Harrow London Borough Council is the local authority for the
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow () is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road), Brent to the southeast, Ea ...
in
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
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, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. It is currently controlled by the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
with 31 seats. The
Labour Party is the sole opposition, with 24 seats.
History
![Harrow London UK labelled ward map 2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Harrow_London_UK_labelled_ward_map_2002.svg)
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Harrow area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow () is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road), Brent to the southeast, Ea ...
on 1 April 1965. Harrow London Borough Council replaced Harrow Borough Council, which was formed when Harrow was
incorporated in 1954. Harrow Urban District Council was the local authority from 1934 to 1954. Harrow Urban District Council replaced
Harrow on the Hill Urban District Council, Wealdstone Urban District Council and
Hendon Rural District Council, including Little Stanmore Parish Council, Great Stanmore Parish Council,
Harrow Weald Parish Council and
Pinner Parish Council, which were all created in 1894.
It was envisaged that through the
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...
Harrow as a London local authority would share power with the
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an
outer London
Outer London is the name for the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom.
These were areas that were not part of the County of Londo ...
borough council it has been an
education authority
The Education Authority ( ga, Údarás Oideachais) is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department of Education (Northern Ireland), Department of Education in Northern Ireland. It was established under the Education Act (Northern Ireland) ...
since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Harrow London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as
waste disposal
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...
. Since 2000 the
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the
English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
Powers and functions
The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a
billing authority also collects precepts for
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a
local education authority
Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
and is also responsible for
council housing
Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.
Councillors
As of 5 May 2022, the composition of Harrow Council is 31 Conservative councillors to 24 Labour councillors:
Summary results of elections
References
External links
London Borough of Harrow website
{{Authority control
Local authorities in London
London borough councils
Politics of the London Borough of Harrow
Leader and cabinet executives
Local education authorities in England
Billing authorities in England