Former finance boss Ammar Naqvi was removed from the council’s cabinet and had the Labour whip withdrawn after fabricating his employment history, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter
Simon Radford (credit Barnet Council)
Barnet Labour group has announced its new finance chief following the controversy this week which led to the previous one being sacked.
Simon Radford, an East Barnet ward councillor, will now be stepping up as the council’s new portfolio holder for financial sustainability.
It follows a calamitous week for Barnet Labour that saw former finance boss Ammar Naqvi removed from the council’s cabinet and have the whip withdrawn amid a controversy over his employment history.
Barnet Post first reported on Monday (6th) that Naqvi had fabricated part of his job record by falsely claiming to have worked as an associate professor at University College London (UCL) Medical School.
Naqvi was fired as a cabinet member by council leader Barry Rawlings the next day, and later also resigned as a ward councillor, prompting a by-election to be called in Burnt Oak.
Cllr Radford is set to take over the finance portfolio, which is being held in the interim by Cllr Rawlings, on 28th January.
He has been an East Barnet ward councillor since 2022 and currently chairs the council’s pension fund committee. Following his appointment to cabinet he will step down as committee chair.
Outside politics, Cllr Radford is a director of policy at Milen Institute, a global finance think tank, and has previously worked in investment advisory and as a management consultant at Deloitte.
Speaking on the upcoming changes to the cabinet, a Barnet Labour group spokesperson said: “The leader of the council has asked Cllr Radford if he will join cabinet as the portfolio holder for financial sustainability and he has accepted.
“His appointment to cabinet will start after the full council meeting on 28th January where it will formally be reported.
“Councillor Zahra Beg [cabinet member for equalities and the voluntary and community sector] will take over responsibility for poverty reduction as part of her portfolio following the full council meeting.
“Cllr Radford will continue to chair the pension fund committee until 28th January, when a new chair will be appointed at the full council meeting.”
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