It's not often you expect a gift from the town hall, but I can hopefully bring readers some New Year cheer with the prospect of council tax bills being frozen.

Next month, Harrow Council will vote on a proposal for a 0 per cent council tax increase in 2014, reversing the 2 per cent increase originally in the budget. Not a windfall, but I hope something that may give a little relief to hard-pressed family finances.

My administration recently clocked up 100 days in office. To date we have:

Undertaken 50 visits by the blitz team to clear rubbish from problem areas

Exposed “beds in sheds” landlords for ripping off tenants

Appointed new officers to raise recycling rates– so saving council tax payers money on landfill charges– and recruited new benefit fraud officers

My New Year resolution is intensify our efforts to make Harrow cleaner, safer and fairer. This month we launch our next Week of Action in Rayners Lane and there are more clean-up activities planned for February and March.

This will also be the year we campaign to recruit 2068 Neighbourhood Champions – one on every street. If you want to help us clean up your area, sign up!

In the meantime, I wish all Harrow Observer readers a prosperous New Year.