Councillor Yogesh Teli was elected as the new Mayor of Harrow for the 2026-2027 municipal year. Councillor Marilyn Ashton was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the Council. The meeting also saw the confirmation of committee memberships and the appointment of chairs to various council committees.

Election of Mayor

Councillor Yogesh Teli was elected as the Mayor of Harrow for the 2026-2027 municipal year. He was nominated by Councillor Nicola Blackman and seconded by Councillor Paresh Chudasama. Councillor David Perry and Councillor Paul Osborn also spoke in support of Councillor Teli's nomination, highlighting his experience and dedication to public service. Councillor Teli, a former Deputy Mayor, has served as a councillor for Kenton ward for eight years and more recently for Edgware. He has a background in IT and has been actively involved in various community clubs and charities, including chairing the Asciana Charitable Trust.

Mayor's Notification of Deputy Mayor

The newly elected Mayor, Councillor Yogesh Teli, announced his appointment of Councillor Mina Parmar as the Deputy Mayor for the 2026-2027 municipal year.

Appointment of Chaplain

The Mayor confirmed that he had appointed Ram Pandey as his Chaplain for the upcoming mayoral year.

Return of Councillors and Notification of Members of Political Groups

The council noted the return of councillors elected at the Borough Elections on 7th May 2026, including the membership of the respective political groups. Councillor Paul Osborn was elected as the Leader of the Council for a four-year term. Councillor Marilyn Ashton was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the Council.

Civic Functions

The dates for the forthcoming civic functions for 2026-2027 were noted.

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Stephen Greek and Councillor Kanti Rabadia declared pecuniary interests as they were nominated as council-appointed representatives on the Harrow Strategic Development Partnership. They would leave the room during discussions and voting on related matters. Councillor Paul Osborn declared a non-pecuniary interest in the item regarding his long service recognition, stating he would remain in the room for the discussion and vote.

Council Minutes

The minutes of the council meetings held on 26 February 2026 and 24 March 2026 were taken as read and signed as correct records.

Appointment of Leader of the Council

Councillor Paul Osborn was elected as the Leader of the Council for a four-year term. He was nominated by Councillor Marilyn Ashton and seconded by Councillor Christopher Baxter.

Notification of Deputy Leader of the Council

Councillor Marilyn Ashton was noted as the appointed Deputy Leader of the Council.

Cabinet and Committee Memberships

The council noted that Councillor Marilyn Ashton was the Deputy Leader of the Council. The following councillors were appointed to the Cabinet with their respective portfolios:

• Leader of the Council: Councillor Paul Osborn
• Deputy Leader of the Council: Councillor Marilyn Ashton
• Portfolio Holder for Finance and Highways: Councillor David Ashton
• Portfolio Holder for Housing: Councillor Christopher Baxter
• Portfolio Holder for Performance, Communications and Customer Experience: Councillor Stephen Greek
• Portfolio Holder for Business and Property: Councillor Chetna Halai
• Portfolio Holder for Children's Services: Councillor Hitesh Karia
• Portfolio Holder for Community and Culture: Councillor Janet Mote
• Portfolio Holder for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety: Councillor Pritesh Patel
• Portfolio Holder for Adults and Public Health: Councillor Norman Stevenson

It was also noted that the number of non-Executive Members of Cabinet would be increased to 'up to five', with authority delegated to the Strategic Director of Legal and Governance to amend the Constitution accordingly. The council determined the allocation of places on various committees based on political balance rules, appointing members in accordance with notifications from political groups. The establishment and terms of reference for these committees were agreed, with an amendment to the Planning Committee's terms of reference.

Appointment of Chairs to Council Committees

The following councillors were elected as Chairs of their respective committees:

• Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards: Councillor Kanti Rabadia
• Health and Wellbeing Board: Councillor Norman Stevenson
• Licensing and General Purposes: Councillor Susan Hall
• Overview and Scrutiny: Councillor Amir Moshenson
• Planning: Councillor Marilyn Ashton
• Pension Fund: Councillor Norman Stevenson

Appointment of representatives to Outside Bodies

The appointments of representatives to outside bodies for the Municipal Year 2026/27 were approved.

Dispensation for Members of Council

A dispensation was granted under Section 33 of the Localism Act 2011 to all councillors, allowing them to participate in discussions and voting on specific matters until the next local elections in May 2030. This includes general dispensations for setting Council Tax, housing rent levels, overarching budget reports, and matters related to the Local Government Pension Scheme. A specific dispensation was also granted for members to speak but not vote on matters relating to the Harrow Strategic Development Partnership (HSDP) if they were directors of the HSDP Nominee Ltd company. Additionally, councillors could request their private addresses not be published on the Council's website.

Designation of the Statutory Director of Children's Services

Róisín Madden, Strategic Director of Children's Services, was designated as the statutory Director for Children's Services.

Amendment to Members' Allowances Scheme

The amendments to the Members' Allowances scheme, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the officer report, were approved.

Recognition of Long Service - Councillor Paul Osborn

A Long Service Award was approved to mark Councillor Paul Osborn's 25 years of service as a Member for Harrow Council in July 2026. Authority was given to the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with Councillor Osborn, to make minor amendments to the wording of the scroll.

Scrutiny Annual Report 2025-2026

The Scrutiny Annual Report for 2025/26 was approved.

Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee Annual Report 2025/26

The Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee Annual Report for 2025/26 was endorsed, and the updated terms of reference for the committee were approved.

Information Report - Use of the Urgency Procedure - Executive

The report detailing decisions taken under the Urgency Procedure was noted. This included a decision by the Leader of the Council on 23 April 2026 regarding Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, where any delay was deemed to prejudice the Council's interests. An inter-authority agreement for a shared mortuary service between Harrow, Barnet, and Brent was also noted as having been taken under general exception.

Information Report - Remuneration Packages of £100,000 or greater

The report summarising remuneration packages approved by the Chief Officers' Employment Panel between September 2025 and April 2026 was noted. These included new posts arising from restructuring: Assistant Director of Culture, Leisure and Learning; Assistant Director – Property & Asset Strategy; and Assistant Director of Traffic, Highways & Parking.

Dates of Council Meetings 2026/27

The dates for the ordinary meetings of the Council for the 2026/27 Municipal Year were noted and confirmed. The July Council meeting was rescheduled from 9 July 2026 to 2 July 2026.