Claire Kober

Cllr Claire Kober is a Labour Party politician in Haringey, north London, England.

She was born in Canvey Island in Essex in 1978 and was educated at the University of Keele and the University of East Anglia. She was involved in youth and student politics holding various roles before being elected as National Vice-President of the National Union of Students (NUS).

After leaving NUS, Kober worked in the voluntary sector for End Child Poverty, Leonard Cheshire and the Family Welfare Association (now Family Action). She is married and has lived in Muswell Hill for the past 12 years.

She was selected as Labour's Council candidate for Muswell Hill in 2002 running alongside Bill Freeman and Catherine Stafford. Despite her defeat, she stood again (unsuccessfully) for election in a Muswell Hill by-election in 2004. However, success came third time around when she was elected to Haringey Council to represent the Seven Sisters ward in south Tottenham on 4 May 2006.^[1] 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 Death of Baby P.^[2]

An early test of her leadership came in the form a by-election in her own ward of Seven Sisters in January 2009 following the death of Cllr Fred Knight. The winning candidate was Labour’s Joe Goldberg, an NUS colleague, who was quickly elected as the Labour group’s Chief Whip.

In October 2009, she pledged to freeze Council Tax along with other Labour Councils in the capital.

Following the retirement of Haringey's Chief Executive, Dr Ita O'Donovan, whom Claire was said to have developed a close bond with, she appointed Kevin Crompton as Haringey's new Chief Executive. He previously served as Chief Executive of Luton Council.

Claire Kober led Haringey Labour into the borough-wide elections on 6 May 2010. Despite predictions that Labour was set to lose control for the first time since 1968, the Party increased its majority and now has 34 Councillors out of 57. Not a single Conservative Councillor was elected in Haringey.

She appointed a new Cabinet in May 2010 which included five women and two men.

On 8 June 2010, Claire 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 crime and public protection.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Council Leader: Haringey Council". http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/council/decision-making/leader_of_the_council.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
2. ^ Butler, Patrick (11 November 2009). "Interview with Haringey leader Claire Kober". London. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/11/claire-kober-haringey. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
3. ^ "Cllr Claire Kober". http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/aboutus/organisation/leadingmembers/clairekober.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 

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Name	Kober, Claire
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