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Category Archives: Council Tax
We are witnessing the long, slow death of local government
‘We are staring into an abyss here, and it’s time we faced up to it’. Those were the words of a Conservative councillor in Croydon – in 2013. Here, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, says that faced with austerity on a … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Fisher, CIPFA, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Hastings, Lambeth, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Northumberland, Nottingham, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Thurrock, Tim Pollard, Tory, unemployment, Woking
21 Comments
No government checks on council’s borrowing for 15 years
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Scandals and revelations from other busted boroughs demonstrate a deliberate lack of diligence by the Tory government Government failures to keep a check on the runaway borrowing of Croydon and other local authorities is likely to come … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, BBC Panorama, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Levelling Up, Liam Kavanagh, Michael Gove, Panorama, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Thurrock, Tory, Woking
7 Comments
Council’s striking homelessness staff take their fight to Gove
Senior officials have been accused of deliberately sending in false data on homelessness, potentially costing Croydon as much as £3m per year. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE Council staff working in Croydon’s housing and homelessness department have today … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dean Shoesmith, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Susmita Sen, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, GMB, Homelessness, Housing, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Rachael Baylis, Susmita Sen, Tory
3 Comments
Petitioners tell ‘powerless’ Mayor Perry it’s time to stand down
Residents have reacted to last week’s announcement from Tory minister Michael Gove of new, increased statutory powers for the government commissioners overseeing the running of the cash-strapped council by demanding that Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year elected Mayor, should … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, South Norwood Tourist Board
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Purley Pool, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board, Tory
14 Comments
Government panel given extra powers and new commissioners
Council to remain under the supervision of government-appointed panel, which has been given extra statutory powers, until 2025. By STEVEN DOWNES No matter how many times, or in how many different ways, that Jason Perry, Croydon’s piss-poor, part-time Mayor, stamps … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Brian Roberts, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Pamela Leonce, Statutory powers, Tony McArdle, Tory
9 Comments
Councils’ collapse should have been halted by Sunak or Gove
Croydon is far from alone as a cash-strapped local authority. And bit by bit, evidence is emerging from the series of financial crashes of councils that implicates not only Michael Gove but also Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, LGC, Local Government Chronicle, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak, S114, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Slough Borough Council, Thurrock, Thurrock Council, Tory, Woking, Woking Borough Council
3 Comments
Gove finally admits it: Localism got councils all in a Pickles
Is the Levelling Up minister in denial about the extent of financial problems in local government? It certainly seems that way after his speech to the Local Government Association conference yesterday. By STEVEN DOWNES Michael Gove, the Secretary of State … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, LGA, Local Government Association, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Office for Local Government, Oflog, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Thurrock, Tory, Woking
9 Comments
Perry enters new plea to government to write-off council debts
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘This is not something we will be able to fix alone,’ the borough’s Mayor conceded in a recent letter to the Tory government – who haven’t bothered replying to his request. By our Town Hall correspondent, KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jane West, Labour, Lee Rowley, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Slough, Thurrock, Tony McArdle, Tory, Woking
11 Comments
‘Regressive’, ‘unfair’ and ‘nonsensical’: Council Tax must go
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was 11 when England’s Council Tax bands were set. At the time, the average house price in Britain was £56,853. There are growing calls not only for a reform of the way local authorities, like cash-strapped … Continue reading
£5m cuts to disability services lack proper legal assessment
Having imposed his 15per cent Council Tax hike on the borough – without securing the refinancing deal he said was essential to deal with Croydon’s “unsustainable” debt – Tory Mayor Jason Perry is now cutting services. But some say that … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, 2023 Council Budget, Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Disability services, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
4 Comments
Perry admits he has failed to secure £540m debt write-off deal
CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a year in office, the Tory Mayor told a Purley audience last night that he has failed to ‘fix the finances’ and he won’t be opening the local swimming pool without lumbering the area with another … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Purley, Purley Pool, Rishi Sunak, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
26 Comments
Council Tax campaign appeals to Stormzy: Save Croydon!
A people’s protest is planned outside Croydon Town Hall tonight, with the organisers appealing to Brit award-winning rapper Stormzy to join them in their fight against unfair Council Tax hikes and tens of millions of pounds of additional cuts to … Continue reading
Shoppers and pensioners hit hard by food inflation at 19.2%
There’s no sign of the cost-of-living crisis abating any time soon, with one business expert warning: ‘Supermarkets pursuing endless price increases are heading down a path of mutually-assured destruction’ Food price inflation was up to 19.2per cent in March, from … Continue reading
Labour attack ads score yet another embarrassing own goal
‘Smear campaign’ which started with ad backed by Croydon North’s MP has managed to draw even more attention to how his mates bankrupted the borough. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Labour’s controversial attack ads, which started with a racist dog … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Chris Philp MP, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, David Evans, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Alison Butler, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, David Evans, Keir Starmer, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Morgan McSweeney, Rishi Sunak, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
‘Anarchy in Croydon’ fears as Mayor axes 22 safety officer jobs
Neighbourhood Safety Officers work to reduce fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, and one worker facing redundancy warns that erasing his department is ‘a complete invitation to stabbings’. By STEVEN DOWNES A council workers’ union is claiming that cash-strapped Croydon’s decision to … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Katherine Kerswell, Knife crime, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Anti-social behaviour, ASBO, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fly-tipping, Katherine Kerswell, knife crime, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Neighbourhood Safety Officers, NSOs, Tory, youth knife crime
17 Comments
Average house prices in Croydon almost double in a decade
Estate agents and buy-to-let landlords feel the squeeze as Trussonomics begins to have an impact The cost of an average house in Croydon has increased by 92.4per cent in the 10 years since 2013, according to research based on figures … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Council Tax, Housing, London-wide issues
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Bank of England, Bromley, Council Tax, Croydon, house prices, Interest rates, Mortgages, Sutton
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Council’s payroll staff vote to strike over redundancy plans
Chief exec accused of ignoring ‘serious whistleblowing complaint’, as one-quarter of staff in one council section are facing losing their jobs – and all those to be made redundant are BAME women Members of the GMB union working in the … Continue reading
Perry’s budget cuts to cause borough serious legal problems
Last year, the South West London Law Centre provided help and advice to 3,200 people. This year, Croydon Mayor Jason Perry is cutting all council funding to the centre. KEN TOWL attended their annual meeting last week to hear about … Continue reading
Posted in Charity, Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP, South West London Law Centres
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Ken Towl, Labour, LASPO, Legal Aid, Patrick Marples, Sarah Jones MP, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, South West London Law Centre, SWLLC, Tory
4 Comments
Buy a piece of Council Tax protest art – and help local charity
Eye-catchingly bright yellow posters, featuring Croydon Mayor Jason Perry and the slogan “15% NOW YEAH!!” have been appearing around the town centre. More inspired than many of the offerings from the dullards in charge of the Borough of Culture, the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Community associations, Council Tax
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Evade Rules, Love Cronx, Mayor Jason Perry
1 Comment
Auditors and Government both losing patience with Kerswell
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Judged by the ill-considered political posturing going forward into tonight’s full council meeting, the borough’s Labour councillors haven’t yet worked out who it was that bankrupted the borough. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor The conman is back. … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Kola Agboola, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington North, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Stuart King, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, S114 notice, S24 notice, Section 24 notice, STUART KING, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman, Tory
25 Comments
How blind man took on the council – and won £66,000 in costs
CROYDON COMMENTARY: It has long been established that the council is far from infallible. It nonetheless takes a great amount of courage to launch a High Court challenge against the authority, with its deep pockets and well-paid lawyers. YUSUF OSMAN, … Continue reading
High Court judge finds against council in disability tax case
Croydon’s lawyers have been reproached by a senior judge (again), as they ‘surrendered’ their case over their poorly implemented Council Tax Reduction scheme and were ordered to pay costs and damages For the second time in four months, Croydon Council’s … Continue reading
Tory Perry tries to appoint £123,000 ‘transformation director’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Spend, spend, spend… the bad old habits of the dark days of the Negreedy era don’t seem to have been eradicated altogether, as CEO Kerswell looks to hire a new director to do her dirty work for … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Williams, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Williams, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory, Transformation director
16 Comments
