DANIE LEIBOVITZ, our resident photo-journalist, with an exclusive report on less than vital roadworks conducted by Croydon Council

There’s no expense spared for florid-faced Mike Fisher and his group of Conservatives who “run” (used in the broadest sense of the word) Croydon Council.

Just four months after Fisher proudly stood around on Mint Walk for the opening of Fisher’s Folly, the new council headquarters building he had built with £140million of Council Tax-payers’ cash, the road outside was being relaid overnight.

For the second time in a matter of weeks.

This was all being done at a time when Fisher’s Tory council is claiming not to have enough money to pay to have lollipop traffic patrols to ensure the safety of residents’ young children outside some of the borough’s schools.

And when the Fisher-run council has been making cuts for lack of money to a range of other vital services for its residents, for the homeless and for our elderly and disabled.

This is the state of Mint Walk on Saturday afternoon. Not a pot hole to be seen. Clearly it was in great need of resurfacing work. For a second time in a matter of weeks

And the council certainly reckons it does not have enough money to make sure that the borough’s pavements are kept clean and free of fly tipping, or that the rest of the roads across Croydon for which the council is responsible are properly maintained and without pot holes.

But outside Fisher’s new council headquarters offices it would seem that money really is no object for Croydon’s Tory-controlled council.

Surely the best-kept street in the borough: the view of Mint Walk from the steps of Fisher’s Folly. This was taken on Saturday afternoon – before the road was resurfaced overnight – for a second time in a few weeks

Less than six months after the stretch of road on Cost Us A Mint Walk was last relaid, all lovely and smooth, and the markings carefully painted, the contractors were out again overnight on Saturday, doing the job all over again.

In the dead of night, possibly when no one would notice, and roadworks start on Cost Us A Mint Walk on Saturday night, to resurface a road that had been resurfaced a few weeks earlier

There is a suggestion that the work was first done – possibly as recently as September – it was not up to standard.

There have also been other complaints about the standards of workmanship in the building work that was done as part of Fisher’s CCURV property speculation scheme at Waddon Leisure Centre, where windows fell in and were deemed unsafe in high winds within a year of it opening.

Men At Work: Resurfacing well underway at Cost Us A Mint Walk last night, where the contractors were back re-doing work that had been done recently

Or at Fisher’s Folly itself, where within a month of moving the council staff into the expensive new accommodation – with its multi-million-pounds-worth of new furnishings; no expense spared for Mike Fisher, after all – they found that the roof leaked, with water running into the building. Hardly ideal during the storms of December and the wettest January since records began. 

Outside on the road surface of Mint Walk, this time round, it is understood that the contractors may have been forced to conduct the work at their own expense, to make good.

Heavy machinery and equipment was called in and used under powerful floodlights – presumably at some considerable expense – to make sure that Cost Us A Mint Walk was properly relaid overnight

It would otherwise be scandalous if it was discovered that Fisher’s council was paying twice for road works outside its headquarters offices to be done.

But it was definitely being done last night. At a weekend. Overnight.

So the overtime for the workers involved must have been good: time and a half at least. Maybe double time.

Fisher’s council can’t possibly have a sub-standard road on their doorstep – unlike much of the rest of the borough has to tolerate.

It would take an expert road engineer’s eye to determine exactly how dreadful the fault was in the road when the work was done previously before the opening of Fisher’s Folly in October.

But it is all done again now. Nice and smooth and well painted. So no bumpy rides for the official Mayoral limousine on the roads of Croydon. At least not along the 100-yard stretch of Cost Us A Mint Walk.

Coming to Croydon

• Coulsdon and Purley Debating Society, Feb 3
• Babylon at the Spread Eagle Theatre, Feb 4-6
• Steve Knightly at Stanley Halls: Feb 5
• Purley Swimathon: Feb 8 and 13
• Mark Steel at Ashcroft Theatre, Feb 12
• Norwood Society talk, Upper Norwood Library, Feb 20
• Mr Pooter comes to Croydon, Feb 20-22
• Stop the Incinerator fund-raiser, Feb 24
• Coulsdon and Purley Debating Society, Mar 3
• Norwood Society talk, Upper Norwood Library, Mar 20
• Croydon Half-marathon, Mar 30

• If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, a residents’ or business association or local event, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com