New cabinet members take charge at civic centre

The team of top decision-makers tasked with creating a “fairer, greener borough” has officially taken charge at Haringey Council.

Peray Ahmet and Mike Hakata were re-elected leader and deputy leader of the authority during the council’s annual general meeting (AGM) at Alexandra Palace on Monday.

Joining them at the top table are seven female cabinet members and former Haringey mayor Adam Jogee, who is responsible for economic development, jobs and community cohesion. Alongside Cllr Jogee, the other new faces are Dana Carlin, who is in charge of housing services, private renters and planning; and Sarah Williams, who has been given the finance and investment portfolio.

Zena Brabazon, Seema Chandwani, Lucia Das Neves, Ruth Gordon and Julie Davies have been re-elected to cabinet, although there have been some changes to portfolio titles and responsibilities.

After being elected leader, Cllr Ahmet told the AGM the new administration would have to make good on the vision for a “fairer, greener borough” set out in Labour’s local election manifesto.

She said the council “had to get the basics right”, admitting that “too many services and systems do not work properly”, and people “too often” get “tangled up in pointless bureaucracy”.

Cllr Ahmet added that there needed to be a “culture change” at the council that would lead to a “very different relationship with local people, breaking down the feeling of an us-and-them divide”.

“I want us to be competent, collaborative and radical,” she continued. “We all want the same basic things. We want to take head-on the deep poverty and inequality in Haringey; we want to confront the east-west divide.

“There should be good, well-paid jobs in the east. There should be high-quality, well-designed homes. There should be great parks and clean air. We should never settle for anything less than great standards for any of our communities, and no-one should be left behind.”

The full cabinet positions are as follows:

• Peray Ahmet (leader)

• Mike Hakata (climate action, environment and transport, and deputy leader of the council)

• Dana Carlin (housing services, private renters and planning)

• Zena Brabazon (children, schools and families)

• Seema Chandwani (tackling inequality and resident services)

• Sarah Williams (finance and local investment)

• Lucia das Neves (health, social care and wellbeing)

• Ruth Gordon (council housebuilding, placemaking and development)

• Adam Jogee (economic development, jobs and community cohesion)

• Julie Davies (communities and civic life)