THE new leader of the Labour group on Harrow Council has attacked the Tories for ignoring the wishes of residents with too much "silo thinking".

Councillor Bill Stephenson said Labour are disappointed by the current administration's "high-handed" approach to running the council, and criticised the recent cuts in services.

He said: "There is still far too much silo thinking in the civic centre with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

"This is so characteristic of the current administration making short-term financial savings often quite unnecessarily which have major long term costs both financially and in service delivery."

He said morale among council staff is very low at the moment, and blamed this on Conservative cuts.

In some cases, he said council staff have been made redundant and then re-hired at a large cost to the taxpayer.

Cllr Stephenson, who has replaced Cllr Navin Shah as leader, promised to continue to "listen to what people really want" and be critical of policies which will not benefit the people of Harrow.

Cllr Shah has been a highly vocal critic of the Tory group, which seized power on the council after the local elections in 2006.

Cllr Stephenson indicated his intentions to maintain that standard with a blistering attack on the Conservatives as he took over power on Monday, June 16.

He said the transition had been smooth, saying: "There are no divisions, schisms, back biting or prima donnas in our group unlike in other political groups I could mention.

"We are very disappointed at the arrogant high-handed way the current administration has conducted its affairs so far not only with us and with their own backbenchers but also with the public."

He pointed to large development in Harrow town centre, the new leisure centre project in Byron Recreation Ground, and the lost judicial review on adult care as evidence of the Tories' failings.

Councillor Phillip O'Dell (Wealdstone) has been elected as deputy leader of the group, and Cllr Shah will remain as a Harrow councillor for Kenton East while concentrating on his new role as London assembly member for Brent and Harrow.