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
The council is run by 33 councillors, who form the Full Council. They are elected by the local community and serve for a period of 4 years, with one third of the council being re-elected every year.
The political control of Harlow Council is Conservative. There are 17 Conservative, 15 Labour and 1 Reform UK councillors.
The Full Council is responsible for setting budgets and policies.
Full Council meetings take place 6 times a year and are open to the public.
The leader of the council chairs the Cabinet which is made up of councillors appointed by them with defined responsibilities or 'portfolios'.
The leader of the council and cabinet portfolio holders will be appointed at the Annual Council meeting each May.
The chair of the council is chosen by the council and is the Harlow's first citizen and representative.
Committees
To support the Cabinet, we have a number of other committees where councillors take decisions.
Each committee focuses 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