Here's a summary of the Harlow Council Cabinet meeting on 11 September 2025, incorporating key decisions and relevant background information:

The Harlow Council Cabinet convened on 11 September 2025, addressing key issues such as local government reorganisation, housing, and community services, and approved a contract for housing works. The Cabinet endorsed progress on the 'rebuild our town' mission, but also recommended pausing the new Local Council Tax Scheme.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

  • The Cabinet received an update on the ongoing LGR process in Greater Essex, where various proposals for unitary authorities are being considered.
  • The Cabinet recommended to Council to endorse the Creating a Local Future for Greater Essex (5UA) Business Case, citing its balanced approach and alignment with Harlow's strategic interests.
  • The Supplementary Agenda 2 included the Best4Essex Shaping Essex for the next generation proposal.
  • The Supplementary Agenda 3 contained the Three new councils one bright future - Essex LGR proposal.
  • Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of the Council, noted that a briefing was being organised for Councillors on LGR prior to the September Full Council meeting.
  • The Cabinet also endorsed the proposed Business Case at Appendix A to the report as the preferred model for Greater Essex Local Government Reorganisation and agreed to delegate authority to the Leader of the Council to agree any final amendments to the Business Case before submission to Central Government by 26 September 2025.

• Building Harlow's Future - Delivery Update

  • The Cabinet noted progress on projects delivering the Building Harlow's Future plan[^1]. [^1]: Building Harlow's Future is the council's corporate plan.
  • However, the Cabinet recommended to the council to pause the implementation of the new Local Council Tax Scheme, previously approved on 12 December 2024, following government advice to defer such projects during LGR.
  • The Cabinet noted strong performance against key performance indicators and the council's financial position as of July 2025.
  • The Cabinet endorsed the revised strategic risk register.

• Social Housing Regulatory and Compliance

  • The Cabinet noted progress and actions agreed with the Regulator of Social Housing (RoSH) to manage social housing compliance and improve performance.
  • The Cabinet approved the Damp and Mould Environments Policy, delegating authority to the Portfolio Holder for Housing, in consultation with the Director of Housing (Property), Section 151 Officer[^2] and Monitoring Officer[^3], to make minor changes if required. [^2]: The Section 151 Officer is the Director of Finance, Jacqueline Van Mellaerts. [^3]: The Monitoring Officer is the Director of Legal and Governance, Farida Hussain.

• Repairs Policy

  • The Cabinet noted improvements in the repairs service, resulting in the lowest number of outstanding repairs on record.
  • The Cabinet approved the new Housing Repairs Policy, to come into effect from 1 October 2025.

• Constitution Review

  • The Cabinet recommended to Council to endorse the vision and purpose for Harlow's new constitution, as well as endorsing specific appendices relating to the constitution's introduction, table of contents, glossary, and sections on the council, citizens and the constitution.
  • The Cabinet recommended to Council to adopt appendices relating to how decision making works, the Executive, and Officers, in place of the equivalent parts of the current constitution, with immediate effect.
  • The Cabinet delegated authority to the Monitoring Officer to resolve any operational conflicts between the new appendices and the existing constitution, favouring the new appendices.
  • The Cabinet noted that further draft sections of the new constitution will be presented at subsequent meetings, with the aim of adopting the new constitution as a whole at December Council.

• Town Centre Strategy

  • The Cabinet endorsed the progress made to deliver the 'rebuild our town' mission and noted steps to cut delays and speed up decision making.

• 2024/25 Complaints Performance Overview

  • The Cabinet approved changes to the council's Complaints Policy to align with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.
  • The Cabinet noted the performance of complaints handling for the period 2024-25, progress against lessons learnt from 2023/24, and approved changes to service delivery to address maladministration findings by the Housing Ombudsman.

• Annual Section 106 Monitoring Report

  • The Cabinet agreed to formally publish the Infrastructure Funding Statement[^4] in accordance with regulations. [^4]: The Infrastructure Funding Statement is set out in Appendix A to the report.

• Tree Policy

  • The Cabinet approved the adoption of the Tree Management Policy, delegating authority to the Director of Environment, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Councillor Nicky Purse, to make minor changes as required.

• Hatfield Forest Mitigation Strategy and Development Tariff

  • The Cabinet approved the final version of the National Trust Hatfield Forest Mitigation Strategy, including the Site Access Management and Monitoring Measures (SAMMS), as a basis for seeking financial contributions for mitigation at Hatfield Forest.
  • The Cabinet approved the apportionment of the SAMMS between the four local planning authorities and the apportioned SAMMS tariff of £146.59 per dwelling for Harlow, to be requested from the East of Harlow Garden Community site.
  • The Cabinet approved the draft Governance Agreement between the four local planning authorities and the National Trust, delegating authority to the Director – Planning and Garden Town, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Garden Town and Planning, Councillor Alastair Gunn, to make any minor modifications arising from final legal review.

• Annual Treasury Management Report 2024/25

  • The Cabinet recommended to Council to approve the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2024/25.
  • The Cabinet noted that there were three indicators within the Treasury Management Strategy Statement that the council did not comply with during 2024/25 owing to the decisions of Full Council, but that the indicators were subsequently reviewed in the Treasury Management Strategy 2025/26 to ensure future compliance.

• Housing Contracts Award 2025-2026

  • The Cabinet awarded a contract in the final sum of £2,684,937.23 to Chas Berger Ltd and delegated authority to the Executive Director to finalise the contract using the JCT Intermediate Building Contract (2024) with Contractor’s Design, and the Council’s standard Schedule of Amendments.

• Petition

  • The Cabinet considered a petition relating to parking enforcement at Maunds Hatch, submitted by Madeline Taylor, and agreed to launch an investigation into vehicles as potential 'nuisance vehicles', 'abandoned vehicles' or trade-related obstruction, visit each site where vehicles are kept and assess against legislation, post enforcement notices where appropriate and follow due legal process to remove or penalise improper use of public space, and clarify why previous complaints have not resulted in any action, and what the policy is for vehicle-related nuisance of this kind.

In addition to the above, the following documents were also referenced in the meeting:

• The Building Harlow's Future Plan
• The Harlow Local Development Plan
• The Green Infrastructure and Public Open Space Supplementary Planning Document
• The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003
• The Local Government Act 1972
• The Local Government Act 1999
• The Local Government Act 2000
• The Local Government and Housing Act 1989
• The Localism Act 2011
• The Town and Country Planning Act 1990
• The Highways Act 1980
• The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
• British Standards 3998: 2010
• British Standards 8545: 2014
• British Standards 42020
• The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003
• The Local Government Act 1972
• The Local Government Act 1999
• The Local Government Act 2000
• The Local Government and Housing Act 1989
• The Localism Act 2011
• The Town and Country Planning Act 1990
• The Highways Act 1980
• The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
• The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2019
• The Social Housing Regulation Act 2023
• The JCT Intermediate Building Contract (2024)
• The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
• The Defective Premises Act 1972
• The Occupiers Liability Act 1957
• The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
• The Environmental Protection Act 1990
• The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002
• The Housing Act 2004
• The Equality Act 2010
• The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023
• The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Building Regulations Act 1984
• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
• The Water Installation (Fittings) Guide 1998
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• The Fire Safety Act 2021
• The Fire Safety Regulations 2022
• The Lieutenancies Act 1997
• The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2019
• The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010
• The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code
• The Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• The English Devolution Framework
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
• The Care Act 2014
• The NHS Ten Year Plan
• [The English Devolution Framework](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-the