A fire safety contract grows to £5.37m, the Garden Tiger pub goes to its tenant, and scrutiny sets up a housing review on Tuesday. Harlow's council week.

Harlow Council has two meetings in the week from Saturday 26 September, and one of them is held almost entirely in private. The bigger news is in the decisions councillors signed off this week, including £3.65 million added to two fire safety contracts and the sale of the Garden Tiger pub to its tenant.

Here is what is being decided, when, and how to follow it.

Meetings in the next seven days

Scrutiny Committee, Tuesday 29 September, 7pm, Council Chamber, Civic Centre. The main business is the committee’s work plan. It proposes three task and finish groups:

  • Housing compliance policies, September to December. The submission asks whether the council’s new housing compliance policies are being followed in practice and whether they keep tenants safe.
  • Local government reorganisation, December to February. The agenda marks it “to be reviewed in light of the recent Government announcement”, after the government paused reorganisation plans this month.
  • The budget process, January to March.

The meeting is webcast live on the council’s webcast site. (Harlow Council, Scrutiny Committee agenda)

Regulatory Sub Committee, Wednesday 30 September, 7pm, Council Chamber. It will consider the suitability of a private hire driver. That item is taken in private because it concerns an individual. (Harlow Council, Regulatory Sub Committee agenda)

Coming next: Development Management Committee on Wednesday 7 October, Cabinet on Thursday 8 October and Full Council on Thursday 22 October, all at 7pm. Their agendas are not yet published.

Decisions signed this week

Fire safety works: two contracts grow by £3.65m

On 24 September the Leader approved variations to two contracts under the council’s fire safety remedial and planned works programme. The decision notice sets them out like this:

Contractor Original value Added Total in the notice
PRB Estate Ltd £1,650,000 £825,000 + VAT £2,640,000
Trail Group Ltd £1,650,000 £2,825,000 + VAT £5,370,000

PRB’s addition is 50% of its original award. Trail Group’s addition takes its contract past the Procurement Act 2023 threshold. The notice’s totals include VAT, but not in the same way: PRB’s £165,000 of VAT is 20% of the addition only, while Trail Group’s £895,000 is 20% of the original and the addition together.

It is a key decision but is not subject to call-in. The report explaining why is restricted, so the notice does not say which blocks the extra money covers. (Harlow Council, decision 1269)

£8.8m of housing contracts

A separate decision signed on 17 September and in force from 26 September awards five housing contracts. It is part of what the council calls its largest ever housing reinvestment programme, £162 million over two years:

  • Chas Berger Ltd, fire risk assessment works at 80 to 99 Wedhey, 109 to 124 and 1 to 16 Little Grove Field, and 63 to 106 Church End: £4,678,799.58, or £5,146,679.54 with a 10% contingency (excluding VAT)
  • J&J Windows and Doors Limited, windows programme 3: £1,173,842 over twelve months
  • Frankham Consultancy Group Limited, principal designer under the building regulations, direct award: £1,144,599
  • O.C. Consulting (UK) Limited, asbestos inspections and air testing for three years: £660,000
  • ARG Europe Limited, asbestos removal for three years: £660,000

All figures exclude VAT. Together, with the contingency, they come to £8,785,120.54. (Harlow Council, decision 1258)

The Garden Tiger pub is sold to its tenant

On 23 September the council accepted an offer from its existing tenant to buy the freehold of the Garden Tiger public house. The price is in an exempt appendix and has not been published.

The reason given is that the pub is “underperforming”. The council currently receives rent of £710 a year for it. Cabinet agreed in October 2025 to sell it, one of nine sites we reported on in August. The decision is not subject to call-in. The web page lists the Leader as decision maker; the printed notice says the Portfolio Holder for Finance. (Harlow Council, decision 1266)

Guidance for children’s home applications

The Portfolio Holder for Garden Town and Planning approved a children’s homes guidance note for planning applications. The report says the council saw “an influx” of applications to convert houses into children’s homes across 2025 and 2026, often with little explanation of local need.

It gives the current picture as at April 2026:

  • 5 children’s homes registered with Ofsted in Harlow, with 15 places
  • 73 Essex children in care living in Harlow
  • 5 of those 73 in a mainstream children’s home place

The note becomes a material consideration when applications are decided. The call-in deadline is 30 September. (Harlow Council, decision 1267 and report)

Energy for 2027-28

Two contracts cover the council’s buildings and housing properties from April 2027 to March 2028:

  • electricity from EDF, forecast at £1,497,392
  • gas through a flexible purchasing basket, forecast at £518,539.77

Both can be called in until 30 September. (Harlow Council, decision 1265; decision 1264)

Also signed

  • Damp and mould: £416,035 a year for a dedicated HTS team. Our full report.
  • Housing code of conduct: a code covering everyone who delivers housing services, including contractors, to meet the social housing regulator’s competence and conduct standard. (decision 1263)
  • Commercial leases at 1 North House, 10-11 Corner House, 1 Colt Hatch and 2 Slacksbury Hatch, and a new lease on Unit 62 of the Harvey Centre. Terms are exempt. (decision 1261; decision 1260)
  • Town centre transport hub: up to £1,170,000 for McBains. The call-in deadline is Monday 28 September. Our full report.

What it means for you

Anyone can watch Scrutiny on Tuesday in the Council Chamber or on the webcast. Call-in is a councillor’s power, not a resident’s: if a decision above worries you, the route is to contact your ward councillor before its deadline. The council’s councillor finder lists them by ward.

For planning decisions, see our Harlow planning news page.

Sources