Harrow’s new Conservative administration will offer an hour’s free parking and aims to freeze council tax, its leader has said.

Cllr Paul Osborn, who is expected to be confimed as the new leader of Harrow Council next week, said he hopes to see extended free parking measures across all the borough’s streets within weeks.

This was one of the key pledges put forward by the Tories during the 2022 local election campaign, and Cllr Osborn said it is one of the many small things that will “make a real difference” to residents’ lives.

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He said: “We’re going to get started on introducing one-hour free parking on our streets – I hope to have that done by the summer. We’re going to look at the main causes behind fly-tipping, we’ll offer a free bulky waste collection service and will look at reshaping our enforcement policies to catch those who are dumping rubbish. 

“And we’re going to firm up the legal aspects around 265 The Ridgeway to make it abundantly clear to developers that they can only put forward an appropriate scheme there.”

Cllr Osborn also pledged to push for a council tax freeze but admitted that “these things can take time”. He said: “We’re trying to get a grasp of the budget – Labour just kicked the can down the road and just used reserves to plug the gap, so we need to see what we’re working with. 

“The aim over the next four years is to freeze council tax, or at least make any increase as low as possible. But we’ve been very open with residents that this won’t happen overnight.”

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The council is also interviewing for a new chief executive following the upcoming departure of Sean Harriss. Cllr Osborn said there have been some discussions about whether the council needs a CEO – when the Conservatives were last in power, they abolished the position – but said it all depends on if they “find the right person”.

He also confirmed that plans for a new civic centre have been put on hold. Discussions are underway about the possibility of staying at the current civic centre on Station Road but Cllr Osborn ruled out a move to a purpose-built council building in Wealdstone. 

The previous Labour administration had intended to bulldoze the current civic centre and replace it with hundreds of new homes. Council operations would then be split between a new civic centre in Wealdstone town centre and the current depot in Forward Drive. 

Cllr Osborn was a fierce critic of the plans from the outset, suggesting it would be a waste of money and result in unwanted high rise buildings. 

He said: “We’re pausing everything at the moment – but there will not be a new civic centre in Wealdstone. It doesn’t make sense to spend £20 million on something that would be just a council building. We’re going through the finances at the moment to see what’s been spent and what we can use. 

“But there’s the possibility of doing something with the current civic centre, which hasn’t seen proper investment for 30 or 40 years. One thing’s for sure – there will be no massive tower blocks at this site.”

Cllr Osborn said his party is also exploring how to put planning policies in place to cap the height of buildings across Harrow. At last week’s local elections, the Conservatives secured a majority in Harrow for the first time since 2006.