A new Cabinet has been announced by Haringey Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet at the Full Council meeting on Monday (15 May 2023).

The Cabinet includes the appointment of a new councillor and changes to the portfolio responsibilities – but with eight out of ten of the Cabinet being women, the gender balance hasn’t changed.

Cllr Ahmet said:

I have made it clear from the day I took over as Leader that we are not here to do things to people – we’re here to work with them to make things happen.

I want to see Haringey become a truly, genuinely collaborative council. It’s how we’ll achieve the kind of change we were elected for.

Cllr Mike Hakata will return as the Deputy Leader as well as the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Transport and Environment, spearheading the council’s green agenda.

Cllr Sarah Williams will lead on the Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning portfolio, while Cllr Dana Carlin takes on the Finance portfolio.

Cllr Ahmet said:

This is an exciting time for our housing services – we recently announced a £5m investment to improve the quality of our housing repair services and introduced a new Housing Improvement Plan that will act in the best interests of our residents.

Cllr Williams will be committed to getting the best for our residents and holding ourselves accountable to them.

Cllr Carlin will be taking over the finance portfolio which is a role made more challenging as the cost of living crisis continues to affect thousands of families across the borough. I know Cllr Carlin will undertake this role with the tenacity and commitment that she has shown in her previous role.

The new member joining the Cabinet is Cllr Emily Arkell, who takes on the Culture, Communities and Leisure portfolio after Cllr Julie Davies passed away last month following a short illness.

Reflecting on the sad loss of Cllr Davies, Cllr Ahmet added:

This feels like a bittersweet moment. We have achieved so much this year, but we have also lost an important member of our community and the council.

Julie was truly an unstoppable force, and she will be so deeply missed. I know that she would want us to power on and deliver for our residents and that is exactly what I vow to do.

The council has also appointed a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor – Cllr Lester Buxton and Cllr Ajda Ovat respectively.

The full list of Cabinet positions is as follows:

Cllr Peray Ahmet – Leader of the Council
Cllr Mike Hakata – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport
Cllr Sarah Williams – Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning portfolio
Cllr Zena Brabazon – Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families
Cllr Seema Chandwani – Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality
Cllr Lucia Das Neves – Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
Cllr Dana Carlin – Cabinet Member for Finance and Local Investment
Cllr Ruth Gordon – Cabinet Member for Council House Building, Placemaking and Local Economy
Cllr Emily Arkell – Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities & Leisure
Cllr Adam Jogee – Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion