Recent Comments
Dave Smith on Great British Railways trains… Ralph on With 51 councillors, ‘Ba… insidecroydon on Croydon’s GIGO ‘ec… christopher myers on Croydon’s GIGO ‘ec… Jim Bush on Spoons skips the World Cup wit… Peter Underwood on Croydon’s GIGO ‘ec…
Category Archives: Improvement Board
Council chief West warns staff that finances ‘remain serious’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council appears to be sleepwalking into another financial crisis, without a full meeting at the Town Hall for three months, while bosses at Fisher’s Folly waiting for the next government directive. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES “Our … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Budget, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Exceptional financial support, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory, Unbalanced budget
6 Comments
Gone missing: Mayor ducks Town Hall cabinet for three months
EXCLUSIVE: Key public meetings have been cancelled, without any explanation, as Jason Perry is accused of wanting to run the borough by Trump-style edict. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Jason Perry, the Mayor of a borough that is £1.4billion in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Council Tax, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Council Cabinet, Council meetings, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, STUART KING, Tory
8 Comments
Government grants Perry’s record £136m council bail-out plea
CROYDON IN CRISIS: As government bails out cash-strapped council with record amount as part of £1.5bn provided across 30 local authorities in England, the borough’s elected Mayor was out on the piss. PLUS: There’s £40m provided to Lambeth to sort … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged Bail-out, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Exceptional financial support, Jim McMahon, Lambeth council, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
19 Comments
Kerswell says debt write-off talks with Whitehall are ‘active’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Releasing the council from the shackles of its toxic debt could be the only lasting solution – and talks with Whitehall on the suggestion are continuing, according to a report in a trade magazine Katherine Kerswell, Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, The Municipal Journal, Tony McArdle, Tory
13 Comments
Croydon In Crisis: budget overspend now close to £100m
Council Tax will have risen by 27% under Mayor Jason Perry, as Croydon and six other London boroughs beg Whitehall for multi-million-pound bail-outs Cash-strapped Croydon’s predicted budget overspend for the coming year is now at least £98million. That’s according to … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jim McMahon, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
9 Comments
92% of readers disagree with Kerswell’s Peer Review findings
Croydon Mayor Jason Perry and the council CEO who tells him what to do, Katherine Kerswell, had better be very worried, as a series of public opinion questions have had responses in which more than 90% of iC readers have … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged Conservative, Corporate Peer Challenge, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Kathy Kerswell-Reid, Kent County Council, Leicester City Council, LGA, Local Government Association, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 Notice
5 Comments
‘Mayor and CEO are respected and provide strong leadership’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Like a dodgy business that offers to pay for positive reviews on Tripadviser, the council has been patting itself on the back this week because some local government colleagues have said some nice things about them. By … Continue reading
Posted in Annette McPartland, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged Annette McPartland, Conservative, Corporate Peer Challenge, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, LGA, Local Government Association, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Plant, Section 114 Notice, Stiles Harold Williams
19 Comments
Cash-strapped council’s Mayor wants to give himself a pay rise
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on the latest piece of self-serving nonsense from the borough’s under-achieving Mayor Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, wants to increase his annual salary to almost £84,000. And he expects Croydon residents to pay for … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense
Tagged Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hammersfield, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, STUART KING, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
12 Comments
The Jase and Kathy Show – a Christmas Special for Croydon!
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Inside Croydon has obtained a leaked video from an internal council webinar earlier this month, where the Mayor fails to mention the £83m overspend predicted in a recent report to government, and council CEO seems to blame … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Improvement Board, Inside Croydon, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged Brick by Brick, Christmas, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Fairfield Halls, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Morecambe and Wise, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Tory, Young Mr Grace
5 Comments
Government must act to end the chaos, austerity and decline
Will Labour’s council reforms announced this week build a new Jerusalem in our hard-pressed town halls? ANDREW FISHER analyses the government’s English Devolution White Paper, and what it might mean for Croydon Unveiling her new White Paper on Monday, the … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Angela Rayner MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Jim McMahon, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
4 Comments
Rayner warned Croydon’s ‘budget gap’ will balloon to £83m
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The south London council ‘remains one of the most financially distressed in the country’, according to the local government minister. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Cash-strapped Croydon Council is going to need an even bigger government bail-out … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Angela Rayner MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jim McMahon, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Nottingham City Council, Tory
14 Comments
Perry ducks scrutiny over council financials that don’t add up
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Elected Mayor didn’t hang around to face the music from councillors as the £42m overspend was discussed at the Town Hall this week. By STEVEN DOWNES The council’s projected £42million overspend this financial year is “unprecedented”, and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Leila Ben-Hassel, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Leila Ben-Hassel, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Scrutiny committee, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
15 Comments
Mayor Perry busts his unbalanced budget with £42m overspend
CROYDON IN CRISIS: According to official figures, even with a £38m government bail-out, the Conservative-run council looks like spending £42m over budget in this financial year – and that’s £10m more than when it first went bust in 2020. EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
14 Comments
Dear Angela: It’s time for you to act and fund Croydon fairly
Last month, the Croydon Mayor wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister begging for an urgent meeting to resolve the council’s long-standing financial problems after 14 years of Tory austerity. Angela Rayner did not reply. So now ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Angela Rayner, Children's Services, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fund Croydon Fairly, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Public libraries, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tory
16 Comments
Minister McMahon snubs Croydon Mayor over ‘urgent’ meeting
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Keir Starmer’s new government seems in no rush to deal with the deep-seated problems caused by 14 years of austerity inflicted on local councils, as Jason Perry’s plea for an urgent meeting is given a cold shoulder … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Angela Rayner, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jim McMahon, Keir Starmer, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tory, Toxic debt
5 Comments
Roll up! Roll up! Chance to tell council what you really think
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tomorrow evening staff at Fisher’s Folly are staging an under-publicised online engagement event where they ask you to ‘Come and have your say!’ It might be an invitation that they regret making. By KEN LEE, our Town … 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
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
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
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
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
