Harrow Civic Centre (Photo: Newsquest) Harrow Council could appoint a series of assistants to help support senior councillors with their specific briefs in the borough. A report set to be presented to the council’s cabinet tomorrow (Thursday, May 27) outlines plans to give eight councillors increased responsibilities for 2021/22. If approved, these councillors could receive an additional allowance of £2,142 for taking the role. However, since councillors can only have one extra allowance, in addition to their basic of £8,561, this might not be the case for all appointments. Under the proposals, Cllr Angella Murphy-Strachan (Lab, Edgware) would support Cllr Christine Robson (Lab, West Harrow), who is responsible for children and young people, with corporate parenting.
Harrow Council to appoint assistants for senior councillors
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Pubs can serve customers indoors again (Photo: Pixabay) Councillors in north-west London have urged everyone to remain vigilant in the face of the Covid-19 virus following the further relaxing of restrictions. From today (Monday, May 17), groups of six are able to meet inside and indoor hospitality, leisure and cultural venues can reopen. People can hug each other once more and the travel ban from the UK has been lifted, with people able to visit ‘green list’ international destinations relatively freely. However, Cllr Muhammed Butt (Lab, Tokyngton), leader of Brent Council, reminded people the coronavirus pandemic “is not yet truly over” and steps should be taken to minimise the spread of the virus.
Harrow Civic Centre (Photo: Newsquest) Harrow Council’s opposition Conservative group have criticised reshuffles of some of the authority’s key decision-making committees. They suggested decisions taken by council leader Cllr Graham Henson (Lab, Roxbourne) had left certain panels lacking “experience”. Cllr Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Conservatives, explained nobody questioned the ability of the newly chosen councillors but he felt there were some instances where the changes were not a good fit. He particularly took issue with the decision to appoint Cllr Pamela Fitzpatrick (Lab, Headstone South) as chairman of the planning committee. “I’d like to emphasise we’re not doing this because of the person involved but, while Cllr Fitzpatrick is an experienced and able councillor, she has not sat on the planning committee at all and has only attended one meeting in the last seven years,” he told a full council meeting yesterday (Wednesday, May 5).
Some Harrow councillors feel the changes would make it easier for developers (Photo: Newsquest/Pexels) Labour politicians in Harrow have criticised the Government’s intentions to overhaul England’s planning system, suggesting it will result in the public having less of a say on proposed developments. According to research carried out by the borough’s Labour Group, the changes would result in thousands of planning applications bypassing proper public scrutiny. Under its ‘Planning for the Future’ project – described by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “radical reform unlike anything we have seen since the Second World War – the Government seeks to streamline the national planning system by “cutting red tape”.
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