It’s hard to think of many jobs more important than providing care and support for vulnerable people. For too long so many of the country’s elderly and those on the lowest incomes have lived in fuel poverty and simply cannot afford to heat their homes when they need to. This is simply unacceptable. It’s the very reason I entered into politics in the first place – they need our support most of all and cannot be ignored.

This is why I’m thrilled to see how successful Harrow Council has been in the ‘Big Energy Switch campaign’. Councils across London have signed-up to the London-wide scheme and together, all authorities have organised an ‘energy auction’ in which providers offered their cheapest tariffs to everyone who registered. It’s an important campaign and a delight to see that Harrowhas the second highest number of registrations out of all London Councils with more than 2,000. Cheapest tariffs have now been offered to those who have taken part. If you haven’t registered don’t worry there’s still time for residents who missed the deadline. Those interested in taking part can pre-register online by April 22 and will be offered a cheap tariff, just visit www.biglondonenergyswith.org.uk or alternatively contact 01561 378 668. For more information visit www.harrow.gov.uk/housewarmers

The health and well-being of residents should always be put at the heart of a responsible council’s agenda. This is why we now have a shared public health service with Barnet Council. We have established a cutting-edge public health leadership service by exploring ways to share resources which will deliver a greater impact. This will drive down back office staff costs and free up vital funds that can be spent on front line services. However, the two councils will remain in charge of decisions regarding public health spend and priorities.

Supporting our communities is at the heart of everything that we do at the Council and there is no question that community spirit is alive and well in Harrow. You only need to look at the thousands of residents who enjoyed street parties across the borough at last year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This is why we are planning one of the biggest social events of the year – the Harrow Community Lunch. With just two months to go until the big day on Sunday, June 2, we are urging as many residents as possible to put their street party arrangements in place. We waived road closure fees for one day so residents can mingle with their neighbours for the day over a bite to eat, a chilled drink, and some music. If you would like to organise a street party you will need to submit a road closure request by April 30. For more information on how to organise a street party visit www.harrow.gov.uk/howto

And last but in no means least – it is with the greatest pleasure I have to announce the welcome return of Harrow’s premier cultural outdoor festival – ‘Under One Sky’. The exuberant and enhanced programme of dance and world music will be held at Byron Park, Wealdstone, from 12.30pm to 9pm on Sunday, June 30. There will be something for everyone at this year’s festival with more than 100 acts and activities that will keep children and adults entertained throughout the day. For further information visit www.harrow.gov.uk/underonesky

I was delighted to read the letters received from David Laws MP praising Whitmore High School, Bentley Wood High School, Rooks Heath College, Nower Hill High School and Sacred Heart College.

The letters to Whitmore and Bentley Wood High Schools praised the schools for the amount of progress pupils have made when the actual GCSE grades are compared with their assessment when they leave primary school at the end of year six.

Both schools are amongst the top 100 performing schools in terms of the progress made by students who are eligible for free school meal.

Rooks Heath College, Nower Hill High Schools and Sacred Heart Language College High School achieved excellent performance in GCSE passes in 2012.

Harrow’s community values education and believes that “education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” Harrow rightly invests in young people and as a result has some of the best schools in the country.

This is credit to the leadership of Harrow’s Head Teachers, School Staff, Governors and Council Staff related to schools.

I am proud of our Schools, Council staff and pupils of Harrow.

Despite the financial challenges that lie ahead for all Councils, I am proud to say that we have set a balanced budget for the next two years which protects those most in need. We are a responsible Council which is planning ahead for the future so we can protect the services we know you care most about.

It is easy to set a budget. I am an accountant by trade and I could balance the books in a relatively short amount of time. However, as Leader of the Council I have a responsibility to ensure my administration sets a budget that is morally right, a budget which protects our children’s centres and libraries from closure, a budget which ensures we invest in more social workers and shield those most in need from Government cuts to our benefits system.

Harrow Council, like most other Councils, is facing its most challenging financial situation in decades. When the draft budget was published in February last year, the Council had expected to find £11 million in savings over the next two years. However, due to pressures outside of the Council’s control the funding gap increased to £24 million. In order to balance the books the Council has found the £24 million in savings by making efficiencies in all departments, deleting posts, adopting a more commercial approach, and finding innovative ways to deliver savings.

Despite these major financial challenges Harrow’s future remains bright. We are on the side of our residents and we know that times are tough but we are doing everything we can to support them. This is why we are urging as many people as possible to sign-up to the Big Harrow Council Energy Switch which could help residents cut the prices of their gas and electricity bills by up to £200. It is a London-wide scheme which will use collective buying power to force energy prices down. Anybody can sign-up, however we will be focussing on those who are falling into fuel poverty, and those who are already struggling to keep warm and could really benefit from this opportunity. Signing up is easy just visit www.biglondonenergyswitch.org.uk

In mid April, councils in London will organise an energy auction and invite energy suppliers to offer their cheapest tariffs to everyone who has registered. Whichever supplier offers the cheapest tariff will then be able to offer residents a new contract. After the auction, residents will receive a personal offer and will be able to see how much money they can save.

I am also delighted to make two major policy announcements that will provide support for our residents throughout these tough times. Firstly, residents in the borough will be given 20 minutes free parking when they park in metered spaces in roads across the borough. The new policy will launch during the run-up to Christmas, giving residents, shoppers and local businesses a much-needed lift during the festive season. Secondly, the Council is to put an additional £200,000 towards filling in potholes in Harrow’s roads. This money is significantly more than the amount allocated in the budget and follows calls by residents to improve the borough’s roads – eroded by snow and ice over the last couple of years.

But we could do so much more if only the Government gave us a fair share of grant funding each year. This is why we have launched the Campaign for Fair Grant because the financial situation is worse in Harrow than in most other authorities as we have one of the lowest Government grants inLondon. We receive £1,608 per resident whereas a neighbouring borough gets £3,317 – if we got the same we would be £420m per year better off. If we received that kind of money not only would we be in a position to freeze council tax for the fourth successive year – we would be able to reduce it.

This is why we will fight for a fair share for Harrow. This is why we need the help of everyone across the borough. This is why you should sign our petition today by visiting www.harrow.gov.uk/fairgrant

Following on from my last update to you, I have now added my name to the Campaign for a Fair Grant online petition.

The Campaign has started positively and so far over 800 residents have thrown their weight behind Harrow’s Campaign for a Fair Grant, which Harrow Council has launched in partnership with the Harrow Observer. The Campaign urges the Government to improve Harrow’s share of grant funding which is allocated to local authorities each year.

As you know, the campaign has been launched because the financial situation is worse in Harrow than in most other authorities as we have one of the lowest Government grants in London. We receive £1,608 per resident whereas our neighbouring borough gets £3,317 – if we got the same as our neighbouring council we would be £420m per year better off.

I believe that we are in this campaign together and it is up to us as a community to fight for a fair grant for Harrow. I’m delighted with the response we’ve had so far and the petition is growing on a daily basis.

But we want more residents to sign up to it. We want to go to Downing Street with a petition that shows the community is behind us. We want to show the Government that the people of Harrow understand we set the budget with our hands tied – that we could do so much more to save services from cuts, cuts, cuts, if we were given a similar amount as our neighbouring North West London boroughs.

Our residents deserve better and I urge everyone in the borough, including our local MPs, to sign up to this petition today and encourage their friends, relatives, and neighbours to do so as well.

Harrow has been viewed in the past as a suburban borough, but it has inner London problems and our share of Government grant funding should reflect that. Latest census data revealed the population of Harrow has grown from 206,814 residents in 2001 to 239,056 in 2011 – an increase of 15 per cent over ten years. The council must also invest in services to support a 33 per cent rise in the number of children up to the age of four – a rise from 12,019 to 15,916, and 1,000 more people over the age of 80 – an increase of 11 per cent.

This is why we are proposing to raise council tax from April 1 to the tune of 46p per week because we want to protect the services that we know you value most.

If we received a fair grant we would be able to freeze council tax for the fourth successive year or even reduce it.

Along with the Harrow Observer we will fight for a fair share for Harrow. This is why we need your help. This is why you should sign our petition today.

To sign the petition visit www.harrow.gov.uk/fairgrant

I am delighted to announce the launch of our joint Fair Grant Campaign.  We are working in partnership with the Harrow Observer on this important campaign.

The Campaign for Fair Grant is your chance to persuade the Government to improve our share of grant funding which is allocated to councils each year.

Harrow would have been £420m better off if we received the same grant as neighbouring Brent £3,317 per resident; instead Harrow receives just £1,608 per resident.  I have launched this campaign with Harrow Observer so Harrow can get a fair deal.

We had to raise Council Tax by 46p a week from April 1 because we want to protect the services that we know you value most. If we received a fair grant we would be able to freeze Council Tax for the fourth successive year or even reduce it.

Sign up to our campaign here.

Welcome to my first Leader blog of 2013! I hope you’re all keeping warm and safe throughout this icy weather. I had the pleasure of being interviewed by an ITN weather man a couple of weeks ago and he warned me about this cold snap – one of the perks of being leader of the Council!

On a serious note, what really sends shivers through my bones is not the ice or snow – it’s the consequences of Government cuts to this year’s budget and the impact these cuts will have upon my residents. This Council is facing its most challenging financial situation in decades, yet unlike many London Boroughs, all of our children’s centres and libraries remain open, we are increasing the number of social workers and investing in elderly care.

This is why we have been faced with no choice other than to raise council tax by two per cent so we can protect the services we know our residents care most about. We have made this decision with a heavy heart and I appreciate that it is not going to please everyone. I am proud that we are a Council that has set a moral budget which protects our most vulnerable residents who are most in need.

I believe Harrow’s future remains bright despite the unprecedented financial situation that is not of our making. We are a modern, well-run, and low cost Council with ambitious plans to create a thriving local economy and a town centre that rivals any our West London neighbours. We put our most vulnerable residents first and we ensure everyone has a roof over their head.

This year’s budget has been the most challenging in decades and we have been forced to make some of the most difficult decisions we have ever made. Between 2010 and 2015 we will take £75m out of a controllable budget of £188m. If we were to freeze council tax for the fourth successive year the alternative is to make even deeper and more painful cuts. The two per cent rise in council tax amounts to 47p a week – the cost of a pint of milk, and by raising council tax now we are helping to protect services in the future.

The situation is worse in Harrow than in most other authorities because the Council has one of the lowest Government grants in the Capital. We are an outer London Borough with inner London problems yet receive £1,608 per resident whereas our neighbours in Brent receive £3,317 – more than twice as much. If we received that grant we would be £420m per year better off. We also have the lowest financial reserves in London – standing at £7.6m. The Council will lobby hard over the next few months to urge the Government to improve Harrow’s share.

We have made significant savings over the past few years by being more efficient, adopting a more commercial approach especially around how we procure or buy supplies and services, and finding innovative ways to deliver services. However, the Council has also had to deal with a number of challenges. The Census data revealed changes in the demography of the borough over the past ten years. The Council must invest in services to support a 33 per cent rise in the number of children aged 0 – 4, and a thousand more people over the age of 80, while overall population has grown by 15 per cent.

Government cuts will continue and the financial climate is not getting any easier. We want the best for our residents, we want our communities to thrive, and I know that with your help we can make a difference and get through these tough times together.

My name is Thaya Idaikkadar and I am immensely proud and honoured to introduce myself as the newly elected Leader of Harrow Council.

Like all councillors in the Labour administration, I am determined to protect the borough’s most vulnerable residents and make sure Harrow continues to successfully manage the most challenging financial climate local government has had to face for decades.

New Year is a time for looking ahead and making plans for the future. It also brings with it fresh challenges.

In 2013, Harrow Council will need to keep meeting its financial challenges. The Council has already found £51m of savings and we must find a further £24m over the next two years.

We have made savings in the Civic Centre by reducing the cost of staff and the number of senior managers whilst protecting the lowest paid staff and introducing the London Living Wage.

We will retain weekly bin collections, at a time when many London authorities have moved to fortnightly collections; we will keep all of our Children’s Centres as well as Harrow Arts Centre, and we will ensure sports facilities remain available to the community.

We are protecting residents most in need, in particular, by helping them out of poverty and worklessness. We are launching the Harrow HELP Scheme to provide support for residents who are most in need.

We are encouraging growth and investment in Harrow by supporting the Town Centre, local businesses, district centres and by opening up our land to investment and we are working with our partners and listening to our residents to make sure the right decisions are made for the community.

This financial situation has been forced upon us by a reduction in the money given to us by Central Government and by welfare reforms.

And we continue to meet new challenges. On December 19, Central Government announced how much it would be giving to the Council as a settlement grant.

At first viewing it is worse than anticipated and we are currently working through the detail to fully understand the implications.

We do have your best interests at heart and 2013 will also be a year where we will fight any unjust and unnecessary cuts to our funding.

I want to wish you all a very happy Christmas and prosperous New Year and I look forward to keeping you updated on what your Council is doing for you over the coming year and beyond.

It is always good to be recognised.  Winning the MJ Best Achieving Council Award was a tremendous morale boost and a major recognition of all the successful initiatives and new projects on which we have embarked.
 
So it is wonderful to report that our magazine for local residents Harrow People has just won the prestigious Best Council Publication in the UK at the LGCommunications Awards yesterday evening.  Congratulations to Lindsay Coulson and her team and, of course, special mention of Angela Hart the Harrow People Editor.
 
Over the last couple of years we have tried to make Harrow People more relevant to local residents – a genuine people’s magazine.  In particular, we have tried to get away from Local Government Speak by bringing in the views and thoughts of our local residents giving Harrow People a unique freshness and liveliness.
 
At the same time as we have had our excellence nationally recognised we have cut our communications budget by 30% and substantially increased the amount of income brought in by advertising.
 
We are not complacent and want to get even better. Let us have your views on how we can do this.

I had the privilege of attending the official opening of Cedars Youth and Community Centre on Monday, 28 May.  This a wonderful new building financed by a £4.2 million grant from the Government’s ‘My Place’ programme. The new building replaces the former Cedars Youth Centre and as the name implies is particularly for young people but also for all members of the local community of whatever age.
 
There is a large multi-purpose sports hall, exercise gym, a cafe, a roof-top terrace, computer rooms, a cafe and a number of five a side pitches. 

The building was designed by the architectural practice LOM with the help of young people and members of the local community. It has numerous environmental features. Most of all this was a celebration of the close co-operation between Watford Football Club.  and the Council who were complimentary of each other.

Graham Taylor, the former England manager and now non-executive Chairman of Watford Football Club and Neil Hart emphasized their longstanding and very fruitful work they have had with Harrow Council.

I from my side emphasised how grateful we were in Harrow for the good work Watford Football Club had done in Harrow in the old Cedars Youth Club and the Beacon in Rayners Lane, the Kickz project, supporting our holiday and after school programmes such as the Summer Uni and Under One Sky and most recently helping in our preparations for the Olympics/Paralympics and finally on this wonderful project.
 
We were joined by the Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Tim Loughton.  He has already praised Harrow’s adoption services.  He spoke out against the demonisation of young people and spoke very positively about our new Youth and Community Centre as one of what will be sixty ‘My place’ ventures – beacons -  around the country.

The Mayor and the Minister jointly formally opened the Centre. 
 
Following which we were all engaged in penalty shoot out. The Mayor and the Minister both scored expertly but my feeble attempt to  went straight to the goal keeper but at least it did not go right out of the ground like one from one of our more ambitious young people’s attempts.
 
Wonderful weather.  A wonderful event.  A wonderful centre.
 
For the footballing record I have now met Mottie and Graham Taylor.

I was delighted to receive a letter today from the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir David Brewer. Sir David is The Queen’s representative in Greater London and responsible for the promotion of civic, commercial, voluntary and social activities, including the recent Diamond Jubilee visit to Krishna Avanti School.

He said: “Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee visit to north London on Thursday 29th March was a huge success and I am sure you will have seen the superb coverage in the media. This triumphant visit was due in no small measure to the dedication, professionalism, hard work, and positive “can-do” attitude of your staff in the London Borough of Harrow and you should feel extremely proud of all that has been achieved.

I would also like to thank you for being such gracious hosts and, looking back over a year ago, for submitting such an exciting original proposal. The residents of Harrow and North-West London were superb, attending in such large numbers, and the affection that they hold for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh was particularly evident. This, coupled with the excellent performances and displays from so many different and diverse groups made for a wonderful experience.

Please convey my sincere thanks and congratulations, together with those of my staff, to all those involved.”

At the end of the typed letter he included a hand written comment ‘It could not have been better.’ I couldn’t agree more and assured Sir David that the visit was just the start and that Harrow Council is going full ahead to make the rest of the Diamond Jubilee a success.