question Harlow Council over local government re-organisation.
In short, in the next couple of years, Harlow District Council could disappear, to be replaced by a larger unitary authority.
Alan Leverett put a number of questions to council leader Dan Swords on Thursday night.
Alan Leverett to Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
Devolution and Local Government reorganisation are the two biggest issues faced by councillors across the country and you would imagine that they would want their constituents to be aware of possible changes.
The Government produced a consultation about devolution in Essex which ended in April. I noted that many councils across the County, including Essex, Uttlesford, Epping Forest, Braintree, Chelmsford, Thurrock and Tendering all had an article about this on their website and a direct link to the Governments questionnaire.
Contrast this with Harlow Council, nothing on the website, not a word in Harlow Times.
Why did Harlow Council not help publicise this important consultation?
Reply from Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
The council’s communications team did support the cascading of the relevant Essex County Council and Government information both on online platforms and in hard copy in the Civic Centre and libraries.
The full exchange can be found below.
Nicholas Taylor
2025-06-16 10:18:50
On a number of levels the responses given by the Leader of the Council should concern residents. Firstly, the Spring edition of Harlow Times reported on the opening in February of the new Africa enclosure at Pets Corner. The fact is, there was plenty of time to publish an article about the Governments consultation for devolution in Essex, which commenced on 17 February and ended on 13 April. The Harlow Alliance Party believe that unlike most councils in Essex, Harlow Council failed to adequately take steps to inform residents of this consultation. Far more than this however,the response from the Leader demonstrates that the huge changes being proposed have so little evidence to support changes being made, indeed the cost may not be known for many years. These changes are being made without any mandate from the public, based on centuries old county boundaries and existing population numbers. Lets not forget as well that the mantra "Harlow Homes for Harlow People" will end when Harlow council disappears in the merger with neighbouring authorities.
Jasper
2025-06-16 13:03:27
Dan Swords and the rest of his rabble are going to send us into a position we won't be able to get out of. You are elected councillors. You represent us the electorate. Stop all these shady deals you are doing in private. This isn't Red China. Keep us informed of all the information, not just the bits you think we should know.
Scott Hegley
2025-06-16 16:25:37
With Harlow DC having tacitly agreed to the reorganisation, we can perhaps only speculate on the logic they applied when doing so. By Cllr Swords' own admission, be there "savings or otherwise" (by which he must mean no savings may be realised at all), suggests the Council has given a blank cheque to Government to re-organise away. He also advises there are a multitude of variables to be resolved. His approach smacks of a wild gamble, although one from which he perhaps stands to benefit by becoming leader of the larger, unitary authority.
Jennifer Steadman
2025-06-16 20:50:40
I find the prospect of devolution & council reorganisation rather concerning seeing as Uttlesford council seem to be particularly bad with their finances & substandard in house practices & management. Quite recently Uttlesford had to pay Stansted airport £2.5million legal costs following a court case. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-63330217#:~:text=Stansted%20Airport%20has%20accepted%20an%20offer%20of,passenger%20capacity%20to%2043%20million%20per%20year. They have also spent an enormous amount (Alleged to be £100k plus £20k costs awarded to Jodie) taking Jodie Marsh to court when they were opposing her lemur license application. The councils own vet admitted that there was no reason not to grant her a license. In June of this year the judge awarded Jodie the license suggesting that the councils objections had been unreasonable & unfounded. The council are now seeking to return to court to object to Jodies marmoset license, so more public money wasted! In 2023/24 they forgot to renew their waste license. https://www.yourharlow.com/2024/01/27/over-the-border-bins-not-collected-as-council-forget-to-renew-contract/ In 2024 they forgot to send out postal voting forms to 2,600 voters. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9785zegzm8o.amp Does this sound like the sort of incompetant council Harlow or indeed any other council should have any kind of association or connection with?
Nicholas Taylor
2025-06-18 08:06:47
It's quite clear Scott, the Conservatyives will as things stand be the biggest Party in the new Unitary Authority, ousting the R4U group from controlling Uttlesford DC and marginalising even further the Loughton Residents Association in Epping Forest DC. There is rumour that the local elections in Harlow next May are going to be postponed, my guess is that both main parties are afraid of the Reform steam roller. You are right about the gamble issue but this is not just confined to Harlow, all the council leaders across Essex will be jockeying for position.
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