Harrow Council said it will continue to seek out commercial opportunities, despite missing an income target of £15 million from private sector schemes.

Cllr Adam Swersky, responsible for finance at Harrow Council, acknowledged that certain fundraising programmes had not worked out and had to be cancelled.

This included Project Infinity, a joint venture with technology giant IBM that hoped to improve the adult social care system in the borough through a digital platform.

The cancellation of this project – due to “development delays” and “challenges in the market” – meant the £15 million goal was taken out of the council’s 2018/19 budget.

A council report noted unrealised income from the borough’s regeneration programme also contributed to this decision.

But it stated the council “remains committed to procurement efficiencies and maximising commercial opportunities”.

Cllr Swersky supported this concept and said it would continue to seek out “innovative projects” as a way of countering dwindling council funds.

He said: “We had to do something to tackle the massive deterioration of council finances, because of the Government’s austerity programme.

“So, we had a choice – we could do nothing and cut frontline services or make our council tax scheme worse, or we could take action, change the whole culture of our council and become more commercially-focused.”

“We have had some commercial projects that haven’t worked out and the right thing to do, when they’re not working, is to close them down. This is exactly what we’ve done.”

He added there are several arms of the council’s commercial side which have produced millions of pounds and “will continue to do so”.

But Cllr Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Conservatives, said people must be held to account for the “failures” attached to Project Infinity and regeneration.

He said: “Countless things have gone terribly wrong and [the council] has not learnt any lessons from that.

“And what’s more concerning is that no one is taking responsibility or being held to account. People are being rewarded and congratulated and we move on.

“We never learn why things don’t work and, when we predicted some of these things wouldn’t work, no one listened to us.”

He added he is worried a similar approach will be taken to regeneration – a programme his group has consistently urged the council to rethink.