Councillors due to vote on new administration to run Haringey Council

Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter, has been asking the Greens, Labour and Lib Dem groups to confirm how they will vote but all have stayed silent prior to pivotal meeting on Wednesday night

Haringey councillors are due to vote on a new leader, cabinet and mayor at a meeting tonight (Wednesday 20th) – with residents still in the dark as to which political parties will be running the new administration in the borough.

The matter should be on course for a resolution, however, during the full council meeting at Tottenham Town Hall which starts at 7.30pm.

Nevertheless, none of the three parties represented at the local authority have yet confirmed who will take over after no party won overall control on 7th May.

The Greens, in theory, are in pole position, with 27 seats. The figure is two short of a majority – and one less than it could have been after their candidate for Northumberland Park ward was deemed ineligible to take his seat, meaning a by-election will have to take place.

Labour were decimated at the local election, losing 23 of 44 councillors – their worst result for over 50 years. It was a result which also served up the ultimate indignity to incumbent council leader Peray Ahmet, who lost her seat representing Noel Park ward to the Greens.

It was announced today (Wednesday 20th) that Labour nominee for Woodside ward, Hasret Bozdogan, would not be taking her seat “due to personal reasons that transpired after 7th May”. As in Noel Park, no date for this by election has been confirmed at the time of reporting.

As things stood the Labour group were set to have 21 councillors. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, are on eight. Despite the Greens being the most popular party in the borough, a Labour-Lib Dem coalition would have had the exact number of seats needed to form a majority coalition of 29 councillors.

With the news that Bozdogan will not be taking her post, this takes Labour down to 20 seats, potentially removing the biggest threat to a Green-led administration.

Last week a representative from Haringey Lib Dems confirmed that the group had been “contacted by both the Green and Labour Groups”. Discussions, they said, were “ongoing”, adding: “Our councillors are working towards a solution that is best for Haringey residents, and for our borough”.

A week ago, Haringey Greens appointed their new ‘convener’ in Mark Blake. If they were to be in charge of the next administration it means Cllr Blake would almost certainly be its leader.

A representative for Haringey Greens also confirmed that discussions about a new administration were “ongoing” but gave no further details of who those talks had been with and what had come of them.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) followed-up with all three parties on Monday (18th), asking for an update. No-one from Labour, Greens or the Lib Dems has responded at the time of reporting.

There are several explanations. One is that each group has lost all internet and phone access. The more likely scenarios are that discussions on a deal are going down to the wire – or a deal has been reached between two of the parties but they don’t want to show their hand before the crucial meeting tonight.

Yesterday (Tuesday 19th) Barnet Council’s Labour and Tory groups ratified a deal to form a new Labour minority administration with an enhanced role for the Conservatives. It was a cordial process clearly settled well in advance.

Last night also saw Spurs’ fate in the Premier League relegation battle go down to the final game of the season following a defeat to Chelsea. Haringey Council, who are responsible for the borough that hosts Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, looks to be following the troubled football clubs’ example.

Unlike their neighbours in Barnet yesterday, all sorts of permutations are still open ahead of a crucial meeting at Tottenham Town Hall this evening.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.