CROYDON IN CRISIS: The £150,000 per year corporate director ultimately responsible for the council buying CCTV cameras that don’t work in Britain and who oversaw the procurement disaster over the borough’s bus shelters has now ensured the closure of four public libraries.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
‘Exciting opportunity’: Nick Hibberd at a recent council meeting, now off to lay waste to Bristol
Just 24 hours after he delivered the coup de grace to four of the borough’s public libraries, it has been announced that Nick Hibberd, the council’s £150,000 per year corporate director for “sustainable communities, regeneration and economic recovery”, is to leave Fisher’s Folly.
After barely two years in his job, Hibberd, one of Katherine Kerswell’s six “corporate directors”, is quitting Croydon to become chief executive at Bristol City Council.
Hibberd arrived in Croydon in 2022 after 30 years working in Brighton, where he had a track record of intractable disputes with trades unions.
In Croydon, Hibberd’s time has been marked by the failure to replace 180 bus shelters around the borough’s streets, as well as the deeply lacklustre year as the Borough of Culture, while spending millions of tax-payer pounds on special CCTV cameras only to discover that they would not work in this country.
And after yesterday’s belated publication of the council’s latest report, we can now add to Hibberd’s CV his “achievement” in closing four of Croydon’s 13 public libraries.
Hibberd was among recruits to fill posts vacated in a bit of a rush following the “Kerswell Kull” of senior council staff in 2021.
Among his immediate predecessors in what was once the “People” directorate were none other Jo Negrini, before she was over-promoted to CEO, and Shifa Mustafa, who made such an impression that she was criticised by two separate sets of auditors as the council’s finances collapsed
Job lot: the council’s purchase of American ANPR cameras that don’t work in Britain was on Hibberd’s watch
According to the council, Hibberd has been responsible for a “key portfolio”.
“Services which fall under this crucial role span across regeneration, planning, transport, waste and recycling, community safety and enforcement, culture, museums and libraries”, according to the council.
Inevitably, Hibberd’s sustainable communities, regeneration and economic recovery department has been referred to by the abbreviation SCRER or, as it is referred to by staff in Fisher’s Folly: “Screw You!”
On the plus side, in his time in charge, Hibberd did somehow manage to see that hapless time-serving director Steve Iles finally drew his final paycheck from Fisher’s Folly. On the down side, Heather Cheesbrough remains in charge of the council’s planning department. Hibberd is getting out of Fisher’s Folly before potentially controversial work on a new Local Plan is completed.
Still here: planning director, Heather Cheesbrough
At the time of his appointment in February 2022, according to the propaganda department at Fisher’s Folly, Hibberd’s new role, “will oversee the regeneration of Croydon as it continues to grow as an exciting borough with increasing draw“. Our italics.
“As one of London’s largest boroughs and commercial hubs, Croydon is poised for real sustainable economic growth.”
Presumably, almost three years later, and despite Hibberd’s best efforts, Croydon remains “poised” for that economic growth…
In her own, self-centred manner, Hibberd’s boss, Katherine Kerswell, today somehow sought to take credit for the fact that she has been unable to retain on her staff someone who she appointed less than three years ago.
In a round-robin to council workers this morning, acronym festishist Kerswell wrote: “I’m writing to let you all know that Nick Hibberd, our corporate director of sustainable communities, regeneration and economic recovery (SCRER) is leaving Croydon to join Bristol City Council as its new chief executive. This is an exciting opportunity and I’m sure you will all join me in congratulating him on his new role.
Deluded: council CEO Katherine Kerswell
“In the past two and a half years, Nick has led SCRER through the delivery of some high priority projects, that impact everyone who lives in and visits our borough. These range from supporting the Executive Mayor in developing the vision for our town centre…”, how’s that going? “… to delivering a fantastic year as London Borough of Culture…”, “fantastic” only in the sense of unbelievably poor, “… and making our streets cleaner and safer through the mayoral priority programmes like the blitz clean ups.”
As one recipient of Kerswell’s email said: “What planet is she on?”
Kerswell wrote: “I’d like to thank Nick for everything he has done in these areas, and for his support in leading transformation work… around reimagining service areas.
“He is highly regarded by everyone who works with him, as an approachable and authentic leader whose expertise has been a real asset to the council. He has been a great member of the corporate management team and I know how much he’ll be missed by all of us.” Inside Croydon cannot confirm whether these words were used by Kerswell in her reference to Bristol for Hibberd.
“I’m also really proud to see a new chief executive in local government for one of the country’s core cities come from Croydon, and I want to wish Nick all the best in his fantastic new role.”
Hibberd hasn’t got the Bristol top job just yet – it requires ratification by councillors next month. If that goes through, he will start the new job in January, and in the meantime will be working out his notice period.
Read more: Contractor repaid £3.25m to council over school streets failure
Read more: How businesses profited at expense of the Borough of Culture
Read more: Perry in another U-turn over borough’s vanishing bus shelters
Read more: Director admits £12m sums on ANPR fines don’t add up
Read more: Further £38.4m to be sliced from next year’s council budget
-
-
- 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
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
-
