Under threat: Mind in Croydon fear the council could soon sell the building in South Croydon that their rent
Not content with withdrawing all grant aid from the borough’s voluntary groups, cash-strapped Croydon Council is now looking at making 17 charities and community groups effectively homeless by selling the buildings that they currently use.
At the start of the year, as well as hiking everyone’s Council Tax by 15%, Tory Mayor Jason Perry decided to end all council grants to charities based in the borough – about 40 groups in total, many of which provide essential support in the community, plugging gaps in provision created by previous council cut-backs.
Some third-sector voluntary groups are facing closure because of the council cuts.
But even those who have survived the savage cuts face being turned out onto the streets as the council flogs off its last remaining assets.
Council critic: CVA CEO Steve Phaure
Cornerstone House, near Selhurst, is used by 16 groups which run refugee support, free mediation and accessible transport. Croydon Voluntary Action, which coordinates voluntary groups in the area, also has an office in the building.
They only discovered the building was being put up for sale because it was listed in a report to the council’s scrutiny committee.
Another building, on Pampisford Road in South Croydon, where Mind in Croydon is based, is also on the council’s “For Sale” list.
Mind in Croydon pays the council rent at the market rate, while the CVA sublets space in Cornerstone House to its tenant charities.
The move has seen the council accused of a “blatant disregard for the financial sustainability of the voluntary sector”.
The claim was made at the scrutiny meeting by Steve Phaure, the CEO of CVA.
“We were under the understanding that we were in business together to try and do what’s best for Croydon’s community,” Phaure said.
“If these go, there will be serious implications for our communities and organisations which are supporting people working to prevent murders on our streets.”
Croydon’s Mind branch has been based at 26 Pampisford Road since 1967. They told the BBC that they would not be able to buy the property or move elsewhere.
The council’s scrutiny committee said it had formally recommended that the council give notice to all tenants before public papers about their potential sale are released. Croydon Council said “each sale will be handled on a case-by-case basis”.
Read more: Tory Mayor Perry admits: ‘Essentially, we’re insolvent’. Again
Read more: Perry claims ‘progress’ and gets set to hike Council Tax again
Read more: Town Hall staff braced for £31m more cuts and job losses
Read more: ‘Uncertainty faced by all local authorities is unprecedented’
- Inside Croydon – as seen on TV! – has been delivering local community news since 2010. 3million page views per year in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
- If you want real journalism, actually based in the borough, you should consider paying for it. Please sign up today. Click here for more details
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SIXTH successive year in 2022 in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
Maybe the charities could get favourable rents in the empty shops in the Whitgift.
There by the grace of god goes the voluntary sector in Croydon. Conservatives during their “Big Society” pitches used to see the third sector replacing the public provision of services. In Croydon they have now got to the point where services to assist the community will simply no longer exist.
Many already have gone, others can only signpost to other charities that are also closing and have little capacity. The few that are left are so overwhelmed and overworked their functionality has reduced due to the impact on both the few of those employed and the many volunteers.
No Voluntary sector offering aid to those in need has had any stability in years.
Where the need has tripled and quadrupled the funding has reduced by the same.
More and more people not being treated by the NHS especially with mental health issues are also no longer getting timely treatment by charities and a distinct lack of anything from Social services let alone care in the Community.
Many are now homeless also and wander the streets of Central Croydon looking like Zombies and having loud conversations – just like many today except there are no airpods and no phone.
The subway under the Wellesley road from the Whitgift Centre is now a front room meeting place and resting area for many of those homeless with health issues including sofa, carpet and bong. With the gully as a urinal and Veolia green street bags for waste.
This is Perry’s legacy to Croydon.
It seems that Mayor Perry wants to be remembered as the person who killed off all the necessary charity organisations in the Croydon Council area and turned the word charity into a four letter word, namely DEAD, quite possibly like many of the people that said charities USED to support!