Return of the Lollipop Ladies - Harrow council bans jargon

Their meaning has become one of the most perplexing riddles of modern life, but soon "stakeholder engagements" and "multi-agency approaches" could be a thing of the past - in one corner of the capital at least.

A London council has banned seven of the most bewildering jargon phrases when speaking to members of the public.

Civil enforcement officers, school crossing patrollers and civic amenity sites will be replaced by traffic wardens, lollipop ladies and rubbish tips, under new guidelines from Harrow Council.

The north-west London council has told its employees to use plain English substitutes for council jargon at every opportunity.

The list of banned phrases was drawn up after Harrow councillors asked a panel of local people about their experiences of dealing with council staff.

Under the new guidelines, controlled parking zones (CPZ) will be called permit parking, or double yellow lines, and the public realm will simply be called streets, parks, or pavements.

Councillor Paul Osborn said: "Our residents want to hear plain speaking and that is what we'll deliver.

"We are now working to ensure that council terms, which can include all sorts of baffling acronyms, don't get used when we talk to the public.

"Every organisation uses jargon to some degree, but we know that councils have been among the worst offenders in the past."

The change comes as Harrow Council announces a new service standard for the way it deals with phone calls, emails and visits from the public.

The council has also pledged to answer phone calls within 30 seconds, acknowledge emails within 24 hours and make sure people who go to council buildings are seen within 15 minutes.