As reported by the Harrow Times, Harrow Council’s social housing service is facing serious challenges. More than 1,000 housing complaints were received in 2025/26, with repairs, damp and mould, and boiler failures topping the list. Stage 1 complaints have risen by 89 per cent over two years, while Stage 2 complaints, where residents remain dissatisfied after the council’s initial response, have increased by a remarkable 221 per cent.
These are not just statistics. They represent tenants living with leaking roofs, unhealthy conditions, unreliable heating and unresolved repairs.
What makes the report particularly significant is the council’s own admission that there has been underinvestment in housing stock. Harrow’s Strategic Director of Housing and Regeneration acknowledged that repairs are often being carried out when replacements are needed and that the focus should be on preventing complaints rather than simply handling them once they arise.
The new portfolio holder for housing appears committed to improving services, and that should be welcomed. Yet commitment alone will not be enough if housing continues to compete unsuccessfully for resources. Some tenants may feel that repairing a leaking roof or tackling damp and mould attracts less political interest than highly visible environmental and streetscape projects. Whether fair or not, that perception will persist until residents see sustained investment in housing stock and measurable improvements in their living conditions. A council that claims to put residents first must ensure that those living in social housing are not treated as second-order priorities.
However, these failings did not develop overnight. They occurred under the watch of the previous housing portfolio holder. During that period, complaints increased sharply, damp and mould remained a persistent concern, and tenant satisfaction moved in the wrong direction.
Yet rather than facing difficult questions about those outcomes, the former portfolio holder has been appointed Deputy Mayor of Harrow and is in line to become Mayor next year. This is not the first time the current administration has elevated individuals from service areas facing significant challenges.
The mayoralty may be largely ceremonial, but civic appointments send a message about what an organisation values. When housing performance deteriorates, complaints soar and residents experience worsening services, promotion appears an odd response.
For social housing tenants struggling with poor conditions, it risks looking as though accountability runs only one way. Residents are expected to live with the consequences of failure, while those responsible for overseeing the service receive civic honours.
The council should also be mindful of the wider context. Alongside housing concerns, Harrow continues to face serious questions over children’s services following its inadequate Ofsted judgement, concerns about adult social care performance, and two consecutive years of disclaimed external audit opinions. Taken together, these issues do not support any claim that Harrow is among London’s strongest-performing councils. On the contrary, they place the borough under greater scrutiny than many of its neighbours, particularly when compared with consistently stronger performers across multiple measures such as Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Wandsworth, Westminster and Camden.
If Harrow Council wants to rebuild trust, it must demonstrate that performance matters. Social housing tenants deserve safe homes, responsive services and genuine accountability. Rewarding failure is not the way to achieve any of them.
These are not just statistics. They represent tenants living with leaking roofs, unhealthy conditions, unreliable heating and unresolved repairs.
What makes the report particularly significant is the council’s own admission that there has been underinvestment in housing stock. Harrow’s Strategic Director of Housing and Regeneration acknowledged that repairs are often being carried out when replacements are needed and that the focus should be on preventing complaints rather than simply handling them once they arise.
The new portfolio holder for housing appears committed to improving services, and that should be welcomed. Yet commitment alone will not be enough if housing continues to compete unsuccessfully for resources. Some tenants may feel that repairing a leaking roof or tackling damp and mould attracts less political interest than highly visible environmental and streetscape projects. Whether fair or not, that perception will persist until residents see sustained investment in housing stock and measurable improvements in their living conditions. A council that claims to put residents first must ensure that those living in social housing are not treated as second-order priorities.
However, these failings did not develop overnight. They occurred under the watch of the previous housing portfolio holder. During that period, complaints increased sharply, damp and mould remained a persistent concern, and tenant satisfaction moved in the wrong direction.
Yet rather than facing difficult questions about those outcomes, the former portfolio holder has been appointed Deputy Mayor of Harrow and is in line to become Mayor next year. This is not the first time the current administration has elevated individuals from service areas facing significant challenges.
The mayoralty may be largely ceremonial, but civic appointments send a message about what an organisation values. When housing performance deteriorates, complaints soar and residents experience worsening services, promotion appears an odd response.
For social housing tenants struggling with poor conditions, it risks looking as though accountability runs only one way. Residents are expected to live with the consequences of failure, while those responsible for overseeing the service receive civic honours.
The council should also be mindful of the wider context. Alongside housing concerns, Harrow continues to face serious questions over children’s services following its inadequate Ofsted judgement, concerns about adult social care performance, and two consecutive years of disclaimed external audit opinions. Taken together, these issues do not support any claim that Harrow is among London’s strongest-performing councils. On the contrary, they place the borough under greater scrutiny than many of its neighbours, particularly when compared with consistently stronger performers across multiple measures such as Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Wandsworth, Westminster and Camden.
If Harrow Council wants to rebuild trust, it must demonstrate that performance matters. Social housing tenants deserve safe homes, responsive services and genuine accountability. Rewarding failure is not the way to achieve any of them.