Claire Kober

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]

Claire Kober OBE
Leader of Haringey Borough Council
In office 10 December 2008 – 4 May 2018
Deputy	Lorna Reith Bernice Vanier
Preceded by	George Meehan
Succeeded by	Joseph Ejiofor (Designate)
Labour Group Leader on Haringey Council
In office 10 December 2008 – 4 May 2018
Deputy	Lorna Reith Bernice Vanier
Preceded by	George Meehan
Succeeded by	Joseph Ejiofor (Designate)
Haringey Borough Councillor for Seven Sisters ward
In office 4 May 2006 – 4 May 2018
Preceded by	Richard Reynolds
Personal details
Born	c.1978
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	Keele University[1] University of East Anglia[2]

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 is 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 citing "bullying" and "sexism" by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn.[3][4]

She has taken up the role of Director of Housing at the Pinnacle group.

Pinnacle, which is owned by private equity group, Starwood Capital, was one of the three shortlisted bidders for the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV).

The development, which was to have been carried out in partnership with Lendlease, the Australian property speculators, faced resistance from both Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors and from local campaigners.

References

1. Nicholls, Anne (1 December 1998). "Higher Education: A switch in time". The Guardian. London. p. 2.
2. Butler, Patrick (11 November 2009). "Claire Kober: Broom for manoeuvre". The Guardian. London. p. 7.
3. "Haringey Council leader quits in landmark victory for Corbyn supporters and Labour left". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
4. 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.