editorial

Harrow’s service failures are costing taxpayers millions

Harrow Council’s latest draft accounts should be read as more than a set of financial figures. They expose an uncomfortable connection that Harrow Monitoring Group has repeatedly highlighted: weak services, weak governance and financial pressure can be different symptoms of the same problem. The human consequences come first. Children’s Services were rated “Inadequate” by Ofsted,Continue reading “Harrow’s service failures are costing taxpayers millions”

Harrow pre-authorises waste plan submission before councillors see final consultation results – but where is the political accountability?

Harrow Council has authorised senior officers to amend and submit a major statutory planning document to the Government without requiring the final version or the results of the current public consultation to return to Full Council.The issue is not whether the West London Waste Plan is right or wrong, or whether Harrow’s approach is unlawful.Continue reading “Harrow pre-authorises waste plan submission before councillors see final consultation results – but where is the political accountability?”

From Somerset to Harrow: fresh questions over Conservative candidate selection

The Conservative Party’s decision to select Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a council candidate in Somerset has reignited a wider debate about standards in public office. Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi who served a prison sentence for antisemitic offences, including the racial harassment of former Labour MP Luciana Berger, has been defended by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch onContinue reading “From Somerset to Harrow: fresh questions over Conservative candidate selection”

Harrow’s vaccination challenge: are current efforts reaching every child?

The national debate over whether childhood vaccinations should become mandatory raises an equally important question for Harrow: are existing local strategies doing enough to protect every child? The BBC reports that childhood vaccination rates across England have fallen steadily over the past decade. Experts argue that the decline is driven less by organised anti-vaccination campaignsContinue reading “Harrow’s vaccination challenge: are current efforts reaching every child?”

Rewarding failure while tenants pay the price: Harrow Council’s performance problem runs deeper than housing

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 dissatisfiedContinue reading “Rewarding failure while tenants pay the price: Harrow Council’s performance problem runs deeper than housing”

Green Flag success for Harrow – but how does the borough compare across London?

Harrow Council is celebrating the award of Green Flag status to two more local parks, bringing the borough’s total to ten award-winning parks. [an analysis of 2026 Green Flag Award totals places Harrow joint 18th in London] West Harrow Park and Pinner Village Gardens have joined eight existing Green Flag sites, with the council presentingContinue reading “Green Flag success for Harrow – but how does the borough compare across London?”

Questions over Harrow East Conservatives’ choice of high-profile guests

The Harrow East Conservatives are once again facing questions about the judgement they exercise when selecting political figures to headline local events. The latest guest at the party’s summer lunch in Stanmore was Conservative MP and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. His appearance alongside Harrow East MP Bob Blackman is unlikely to surprise local observers.Continue reading “Questions over Harrow East Conservatives’ choice of high-profile guests”

Blackman’s convenient amnesia on youth unemployment

Bob Blackman’s criticism of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, following his written question to the Department for Business and Trade about its impact on young people’s employment prospects, follows a familiar opposition script: find a worrying statistic, blame the current government, and ignore the role your own party played in creating the problem. His argument isContinue reading “Blackman’s convenient amnesia on youth unemployment”

Sir Sadiq Khan’s peerage recognises results, not rhetoric

Sir Sadiq Khan’s appointment to the House of Lords is a well-deserved recognition of a mayoralty that has delivered real results for London. Over three terms, he has helped make the capital a better place to live while championing investment in communities that too often feel overlooked. The government described Sir Sadiq as “a brilliantContinue reading “Sir Sadiq Khan’s peerage recognises results, not rhetoric”

Harrow must not catch the politics of fear and hate

If some attention-seeking local politicians and social media posts are to be believed, Britain, and London in particular, appears to be a country where little happens beyond rape, grooming gangs and calls for the deportation of ‘undesirable’ elements, as though Britain should return to the era when it transported its own undesirables to distant colonies.Continue reading “Harrow must not catch the politics of fear and hate”