Having reviewed the list of the ways Harrow Council plans to cut costs I am bit baffled as to why anyone has even made the following suggestions.

  • Reducing grass-cutting in public places: Whose responsibility is it if it not the council’s?
  • Reducing the hours of street lights: As it is, there isn’t enough light as huge vans parked on the roads block the lights for pedestrians.

The footpaths are not even and there are not enough police around. Will reducing the hours of street light just lead to more people making compensation claims to the council?

  • Charging to collect garden waste: If everybody starts paving their gardens, where will the rainwater go and what happens to the birds and the bees?
  • Closing Harrow Arts Centre: There are a number of activities held for children and adults at that centre. Why even think of closing it?

Harrow needs to provide for places for activities for children to stop gangs being formed, not reduce the places.

  • Closing Harrow libraries: Many libraries are used by old people and students, so where will they go?
  • Reducing street cleaning: Why did the council spend so much in growing trees when the fall of leaves during autumn/winter will also result in more accidents and compensation claims?

The council needs to review its number of staff.

Does it need temporary workers and so many managers? Can staff multi-task so there is no need to hire agency staff? Why does it need environment officers to go around checking bins? If the bin collection staff were trained properly, you would not need to hire environment officers.

A lot of private children services company are being set up because councils are going to pay them a lot of money.

Does Harrow Council carry out checks of the directors when tenders are received or negotiate the price?

I think cost-cutting should first be carried out within the council itself.

Nishma Shah

Bengarth Drive, Harrow