Under fire finance boss quits cabinet
 | | Charles Adje |
Robyn Rosen
CONTROVERSIAL finance chief Cllr Charles Adje has sensationally quit his cabinet position after months of fending off attacks from the public and opposition parties.
Cllr Adje, who was leader of the council in 2004 and 2005, has faced months of mud-slinging including:
o a Standards Board hearing which found him guilty of disclosing confidential information
o criticism in two official reports about his actions as chairman of the board at Alexandra Palace
o questions on how he dealt with council finances after £37million was lost in failed Icelandic banks.
Haringey Council leader Claire Kober confirmed this week that Cllr Adje, who is also ward councillor for White Hart Lane, will be stepping down from his position as cabinet member for resources at the next Labour annual general meeting on May 18.
She said: "Cllr Adje has informed me that he intends to step down from the cabinet. I support this decision and I'm grateful for his service over the years."
The news comes just days after a second report was published criticising Cllr Adje's actions during the failed Alexandra Palace licence with developers, Firoka, in which unanswered questions about his involvement were raised.
But Cllr Adje, 49, has denied rumours that he is stepping down because of pressures and claims he wants to concentrate on his family and job as a union secretary for the London Fire Brigade.
He said: "I have been working very hard as a front bencher and know that, coming up to the elections, it's not an easy job. I have things I'm doing with my work and family so now is the time to concentrate on that.
"In terms of those calling for my resignation, politics is politics. There is nothing sinister. I'm a fighter. I would have gone long ago if I took on that pressure. There was no internal pressure. No one will make me do what I don't want to do.
"I chose not to respond to a number of people's accusations. I'm a principled person, if I felt I'd done anything wrong at the time, I would have resigned then."
But critics claim that he was forced to resign due to ongoing failures with Haringey's finances. Cllr Robert Gorrie, Lib Dem leader, said: "In recent years Cllr Adje has been part of a Labour administration that has cost residents millions and left Haringey with one if the highest council tax rates in London.
"It has taken the bungled sell-off of Ally Pally, £37million lost in Icelandic Banks and massively overspent IT projects for the Labour group to realise that this list of failure is too long for local residents to endure any longer."
Labour councillor Alan Stanton, who has often criticised his colleague's actions, said: "He should have stepped down yesterday and stepped down from the council altogether. He has proven beyond any doubt that he has no judgement and carries on making mistakes, one after the other.
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