Our loyal reader may remember that back in December, we published a report stating that Jon Rouse, Croydon’s £248,000 per year chief executive, was about to appoint a trained psychologist with no media experience to head up the council’s communications.

A shrink as the borough’s spin doctor in chief. It might just be the most apposite appointment Rouse has ever made.

Click here to see our original report. It is worth re-visiting.

And so it has come to pass. Despite firm denials at the time of our original report by the council’s Ministry of (Un)Truth, Hayley Lewis, as we predicted, is now “head of customer communications and strategy” at Taberner House.

To mark Lewis taking on her new role (according to her recently updated LinkedIn profile), we thought we’d share with you another sample of her writing. This she published on the Friday after last August’s riots had left Croydon scarred, physically and, some might suggest, psychologically.

As someone who is a chartered psychologist, a local government manager (at Croydon Council) and a resident (of Croydon), I have been handling the aftermath of the riots from different perspectives.

We’re now beginning to see the trauma and distress emerge for those directly affected by the riots – those made homeless, who lost their livelihoods, or who witnessed the acts of violence and destruction.

As such, I’m putting out a call to all psychologists, with the requisite skills, to come forward and volunteer some time to help us support those affected by the riots. This can be our way of helping with the #riotcleanup (to coin the Twitter trend).

This is something that hasn’t just affected Croydon so why not contact your local council, in affected areas, and ask if they need your help? If you are interested, willing and able please either drop a line to either the BPS Twitter feed @BPSOfficial, my own feed @haypsych, or even better my email address hayley.lewis@croydon.gov.uk

Yes, that’s right: a Croydon Council manager calling on psychologists to descend on Croydon to provide “help”.

Ever felt more patronised, Croydon?

Here at Inside Croydon Towers, we are unaware of Lewis’s appeal to her fellow shrinks having any success. But if our loyal reader happens to spot the men, and women, in white coats descending on Taberner House any time soon, you will, of course, let us know. It can only be a matter of time.

• Inside Croydon: A news source about Croydon that is not based in Redhill. Post your comments on this article below. If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, email us at inside.croydon@btinternet.com

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