Harlow Council is set to freeze its share of the Council Tax bill for a record fourth year as part of its budget for 2025/26 which also sees a whopping 41% increase in the council’s overall budget from £173.5 million in 2024/25 to £244 million in 2025/26.
This is the council’s biggest ever budget which dramatically increases investment, which the council says: “fully funds all of the council’s missions and pledges”.
This extra investment comes despite the council’s core Government funding being cut by 25% and extra National Insurance contributions the council is having to pay.
The budget headlines include:
· A record breaking fourth Council Tax freeze in a row. A typical band C household will continue to pay just £4.93 per week for Harlow Council services – the same as they did in 2021.
· A plan to continue keeping Council Tax frozen until 2028 which would mean Council Tax would have been frozen at the same level for seven years.
· An extra 41% investment into council services and the council’s six missions meaning total spending from Harlow Council will rise from £173.5 million in 2024/25 to £244 million in 2025/26.
· The extra investment means that over £136.6 million will be invested to transform council housing in 2025/26 which is an increase from the £111 million in 2024/25. This also represents a doubling of the council’s spending to transform council housing from the 2019/20 level.
· While overall investment to transform council housing is increasing by 23%, housing rents will only increase by 2.7% taking the average rent from £112.20 to £115.23 a week. The council’s rent level remains one of the lowest when compared to similar councils.
· Full funding for the council’s biggest ever council house building programme for local families.
· No cuts or closures, but increased investment for services such as Pets’ Corner, Harlow Playhouse, Harlow Museum, supported housing, the Leah Manning Centre, Town Park, paddling pools, and splash parks.
· No cuts, but increased investment for essential day-to-day services like bin collections, street cleansing, landscape and parks maintenance, housing repairs and supported housing.
· Over £39.7 million to upgrade much-loved community facilities such as Pets’ Corner, Harlow Playhouse, Harlow Museum and the Latton Bush Centre, neighbourhood hatches and shopping centres and much more.
· Freezing nearly all council fees and charges including maintaining the free car parking periods in the council-owned car parks.
· Greater value for money and efficiency throughout the council to drive down waste and costs on things that are no longer required to deliver services.
· Full funding to meet significantly increased pressures and costs outside of the council’s control such as increased National Insurance contributions.
· Balanced council budgets for the next three years with no budget gaps and no unidentified savings.
The council’s proposals will be discussed by Cabinet on 13 February 2025 and debated at the Full Council meeting on 27 February 2025.
Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, said:
“This budget will transform our town for a generation and the headlines are clear: we are increasing overall investment to deliver our six missions by 41% whilst freezing Harlow Council Tax for the fourth year in a row. In 2025/26 we will invest a total of £244 million to deliver every single pledge we have made.
“And we will go further, we’re planning to freeze Harlow Council Tax until at least 2028 meaning residents will pay no more than they did in 2021 to deliver the transformation of our town and improving council services. Our budget is fully funded, with no gaps, no cuts, no job losses and no hidden surprises.
“Given the pressures every single council in the country is facing and the fact that we have had own core government funding cut by 25%, it is truly remarkable that not only are we freezing our Council Tax for the fourth year running but we are not cutting one single service that this council provides.
“We are also increasing investment to transform council housing by 23% to £136.6 million in 2025/26 whilst increasing rents by only 2.7% – protecting our tenants from increased costs.
“We can do this because we have driven significant efficiencies in the council’s spending and massively increased our revenue from prudent investments like the Harvey Centre. The decisions we have taken mean we can now deliver our missions in earnest and transform our town once and for all. I know that residents will not underestimate just how challenging it is to balance the council’s budget and freeze council tax, whilst investing hundreds of millions to transform our town – but that is what we are doing.
“This budget delivers on every pledge we have made and each of our six missions to transform Harlow once and for all.”
