Greens face tests in crucial by-elections

Next week’s contests in Northumberland Park and Woodside wards could be pivotal to the future of the council reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

With no party a having a majority on Haringey Council two by-elections next Thursday (25th) could play a pivotal role in shaping the next four years.

One seat each will be up for grabs in Northumberland Park and Woodside wards when voters go to the polls between 7am and 10pm next Thursday.

The by-elections come after it was declared two successful candidates at last month’s local elections, held on 7th May, would not be taking their seats.

Just under a week after the polls closed, Haringey Greens announced a by-election would have to take place in Northumberland Park ward after their successful candidate, Jayon Henriques, was found to be ineligible to take his seat.

The Greens said they did not know Henriques would be disqualified until after the deadline for nominations closed in April and, subsequently, did not campaign in his ward.

A week later, Haringey Labour announced that Hasret Bozdogan, who was elected to represent Woodside ward, would not be taking on her role as councillor due to personal reasons “that transpired after 7th May”.

The Greens currently hold a minority administration at the local authority, with 27 councillors, two short of a majority. Winning both seats could give them the numbers needed for a majority.

It represents a major opportunity to govern without the restrictions put in place by the Labour and the Lib Dems, who, despite being in opposition, currently hold both the mayoralty and key committee posts at the local authority following a full council meeting on 20th May. 

Labour, who will almost certainly be the Green’s closest competition in both seats, will regard it as a chance to wrestle back a significant degree of control after a devastating defeat last month, where they were ousted from power in the borough for the first time in more than 50 years.

Their group is now led by Cllr Ibrahim Ali after sitting council leader Peray Ahmet lost her Noel Park ward seat to the Greens last month.

It was a tough blow for Ahmet, who did not mince her words when, days later, she told a BBC correspondent: “The prime minister has to take responsibility – and those around him. This has been an absolute disaster for all of us.”

Right now Labour hold 20 seats and the Liberal Democrats have eight. Although Labour’s candidate won in Woodside in May the group will be keenly aware the same result is not a given next week: Bozdogan beat her closest competitor, Hayley Nicola Jukes, by just three votes.

Despite narrowly missing out, Jukes is not the Green candidate for the ward this time around. In her place is Elara Shurety. Labour, meanwhile, have put forward Thayahlan Iyngkaran as their candidate for Woodside.

Although likely to be a two horse race, nothing is a given, with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK putting forward a candidate each in both wards. Full details of the candidates for each by-election can be found at the bottom of this story.

Haringey Greens are planning a ‘Big Day Out’ tomorrow (Saturday, 20th) with the aim of knocking on 2,500 doors on a single day. This will be in addition to the 3,000 voters the group say they have spoken to on the campaign trail in the past month. 

The group issued a rallying call on their website ahead of the event, saying:  “We’re only two councillors away from a majority in Haringey, help us get this over the line! ”

A similar effort is to be expected from Haringey Labour. In a recent post on X the group announced they’d been “out every day speaking to residents” ahead of the by-elections. 

More information about next Thursday’s vote can be found on the council’s website: https://haringey.gov.uk/council-elections/elections-voting/northumberland-park-woodside-wards-by-elections

Full candidate details:

Northumberland Park ward

Woodside ward

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