Claire Kober
OBE
Leader of Haringey Borough Council
In office
10 December 2008 – 4 May 2018
DeputyLorna Reith
Bernice Vanier
Preceded byGeorge Meehan
Succeeded byJoseph Ejiofor
Labour Group Leader on Haringey Council
In office
10 December 2008 – 4 May 2018
DeputyLorna Reith
Bernice Vanier
Preceded byGeorge Meehan
Succeeded byJoseph Ejiofor
Haringey Borough Councillor
for Seven Sisters ward
In office
4 May 2006 – 4 May 2018
Preceded byRichard Reynolds
Personal details
Bornc.1978
Political partyLabour
Alma mater

Claire Kober OBE (born 1978) was a Labour Party politician and ex-council leader of the London Borough of Haringey, North London, England. In May 2018 she stepped down as councillor and council leader.[3][4]

Early life

Kober spent her formative years on Canvey Island, Essex, where she attended Cornelius Vermuyden School.[2] She initially studied German and History at Keele University, but after the first year switched to Modern History at the University of East Anglia, where she achieved BA (Hons).[1] After graduating, Kober held positions with a number of charities, including End Child Poverty (2002–04), Leonard Cheshire Disability (2004-06), and Family Action (2006–08). In May 2006, Kober was elected as a councillor for the London Borough of Haringey.[2]

Political career

Kober was selected as Labour's Council candidate for Muswell Hill in 2002 and 2004 and after two defeats she was elected to represent the Seven Sisters ward in south Tottenham on 4 May 2006.[5]

In November 2008, having served as Labour's Chief Whip, she was elected Leader of the Council in succession to Cllr George Meehan, who resigned following the death of Baby P.[6][7] On 8 June 2010, Kober was appointed by Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe as Deputy Chair of London Councils, the body which represents the interests of the 32 London Borough Councils. She was the lead spokesperson on regeneration and infrastructure.[8]

In February 2018, ahead of the May 2018 council elections, she announced she would be stepping down as councillor and council leader, blaming "bullying" and "sexism" by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. She had been pursuing a policy of attempting to transfer a large area of the Borough's public housing to the "HDV" (Haringey Development Vehicle), a partnership with private developers Lendlease, the Australian property speculators. However, this development, which was thought to retain insufficient safeguards for decanted tenants, had faced fierce resistance from both Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors and from local campaigners.[3][4]

After stepping down as leader and councillor, she quickly obtained the role of Director of Housing at the Pinnacle Group, a private finance group. Pinnacle, which is owned by private equity group, Starwood Capital, was one of the three shortlisted bidders for the Haringey Development Vehicle.[9][10]

References

  1. 1 2 Nicholls, Anne (1 December 1998). "Higher Education: A switch in time". The Guardian. London. p. 2.
  2. 1 2 3 Butler, Patrick (11 November 2009). "Claire Kober: Broom for manoeuvre". The Guardian. London. p. 7.
  3. 1 2 "Haringey Council leader quits in landmark victory for Corbyn supporters and Labour left". The Independent. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Chakrabortty, Aditya (1 February 2018). "In Haringey the people have taken over, not the hard left". The Guardian. London.
  5. ↑ "Council Leader: Haringey Council". Haringey Council. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Butler, Patrick (11 November 2009). "Transforming children's services in Haringey". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  7. ↑ Moore-Bridger, Benedict (10 December 2008). "New leader for borough makes social services her priority". London Evening Standard. London. p. 4.
  8. ↑ "Deputy chair - executive member for Crime and Public Protection (Labour)". Archived from the original on 5 February 2011 – via Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "Former Haringey leader Claire Kober joins Pinnacle Group". Property Week. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Lendlease set to lead £2bn Haringey regeneration". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
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