Notting Hill chief quits over 'sell out'

The Notting Hill Carnival has been hit by a fresh bout of in-fighting just days before the event is due to begin.

One of its five trustees has resigned, claiming the involvement of an adviser to Ken Livingstone had "sold out" the event so it no longer reflected its Caribbean roots.

In his resignation letter, Antonn McCalla accuses his fellow trustees of " deliberate and treacherous destruction" of the trust while trying to boost their political careers. He also claims the carnival is now controlled by two of its main funders, the Greater London Authority - through the influence of mayoral adviser Lee Jasper - and Kensington and Chelsea council.

Mr McCalla, a former chairman of the carnival trust, told the Evening Standard: "They've basically sold out. The trustees have totally and utterly gone against the wishes of the carnival community. They're ripping it apart. Too much power has been given away to the council. As soon as we start allowing the council to license bands you are in effect giving the council the carnival.

"My position was untenable. I would be a hypocrite if I stayed. My morals wouldn't allow me to stay working with them knowing that all they're there for is to 'big themselves up.' "

The carnival, which will attract up to two million revellers to the streets of Notting Hill on the August Bank Holiday weekend, has been blighted by years of in-fighting.

This peaked earlier this year with the ousting of chief executive Claire Holder, a barrister nicknamed "The Iron Lady" who had run the event since 1989. She is believed to be considering legal action.

This year the carnival - Europe's biggest street party - is an official part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Connected events are taking place at the Royal Opera House and the Covent Garden piazza.

But the event has often been surrounded by controversy. In 2000 two men were murdered at the carnival and last year the Met spent £ 5.6 million deploying more than 10,000 officers, making it the most expensive operation in the force's history.

Mr McCalla, an expert in event production, had been on the board of trustees for nine years and is a supporter of Ms Holder. He admitted her departure had been precipitated by a "major personality clash" that could be traced back to Mr Jasper's failed attempt to replace Ms Holder as leader in 1989.

In his letter he claims he and fellow trustee Hesketh Benoit were excluded from decisions because they were "too independently minded" and that festival staff were undermined and humiliated.

He accuses trustees Ansel Wong, Debi Gardner and Ashton Moore of "pursuing a different agenda that was not in the interests of fellow trustees, the organisation and the carnival community".

But Ms Gardner hit back, saying: "I'm sure if you ask 1.5 million people if they can name the trustees they wouldn't be able to do it. The board is only one part of a huge organisation behind the carnival. I said before, it's going to be a fantastic event and I still stand by that."

A spokeswoman for Kensington and Chelsea council said while it licensed the floats, it was the trust which was responsible for deciding whether they merited entry in the parade.

"We definitely don't want to run the event," she said.

"Our only ambitions are for it to be a safe event. It's very much the trust that runs it and we are very happy that they do so."

Mr Jasper could not be reached for comment.