Harlow is a 'new town' which has just celebrated its 60th anniversary. It faces major regeneration challenges, is a sub-regional centre identified for significant growth under the Regional Spatial Strategy, and the council was described by a peer review as being more like a London borough than a district council. The council was categorised as 'poor' in June 2004 - one of the worst councils in the country. Three years ago, it had an emphasis on being a service provider, with a large portfolio of discretionary services. It also had an atypically-large workforce, including a DLO providing services for more than 10,000 rented and over 2,000 leasehold dwellings. In November 2007, the council was formally categorised as 'good', an improvement of three CPA categories in just three years. This transformation represents one of the biggest and fastest improvements in local government history. The council is now at the forefront of many initiatives.
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