HARLOW Council to significantly speed up major upgrades to council housing by cutting ‘unnecessary process’ delays

At its meeting on 13 November, Harlow Council’s Cabinet is set to approve a proposal that will accelerate major upgrades to council homes across the town.

As part of the council’s mission to ‘invest in our housing’, the proposal would introduce a new streamlined process to speed up procurement and remove delays, ensuring upgrades to council homes happen quicker. By using flexible and compliant procurement routes tailored to each project, the council can reduce delays, improve value for money, and ensure every improvement is delivered quickly, safely, and to the highest standards.

If approved, the new framework will mark a step-change in how housing projects are delivered. Currently, major upgrade schemes are typically approved in February but do not commence on site for 12 to 18 months, resulting in projects extending across multiple financial years.

This new approach will allow the council to hit the ground running from the start of the financial year, avoiding delays and ensuring residents see progress sooner. By planning ahead and securing the right internal and external resources, the council will be able to deliver improvements more efficiently, manage cashflow more effectively and maintain high standards throughout.

The council is on track to invest £51 million into upgrading council homes in this financial year (before the 31 March 2026) which is by far the largest ever investment into upgrading council homes with new roofs, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, external and internal refurbishments, fire safety works and much more besides.

Announcing the plan to speed up the major works, Councillor David Carter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing, said:

“We’re making the biggest-ever investment into Harlow’s council homes – more than double what we invested five years ago. This record level of funding shows our absolute commitment to improving the quality, safety, and comfort of homes for our residents by investing in our housing. However, that commitment does not matter if residents are not seeing the visible improvements because progress is stuck in the system.

“We know that major upgrade schemes are taking too long to move from approval to action. That’s why this new framework is so important. It will cut through red tape, use procurement routes tailored to each project, deliver better value for money, and make sure every penny of our investment translates into real, high-quality improvements faster.

“This is Building Harlow’s Future in action – delivering visible progress and tackling delays head-on so residents see the benefits sooner.”