Governance
The Head of Governance is Mike White, a Solicitor with
extensive local government experience. The service comprises four
separate elements, the Council’s Legal Service, the Corporate &
Governance Support Service, the Elections Service and the Land
Charges Team.
Legal Service
Harlow Council has a thirteen-strong legal team which advises
the Council, its Committees and Officers on all legal
matters. The aim of the Legal Services office is to provide
high quality legal services in order to meet the requirements of
the Council and its Departments. It’s important that Council
procedures are followed and Legal Services help by advising the
Council on the legality of its proposals, policies and
practices. Every member of staff within the Legal Services
office has an important part to play in the delivery of legal
services to the Council. The success of the office rests on our
collective and individual abilities to provide a high standard of
service to our clients/ customers. Legal Services also
represents the Council in Court and at Tribunals.
The Legal Services office attained the Law Society's LEXCEL
Practice Management Standards in 2004 and has received excellent
annual reviews each year since.
Legal Services are a dedicated legal resource providing advice
to Harlow Council's officers and members to assist them in the
performance of the council's functions. The service
is not empowered to provide legal advice to members of the public
or local businesses. For your own personal legal advice
contact your own solicitor or the Citizen's Advice
Bureau.
Corporate & Governance
Support.
This team provides a vital service for the smooth running of the
Council. It provides a committee management service to ensure that
the Council’s democratic business runs efficiently. (Most
committee meetings are open to the public.) The team also
provides support services for the Corporate Managers of the
Council, its Group Leadership and Members. It also supports
the role of the Council’s Chairman and the civic functions
associated with that formal role.
Elections Service
The Elections service has two distinct
roles. The most obvious and high profile role is to
administer all elections that take place within Harlow. This
not only includes Harlow Council’s own district elections but also
covers County Council, Parliamentary and European Elections as
well. The second role is responsibility for the annual
maintenance of the Electoral Register. The team ensures that
as many residents of Harlow as possible are correctly on the
register and are thus enfranchised and able to exercise their vote
to support the democratic process.
Land Charges
A Local Authority search is normally undertaken by a solicitor
acting on behalf of a client with responsibility for obtaining all
information relevant to the property or land. The Search can
be carried out in two ways, either by our staff in the team or
by an individual as a Personal Search. Searches are an
important part of the whole property market and efficient provision
of this service helps develop Harlow as a place to live.