Harrow Council insists its regeneration programme is progressing on time and good value, despite accusations that it has been “disastrously mismanaged”.

Opposition councillors challenged council’s cabinet last week, taking aim at the progress of the strategy.

The council has embarked on a £1.75 billion programme, which will include the building of a new civic centre and redevelopment throughout the borough.

But Harrow Conservatives argued that the past four years have been “wasted”, suggested that several schemes are way behind schedule and urged the council to publish all the available facts and figures.

Cllr Graham Henson, leader of Harrow Council, pointed out that financial information is “protected by legislation” but insisted that the programme will deliver value.

“I do not think this has been disastrously mismanaged. Any project of this size has risks and we need to ensure that, as far as possible, we mitigate against those,” he said.

“Within a changing financial environment, we need to make sure we can afford what we can build.”

Cllr Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Conservatives, pushed him on whether someone should take responsibility for the state of the programme, which he described as a “staggering indictment” of the current administration.

According to him there is “no business plan in place, no robust figures and almost all of the schemes cannot go ahead on their current basis”.

But Cllr Henson dismissed suggestions that cabinet members should have faced action over regeneration in Harrow and reaffirmed that things are under control.

“We’re trying to do new things and we’ve recognised where things are failing. We will take a step back if it looks like it will cost us too much money,” he explained.

“I don’t accept that there has been mismanagement. We’re in a very changing environment with uncertainty around borrowing and the labour market.

“If some things have to change, that is not mismanagement. Mismanagement would be if we blindly went ahead and built something and then realised we could not do it.”