By Robyn Rosen A LABOUR councillor has shocked colleagues by calling for the former leader of the council to resign over the Ally Pally fiasco. In a website blog, Tottenham Hale Labour councillor Alan Stanton says Haringey s finance boss Cllr Charles Adje

By Robyn Rosen

A LABOUR councillor has shocked colleagues by calling for the former leader of the council to resign over the Ally Pally fiasco.

In a website blog, Tottenham Hale Labour councillor Alan Stanton says Haringey's finance boss Cllr Charles Adje should resign over his dealings as Ally Pally Trust chairman.

Cllr Stanton writes: "As anyone who has met Cllr Adje knows, he can be both charming and graceful. In his own and the borough's interest, he should now go gracefully."

His comments follow the publication of the Walklate Report last month. This stated that the controversial deal between Ally Pally and Firoka was rushed through because of unconfirmed fears that the company was about to withdraw from the lease.

General manager at the time, Keith Holder, claimed that the impression of potential withdrawal was suggested by Cllr Adje.

Cllr Stanton adds: "On Cllr Adje's role, my reading of the Walklate Report suggests two alternatives - that Cllr Adje played an important and active role or that he was more of a figurehead who was badly advised (or insufficiently advised) by key senior officers of both the trust and the council.

"Although even if the latter is the case, there is a long and honourable tradition in British politics that the person who holds senior political office should take responsibility for the failures of her/his subordinates."

At the council meeting on Monday, leader Cllr George Meehan responded with the sole word, "yes", when asked whether he could confirm his confidence in Cllr Adje.

But Lib Dems made a further call for Cllr Adje's resignation as finance boss after revelations that the council had invested £37million in the Icelandic banks and even called for the resignation of the trust's current chairman, Cllr Matt Cooke.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Robert Gorrie said: "There can be no doubt that the process [to sign with Firoka] was driven by Cllr Adje. We must challenge having this man in charge of resources.

"The political meddling and mismanagement has continued under Cllr Cooke.

"A completely new set of non-political, national figures should be appointed."

But Cllr Adje maintained his belief that the process by which Firoka was chosen as a partner was thorough. He said: "It was fundamental in the interest of the trust and the people of Haringey.

"It is regrettable that changes to the terms of the licence were not brought to mine or the other members' attention."

On Tuesday, Cllr Stanton described Cllr Adje's statement as "desperate and pathetic".

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