# Haringey London Borough Council

Haringey London Borough Council, also known as Haringey Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Haringey in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 1971. The council is usually based at Haringey Civic Centre in Wood Green, although the building has been closed since 2020 pending refurbishment.

## History

The London Borough of Haringey and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Hornsey, Tottenham and Wood Green. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Haringey".
From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Haringey) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Haringey has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.
Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
For several years, Haringey Council was the subject of criticism over its handling of the welfare of young children, notably in connection with the murder of Victoria Climbié in 2000 and the killing of Peter Connelly ("Baby P") in 2007. George Meehan, leader of the council at the time of both the Victoria Climbie inquiry and the death of Baby P, resigned after a "damning" examination of the council's social services functions following by the Baby P case. In March 2009, Haringey Council's performance was placed by the Audit Commission in the bottom four of the country and the worst in London. In December 2009, Haringey's performance was placed by Ofsted in the bottom nine in the country for children's services. A later series of positive Ofsted inspections culminated in the service being taken out of 'special measures' by the government in February 2013.
In 2017, the council proposed a partnership with Lendlease for developing council-owned land known as the Haringey Development Vehicle, which was controversial locally. The subsequent political fall-out led to the resignation of council leader, Claire Kober.

## Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.

## Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 1971.
The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| Labour | 1965–1968 |
| Conservative | 1968–1971 |
| Labour | 1971–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Haringey. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| John McIlwain | Labour | 1965 | 1967 |
| Sheila Berkery-Smith | Labour | 1967 | 1968 |
| Peter Rigby | Conservative | 1968 | 1971 |
| Sheila Berkery-Smith | Labour | 1971 | 1973 |
| Colin Ware | Labour | 1973 | 1980 |
| Robin Young | Labour | 1980 | 1982 |
| Angela Greatley | Labour | 1982 | 1983 |
| George Meehan | Labour | 1983 | 1984 |
| Bernie Grant | Labour | 1984 | 1987 |
| Toby Harris | Labour | 1987 | 1999 |
| George Meehan | Labour | 1999 | 2004 |
| Charles Adje | Labour | 2004 | 22 May 2006 |
| George Meehan | Labour | 22 May 2006 | 2 Dec 2008 |
| Claire Kober | Labour | 9 Dec 2008 | 6 May 2018 |
| Joseph Ejiofor | Labour | 24 May 2018 | 27 May 2021 |
| Peray Ahmet | Labour | 27 May 2021 | |

### Composition

Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to April 2024, the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labour | 46 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 11 |
| | Independent | 4 |
| Total | Total | 57 |
Of the four independent councillors (all of whom had been elected for Labour), three sit together as the 'Independent Socialist' group and the other does not belong to a group. The next election is due in May 2026.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

## Premises

The council is usually based at Haringey Civic Centre on High Road in Wood Green, which had been completed in 1958 for the old Wood Green Borough Council. The building closed in 2020 after structural issues were identified. Council meetings are temporarily being held at other venues, including Tottenham Town Hall and George Meehan House. The council has announced plans to refurbish the Civic Centre, with a view to it re-opening as the council's main offices and meeting place in 2026.