ANGELA Pober, the councillor who quit the Labour Party with an accusation that it had run a sham campaign to save a library not actually in danger of closure, has hit out again at her former colleagues and backed those fighting a controversial council sell-off in West Hampstead.

In an account of her first week as an independent councillor and the first council meeting in which she sat alone, Cllr Pober described her switch as “independence day”. 

Last week, the New Journal revealed how she had left the Labour group with a warning that the party had “manipulated” and “misled” the public in a bid to “get credit” for saving West Hampstead Library. It had organised a campaign to save it, she said, even though she had been told that there was no chance of it actually closing.

The Labour group say they were left “baffled” by her shock resignation and her accusations do not tally with their version of events. She quit without raising any concerns with the party, they say, and insist that the closure of the library was an option outlined in a consultation paper produced by the council as it looked at ways to make savings.

Cllr Pober now says: 

l She salutes the “Stop The Blocks” campaign, a local lobby critical of Labour’s plan for bulky new buildings at the site of former council offices in West End Lane, a scheme badged by opponents as “overdevelopment”.

l Labour backbenchers have their questions “screened” before they get the chance to speak at council meetings.

l The ruling party has failed to do more to find homes for key workers.

She said the Stop The Blocks protest was a “real” campaign, adding that the sale of council assets did not sit comfortably with council leader Sarah Hayward’s protest against the forced sales of housing association homes. 

“Her social housing principle seems to be selectively applied when remonstrating against the selling of housing association stock, but does not apply to selling off council-owned land to private developers,” Cllr Pober added.

She has already said that she was warned by Labour councillors that she would live the life of a “lonely” outsider if she left the party. But Cllr Pober said this week she had been “inundated with support emails” following her resignation.

 For a second week in a row, the Labour group she has left behind says it does not recognise her view.

Labour cabinet councillor Phil Jones said: “What we are trying to do in West End Lane completely fits with caring about not selling off housing association homes. What we are doing there is trying to increase the number of available homes, and that’s why we have set a requirement of 50 per cent for the site.”

Commenting on a deputation and petition hand-over to the full council from Geoff Berridge, a Labour Party organiser who has helped lead the Save West Hampstead Library campaign, Cllr Pober added: “The petition was presented by the chairman of the ward’s Labour Party with his Labour Party member wife sitting behind as his supportive audience. Enough said.”

But Mr Berridge said last week that he was “mystified” by Cllr Pober’s decision to resign. He said the possibility of the library closing had been raised, and that “when you see a service like West Hampstead Library is in danger, any councillor or activist doesn’t sit on the sidelines, they get involved”.

Labour leader Councillor Sarah Hayward said last night (Wednesday) she did not vet her councillors’ questions at meetings and they were organised by party whips.