Recent Comments
Adrian Waters on Westfield now want a data cent… Chris Cooke on Perry’s plan is rejected… Ian Kierans on Perry’s plan is rejected… Anthony Miller on ‘Utterly outrageous… Sarah Hartman on Westfield now want a data cent… insidecroydon on Perry’s plan is rejected…
Category Archives: Council Tax
IT’S OFFICIAL: Croydon still among country’s worst councils
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Four years since Katherine Kerswell was installed as Croydon’s chief executive, and figures from the Local Government Ombudsman confirm that our council is among the most complained about in England. And soon, our council might be forced … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning
Tagged Amerdeep Somal, Bromley Council, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lambeth council, LGO, Local Government Ombudsman, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Surrey County Council, Tory
12 Comments
£500m difference in audit figures is looking like a Brum deal
COUNCILS IN CRISIS: A report from forensic auditors has raised questions about one council’s bankruptcy that could persuade others, including cash-strapped Croydon, to ask whether they are getting proper analysis of their struggling finances An academic report into the parlous … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice
Tagged Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Financial Times, Grant Thornton, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Section 114 Notice, Tory, William Wallis
3 Comments
Council spends thousands to promote Perry’s political events
Our south of the borough reporter PEARL LEE has obtained official figures which suggest that Croydon’s Mayor has been abusing his public position for his own advantage Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor and full-time political activist, is staging another “Question … Continue reading
Perry admits he has failed in begging letter to Labour’s Rayner
With bail-outs since 2021 of £417m, Croydon’s executive Mayor says that he cannot deliver ‘balanced’ budgets, as he asks the new government to do what his chums in the previous Conservative government refused to do: write off part of the … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Uncategorized
Tagged Angela Rayner MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Levelling Up, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Mike Fisher, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
11 Comments
Council’s multi-million consultant deals to make more cuts
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Staff in Fisher’s Folly have already dubbed the plan ‘No Future Croydon’. After cuts of £100m from council budgets in four years, now the chief exec is forking out public money to find more ways of axing … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, SEND
Tagged 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Boston Consulting Group, Children's Services, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Digital Croydon, Impower, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Newton, No Future Croydon, SEND, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Tory
10 Comments
Younger people have had their futures sold down the river
CROYDON ELECTION QUESTIONS For this General Election, Inside Croydon has been offering a platform to candidates from across the political spectrum, from across the borough’s four constituencies. Much the same questions, their answers published at length. Our first interview is … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, 2024 General Election, Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, David Cameron, General Election, General Election 2024, Liberal Democrats, London, Nick Clegg, Say No To 15%, Sir Ed Davey, Streatham and Croydon North
2 Comments
Even after 21% Council Tax hike, Perry wants to be Mayor again
Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time, £82,000 per year Mayor, wants another four years in the job. Tory Perry, who was elected in 2022 with a borough-wide majority of fewer than 600 votes, made the startling announcement in a little-read newssheet, London … Continue reading
Times tables show watchdog Oflog is Gove’s Tory poodle
The Conservative government handed ‘fundamentally flawed’ data about local councils to a Murdoch-owned newspaper for publication just days before this month’s local elections. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE If Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, had any hopes that … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Section 114 notice
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Michael Neal, Oflog, Planning, Planning Committee, Rupert Murdoch, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, The Times, Tony Newman, Tory
Leave a comment
£603,000: the soaring costs of Croydon’s ‘improvement’ panel
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Three years since Tony McArdle and his government-appointed team of troubleshooters were parachuted into the council, there are mounting questions about what they have achieved. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Government-appointed chair of Croydon Council’s “improvement and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Section 114 notice, SEND, Tony McArdle
Tagged Bankrupt, Chrildren's Services, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Eleanor Brazil, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Levelling, LGC, Local Government Chronicle, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Phil Brookes, S114, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory
12 Comments
Council chief Kerswell has doubled up on £140,000+ executives
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While more than 400 frontline jobs have been axed since 2020, the executive suite in Fisher’s Folly has barely been touched. But the council CEO is spending even more on ‘cost-cutting’ consultants. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Corporate directors, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Executive directors, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Regina Road, Tony Newman, Tory
6 Comments
Government blocks public inquiry into collapse of councils
Any suspicion that the Establishment that controls local and national government doesn’t want the public to find out about the shady deals that go on in Town Halls up and down the land will have been confirmed with the news … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Outside Croydon, Section 114 notice
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Essex, Katherine Kerswell, Liam Kavanagh, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Simon Hoare, Thurrock Council, Tory
1 Comment
Perry plans £100m more cuts in country’s first AI-driven council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Transformation’ project is set to be rubber-stamped at this week’s cabinet meeting (it will be approved without anything resembling a debate). But according to council insiders, it is ‘rushed’, ‘full of risks’ and just a ‘Trojan horse’ … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King
Tagged 'Future Croydon', Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, STUART KING, Tory
8 Comments
Perry’s promotional tour sees Mayor say more than he meant
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Fewer than 30 people turned up this week for the latest stage in Jason Perry’s council-funded grand tour of the borough. And five of them were police. Season ticket-holder ANDREW PELLING, left, was in South Norwood to see … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Refuse collection, Regina Road redevelopment, South Norwood, Woodside
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, South Norwood, Tory
7 Comments
Cash-strapped council to splash out £4.8m on new laptops
CROYDON IN CRISIS: No money for adult services, half the borough’s libraries facing closure or down-grading, and Council Tax hiked by 21% in just 12 months. But Mayor Perry has found the cash to buy 3,700 new computers. By KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ian Golland, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Ian Golland, Katherine Kerswell, Laptop refresh, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
11 Comments
There’s good reason politicians are more unpopular than ever
After a week of two budget debates, one in the House of Commons, one at Croydon Town Hall, ANDREW FISHER reckons it is time that our politicians stopped pretending… British politics are in a dire state, nationally and locally, as … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart King
Tagged #FundCroydonFairly, 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Fisher, Budget 2024, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jeremy Hunt, Keir Starmer, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Pay More Get Less, Rachel Reeves, Say No To 15%, The Budget, Tory
10 Comments
King gets his bluff called over Tory cuts and Council Tax hike
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was déjà vu all over again at last night’s budget meeting, where ‘steadfast’ opposition melted as soon as the borough’s opposition councillors were given a stern talking to. TOWN HALL SKETCH by STEVEN DOWNES Anyone out … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Stuart King
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Fund Croydon Fairly, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Pay More Get Less, Ria Patel, STUART KING, Tory
5 Comments
People Power II: Tram memorial given an overdue spring clean
Earlier this week, this was how the tram crash memorial at New Addington looked. Unkempt. Unswept. As if it was uncared for. It is a little over seven years since that terrible morning when an early morning tram full of … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, New Addington North, New Addington South, Sandilands derailment, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon tram crash, New Addington, New Addington tram crash memorial, Sandilands derailment, Say No To 15%
Leave a comment
Cummings’ budget rejected before his big Newsnight moment
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The government has just found £2.5bn in ‘exceptional financial support’ for 19 councils. But Mayor Jason Perry and his finance chief have an anxious week after having had their unbalanced budget rejected in a Town Hall meeting. … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Chris Philp MP, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, BBC Newsnight, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Fund Croydon Fairly, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jason Cummings, Labour, LGA, Local Government Association, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Newsnight, Pay More Get Less, Ria Patel, S114, S114 notice, Say No To 15%, STUART KING, Tory, Unbalanced budget
4 Comments
Wanted: ‘storyteller’ to spin CEO Kerswell’s recruitment binge
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘History,’ said Marx (Karl, not Groucho), ‘repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.’ At our cash-strapped council, we appear to have arrived at the farcical stage. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES How good is your “story-telling”? £50,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Corporate directors, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Executive directors, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Regina Road, Tony Newman, Tory
8 Comments
It’s time for our elected councillors to stand up for Croydon
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Saddled with £1.4bn of ‘toxic’ debt, Mayor Perry has been rendered paralysed in his management of the cash-strapped council’s finances. Ahead of tonight’s budget meeting, ANDREW PELLING outlines some of the options for the borough’s politicians There’s … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department of Levelling Up, DLUHC, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Ria Patel, S114, S114 notice, Say No To 15%, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory
8 Comments
21% Council Tax hike but Perry has a pay rise for his mates
There’s a protest planned outside Croydon Town Hall tomorrow for the first of two council budget meetings You pay more. You get less. Long-suffering residents will be protesting outside Croydon Town Hall tomorrow evening, and again the following Wednesday, March … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Callton Young, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, David White, Esther Sutton, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Stuart King
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Assembly, Croydon Council, David White, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Say No To 15%, Tory
3 Comments
It’s the same in Croydon and Birmingham: Pay More, Get Less
In this week’s column, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, looks at the criminalisation of journalism through the treatment of Julian Assange, and he charts the latest undermining of local councils by central Government It could be worse. You could live in … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Alexei Navalny, Andrew Fisher, Birmingham City Council, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department of Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Jeremy Corbyn, Julian Assange, Michael Gove, Nottingham City Council, S114, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory, Vladimir Putin
Leave a comment
BINMAGEDDON: Mayor’s secret plan to charge £5 per new bin
CROYDON IN CRISIS: New impacts of living in a bankrupt borough are emerging with every passing day. The latest is the ‘rationing’ of new wheelie bins for residents. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry, Croydon’s rubbish Mayor, plans to compound … Continue reading
‘Ignore me’ pleads Mayor who most people ignore anyway
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on the latest digital difficulty to trouble council officials Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year part-time Mayor, today issued an urgent plea to council colleagues to ignore him. Or ignore his emails, anyway. The … Continue reading
