The Conservatives retained control of Harrow Council in last week’s local elections, and increased their majority in the process.
The final results saw the Conservatives win 42 seats on the council, up from 31 in 2022, while Labour dropped to 12 seats. Arise secured one seat, while Reform UK, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats failed to win representation on the council despite increases in vote share.
Following the results, Harrow Online asked followers on Facebook and Instagram: “What’s your reaction to the Harrow election results?”, with residents sharing a wide range of views.
Some praised individual councillors and welcomed the result, while others expressed disappointment and concerns about the future political direction of the borough.
Jason P said, “I am not suprised at the results. The Conservatives have done an incredible job in Harrow bringing pride back to our streets for the most part. Their work to restore the roads, combat fly-tipping and upgrade the signage and tennis courts has not gone unoticed, it makes the borough look cleaner, sharper and welcoming to people coming to visit. I think they have done a superb job so far and glad they are re-elected.”
Lucy Larr wrote: “Incredibly sad to see Stephen Hickman not re-elected in Harrow on the Hill. He is genuinely one of the hardest-working and kindest councillors I’ve come across, someone who was not only consistently responsive, but who genuinely cared, followed up on issues, and approached his role with compassion and integrity.
“It was disappointing to see a campaign that felt so personal and, at times, quite toxic prove successful. Whatever people’s political views, public service should still be recognised and respected, especially when someone has given so much time and effort to supporting their community. Big shoes to fill.”
Kandiah Vasanthan said: “As expected, south and west Harrow are changing now. There’s no longer any blind-faith voting for Labour. In some wards, Labour candidates won by just 10–15 votes, which is quite concerning for them. If they’re not careful, the next parliamentary election could also go the other way.”
Stephen Phillips commented: “Also a Conservative supporter but disappointed that Reform were the only party to knock on my door and we had a good friendly open chat. Conservatives must not get complacent. They have a lot of work to do listening and attending to residents’ concerns in these very difficult times.”
Re-elected Hatch End Councillor, Cllr Matthew Goodwin Freeman simply wrote: “Proud. Honoured. Exhausted. Thank you so much.”
Others were critical of the outcome.
Neil Hannam wrote: “Disappointed that the Tories are still in power after all the money wasted on the concrete litter bins etc, but thankfully the people of Harrow are generally decent folk. Fascists and racists are not welcome here, so Reform got exactly what they deserved, absolutely nothing.”
Belinda Burnand said: “I’m not a Conservative supporter or Labour for that matter, but congrats to the Conservatives as no Reform, so that’s good enough for me!”
Meanwhile, Harrow Green Party highlighted its performance on Instagram, writing: “The Green Party beat Reform UK in 21 out of 22 wards and we came second in Stanmore, Canons and Belmont beating Labour. We increased our vote share by over 12K.”
One anonymous post praised the work done in Harrow over the last four years. “Am I pleased? yes – I think they (The Conservatives) have done a good job and they’ll keep going, this was just the start and there is a long way to go but they have got the right idea. And the one-hour free parking is so handy, I can actually get a lot done in that time and am grateful to them for it.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
