The Harlow Council constitution sets out how we operate, how we make decisions and the procedures we follow.
The Building Harlow's Future Plan outlines our missions for Harlow, how we will deliver them, and how we will ensure that the plan is a success.
Councillors and Full Council
There are 33 councillors in Harlow that are elected by the residents of Harlow's 11 wards. They serve for a period of 4 years, with one third of the council being re-elected every year, except for the final year when no elections take place.
The political control of Harlow Council is Conservative. There are 17 Conservative, 15 Labour and 1 Reform UK councillors. You can find more details of current councillors.
All 33 councillors come together, normally 6 times a year, in a meeting known as Full Council where strategic decisions are made about the council’s budget and priorities.
Leader and Cabinet
Full Council appoints one councillor to be Leader of the Council.
The Leader then appoints between 2 and 9 other councillors (known as Cabinet members) who, together with the Leader, form the Cabinet.
The Leader of the Council decides how Harlow’s ‘executive functions’ are carried out. These are the things the council does that aren’t handled by Full Council or a council committee.
The Leader can choose to have the Cabinet make decisions together on certain issues. However, the Leader can also give Cabinet Members responsibility for different areas (known as portfolios). Each Cabinet Member (including the Leader) then makes key decisions in their area.
Committees
To support the Cabinet, we have a number of other committees which each focus on a specific council function.
The committees consider issues in detail at scheduled meetings, and then decisions or recommendations are made to the Cabinet or to the Full Council.
You can view all our different committees.
Council staff and departments
Whilst elected councillors set the policies, paid employees (council officers) put them into practice.
The council employs over 400 staff. These include housing officers, customer advisors and staff responsible for a wide range of services.
The council's executive management team is made up of the Managing Director, 3 Executive Directors and 12 Directors.
Structure chart
Harlow Council structure chart (pdf)
You can find structure charts from previous years on our transparency page.
Directorates
There are 12 Directorates in Harlow Council, supported by an Executive Office providing central executive support and communications services:
- Corporate Services and Improvement
- Culture and Community
- Environment
- Facilities and Assets
- Finance
- Housing Operations (People)
- Housing Operations (Property)
- HR and Organisational Development
- Legal and Democratic Services
- Planning and Garden Town
- Public Protection
- Regeneration
The main services and functions of each directorate are detailed below.
Corporate Services and Improvement
- Business Continuity
- Corporate and Governance Support
- Customer Services
- ICT
- Performance management
- Project support
Culture and Community
- Arts, Culture and Tourism
- Community Engagement
- Harlow Museum and Walled Gardens
- Harlow Playhouse
- Health and Wellbeing
- Pets’ Corner
- Sam’s Place
Environment
- Environmental Management (including carbon management)
- Street Scene
- Waste and Recycling
Facilities and Assets
- Office Facilities
- Non-Housing Asset Property and Facilities
Finance
- Accountancy
- Insurance and Risk
- Internal Audit
- Revenues and Benefits
Housing Operations (People)
- Housing Needs and Options
- Leah Manning Centre
- Supported Housing
- Tenant and Leaseholder Engagement
Housing Operations (Property)
- Home Ownership
- Housing Asset Management and Facilities
- Housing Assets and Business Systems
- Housing Management
- Housing Projects
HR and Organisational Development
- Human Resources
- Payroll
Legal and Democratic Services
- Democratic support
- Electoral Services
- Legal Services
- Local Land Charges
Planning and Garden Town
- Building Control
- Development Management
- Planning Policy
Public Protection
- Community Safety
- Environmental Health
- Health and Safety
- Licensing
Regeneration
- Council Housing Delivery
- Economic Growth and Development
- Regeneration projects