| Election Name: | 2024 Harlow District Council election |
| Country: | Essex |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Harlow District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2026 Harlow District Council election |
| Next Year: | 2026 |
| Seats For Election: | All 33 seats to Harlow District Council |
| Majority Seats: | 17 |
| Leader1: | Dan Swords |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 21 seats, 41.5% |
| Seats Before1: | 21 |
| Seats1: | 17 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 21,900 |
| Percentage1: | 43.8% |
| Swing1: | 2.3% |
| Leader2: | Chris Vince |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 12 seats, 43.8% |
| Seats Before2: | 12 |
| Seats2: | 16 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| Popular Vote2: | 21,928 |
| Percentage2: | 43.8% |
| Swing2: | 0.0% |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Dan Swords |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Election: | Dan Swords |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 2024 Harlow District Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom being held on the same day. All 33 members of Harlow District Council in Essex were elected following boundary changes.
The Conservatives retained their majority on the council, but lost four seats to Labour, reducing the Conservative majority to just one seat.
Historically, Harlow was a Labour council. Labour held a majority on the council from its creation until 2002, when the district fell into no overall control.[1] The Conservatives held a majority for the first time following the 2008 election, but Labour retook control in 2012.
The Conservative won a majority on the council in 2021,[2] and have governed as a majority since then. In the most recent election, the Conservatives gained 1 seat with 41.5% of the vote, and Labour lost 1 seat with 43.8%.
In the build up to the May 2024 election, Conservative candidate James Leppard was suspended from the party pending investigation,[3] following a Hope Not Hate allegation of Islamophobia.[4] He remained listed as a Conservative on the ballot paper, and he was re-elected. His suspension from the party was lifted a few weeks after the election, after an investigation concluded that his comments which had triggered the complaint had been selectively edited and taken out of context.[5]
Harlow usually elects its councillors in thirds, on a 4-year cycle. However, following boundary changes, all councillors will be elected to the new wards.[6] All wards have 3 councillors.
| Old wards[7] | New wards |
|---|---|
| Bush Fair | Bush Fair |
| Church Langley | Church Langley North and Newhall |
| Great Parndon | Church Langley South and Potter Street |
| Harlow Common | Great Parndon |
| Little Parndon and Hare Street | Latton Bush and Stewards |
| Mark Hall | Little Parndon and Town Centre |
| Netteswell | Mark Hall |
| Old Harlow | Netteswell |
| Staple Tye | Old Harlow |
| Sumners and Kingsmoor | Passmores |
| Toddbrook | Sumners and Kingsmoor |
The Conservatives lost four seats, but retained a one-seat majority over Labour.[8] [9]
| After 2023 election | Before 2024 election[10] | After 2024 election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| 21 | 21 | 17 | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 16 | ||||||
|-
Statement of Persons Nominated:[11]