Category Archives: Jo Negrini

Councillors wave through 676 flats with just 20% affordable

Posted on April 3, 2026 by insidecroydon

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest tall towers coming to the skyline of central Croydon Deep in the middle of a housing crisis, Croydon Council has broken its own rules by granting planning permission to a £200million housing scheme … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Delta Properties Ltd, Fairfield, Housing, Planning, Property, Tapestry Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

It was a bad deal for Croydon. Why did they allow it to happen?

Posted on March 2, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With Tory Mayor Jason Perry using £½million of public money as a hush fund, RICHARD HOWARD, pictured right, the LibDem mayoral candidate, lays out all the obvious flaws with the council’s Red Clover Gardens scheme Two years ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Business, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Ian Parker, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Howard, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mayor candidates call for investigation into Red Clover Gardens

Posted on March 2, 2026 by insidecroydon

LibDems and Greens say that only a thorough, deep dive into the council’s accounts and records conducted by an outside body – such as HM Revenue and Customs – can get to the bottom of the latest multi-million-pound financial scandal … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Rick Howard | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Perry agrees to pay £½m to reclaim flats at Red Clover Gardens

Posted on February 28, 2026 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon has obtained a top-secret, ‘Part B’ council report providing key financial details on the collapsed property deal for Red Clover Gardens  – all because someone at Croydon’s cash-strapped and incompetent council posted it on their own website EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tory council loses £20m over Coulsdon collapsed property deal

Posted on February 28, 2026 by insidecroydon

It is almost three years since this website warned that a ‘complicated, opaque lease-back arrangement’ conducted with a property firm with no real track record, for the disposal of blocks of flats at Red Clover Gardens, all looked just a … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Mears, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Budget-buster Perry hires another six-figure salaried ‘interim’

Posted on February 16, 2026 by insidecroydon

KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on the latest £150,000 per year staff signing by Croydon’s bankrupt council Jason Perry, Croydon’s £84,000 per year executive Mayor who has closed four public libraries to save money and axed lollipop road safety … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Jenny Rowlands, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Let’s all send a clear message to Mayor Perry this Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2025 by insidecroydon

It’s the time of year when a little bit of kindness can go a long way. With Croydon’s second mayoral election now little more than four months away, households across Croydon have the opportunity to offer a poignant symbol to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Commissioners switch email in effort to protect whistleblowers

Posted on December 1, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After complaints that staff could not trust that their messages to the government-appointed Commissioners would be secure from their council bosses, a MHCLG official has set up an independent channel. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Three months after … Continue reading →

Posted in Abi Brown, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Debbie Warren, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jackie Belton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Nathan Elvery, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

More churn at the top as interim directors leave the council

Posted on November 8, 2025 by insidecroydon

The rapid turnover among senior staff at Fisher’s Folly suggests that the ‘leadership issues’ which were in-part responsible for Commissioners being sent in to run Croydon Council may continue to be a problem for those left behind after Katherine Kerswell’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Nazeya Hussain, Nick Hibberd, Section 114 notice, Venetia Reid-Baptiste | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Kerswell Affair: Croydon is worse off after CEO’s five years

Posted on October 22, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The £204,000 per year council chief exec who gave orders to block staff from reading Inside Croydon has been attracting adverse headlines for 30 years. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell’s 30-year career in local government will probably … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Kerswell quits! But what happens next at crisis-hit council?

Posted on October 20, 2025 by insidecroydon

Mayor Jason Perry’s political rivals call for his resignation after a week when auditors have warned over ‘unsustainable’ finances and his CEO has left Croydon with a generous £50,000 pay-off. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell may not be replaced as … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Jane West, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Ainscough, Richard Howard, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

When’s a pay-off not a pay-off? When it’s 50 grand in Croydon

Posted on October 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: At public expense (again), Mayor Perry deploys the council’s top lawyer to try to shut down reporting of his £50,000 pay-off to departing chief executive Katherine Kerswell. By STEVEN DOWNES “When’s a pay-off not a pay-off?” a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

‘I’ll miss heartfelt moments we have shared in our Tea Talks’

Posted on October 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

In her final message to staff, council CEO describes a pay-off of possibly as much as £95,000 as ‘just my contractual notice period’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES In typical Croydon Council style under Katherine Kerswell’s leadership, it was the borough’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mayor Perry tells councillors Kerswell ‘will be much missed’

Posted on October 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

Rushed email to the borough’s elected officials confirms pay-out to departing chief executive will be at least £50,000 – in lieu of notice. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES In a hastily drafted memo rushed out in the minutes after Inside Croydon … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Kerswell takes another pay-off as she quits as council’s CEO

Posted on October 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Jason Perry makes another massive ‘reward for failure’ from public money as his chief executive joins the stampede for the exit at Fisher’s Folly. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell has resigned from her £204,000 per … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jo Negrini, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Nazeya Hussain, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Finally! We solve the mystery of Fairfield’s vanished Steinway

Posted on October 2, 2025 by insidecroydon

Almost 10 years since it was last seen on the stage at the Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon thinks it may have tracked down one of the council-owned arts centre’s long-lost grand pianos, which in the past was used in concerts … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BH Live, Brick by Brick, Church and religions, Croydon Council, Croydon Minster, Fairfield Halls, Music, Old Palace, Trinity School, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More council churn as exec in charge of regeneration quits

Posted on September 29, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE:  Croydon’s £204,000 CEO is facing another crisis of her own creation, as her appointee as corporate director in charge of planning joins the growing exodus from the council. By STEVEN DOWNES Nazyeya Hussain, the council official responsible for planning … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Heather Cheesbrough, Jane West, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Nazeya Hussain, Nick Hibberd, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Reshuffle puts Streatham MP on the spot over council funding

Posted on September 6, 2025 by insidecroydon

Steve Reed will probably feel more at home at MHCLG, but is the former leader of Lambeth Council, who as an MP was a bystander over ‘slum-like’ conditions at Regina Road and the bankrupting of Croydon, up to the job … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Eight Brick by Brick-built flats issued with fire safety order

Posted on August 8, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: More problems for residents who have shared-ownership in homes built by the council’s omnishambles of a development company. By housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES Eight flats built by Brick by Brick, Croydon Council’s useless housing company that helped to bankrupt … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

New director job ads signal end for Kerswell’s costly interims

Posted on August 6, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: Just a couple of weeks since the government Commissioners arrived in Croydon, and an obvious way of saving money is being implemented. By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter Could it be that the era of £1,000 per day “interim”, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adam Wilkinson, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Property, Sue Hanlon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Only 20% ‘affordable’ in 676 flats proposed for College Green

Posted on July 24, 2025 by insidecroydon

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest proposals for huge towers providing expensive flats and situated close to East Croydon Station The site next to the Fairfield Halls and Croydon College, once owned by Croydon Council through its failed house-building … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Delta Properties Ltd, Fairfield, Housing, Planning, Property, Tapestry Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Property salesman Lewis quits council job over interim costs

Posted on July 15, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: One of the cash-strapped council’s £1,000 per day ‘temporary’ directors left Fisher’s Folly in a bit of a rush last week – getting out before the Commissioners arrive. By STEVEN DOWNES Huw Rhys Lewis BSc, BArch, MSc, MRIBA, MAPM, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adam Wilkinson, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Heather Cheesbrough, Heathfield House, Improvement Board, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Nazeya Hussain, Nick Hibberd, Property, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Council’s agency staff bill includes £726 per hour consultant

Posted on July 2, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Council’s spending on agency staff has quadrupled under Tory Mayor Jason Perry One ‘transformation’ consultant is paid £726 PER HOUR Adecco employee allowed to sign off hundreds of thousands of pounds in Croydon Council payments to… … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Business, Children's Services, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dean Shoesmith, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

£1,000 per day ‘Interim Adam’ was Kerswell’s personal pick

Posted on July 2, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Residents are stung twice for recruitment costs of head of planning, at a crucial time for Westfield development and review of London and Local Plans. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Adam Wilkinson was handed the position as Croydon’s … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Wilkinson, Business, Council Tax, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Anti-crime CCTV cameras nicked from Brick by Brick block

Posted on June 24, 2025 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: The winding up of Brick by Brick won’t see an end to the misery being suffered by those who bought homes or live as leaseholders in properties built by the Croydon Council-owned housing company. By our housing correspondent, BARRATT … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments