THE latest update on Harlow Council’s plan to build Harlow’s future shows that it is continuing to deliver on its missions for Harlow residents claims Harlow Council.

The bold and transformative journey that the council has embarked on over the past year – to improve how it works, how it serves residents, and how it leads the town into the future – has driven improvements in performance across the board.

A report to the council’s Cabinet this week focusses on the delivery of the Building Harlow’s Future plan which states that the transformation of the council “is driven by a relentless ambition to be better every day for our residents. And let’s be clear: this is no vanity project. This is value for money with every penny accounted for, every process interrogated, every inefficiency put to the sword.”

Behind the scenes, the Council has completely changed how it works – cutting waste, speeding up services, and focusing every penny on what matters most to residents. Significant efficiencies have already been made with performance of council services continue to improve in nearly all areas. This has been achieved without increasing council tax and with a small healthy surplus in the council’s budget.

This improvement will be further strengthened a new dedicated taskforce which will track the seamless delivery of the council’s six missions to ensure focus is not lost (transform our council, rebuild our town, renew our neighbourhoods, invest in our housing, secure our future, protect our communities). The Project Management Office (PMO) will play a key role in driving further efficiency and evolving systems and processes across all areas of the council so that it continues to provide the very best possible services for residents.

Commenting on the transformation of the council and the progress, Cllr Dan Swords, Leader of the Council said:

“Our transformation isn’t about bureaucracy – it’s about building a council that delivers real outcomes – lower council tax, a thriving town centre, Harlow homes for Harlow people, cleaner neighbourhoods, more well-paid jobs and safer streets.

“Gone is the tired orthodoxy of ‘this is how we’ve always done it’; instead every service, every decision, every pound spent is now focused on delivering those six missions which is tracked by our new PMO taskforce.

“And our plan is already delivering. With strong performance being reported across the board and all the major projects to transform our town centre just around the corner, we are on the cusp of releasing Harlow’s full potential.”