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Category Archives: Brick by Brick
Conflicts of interest, incomplete contracts, unlawful payments – how the Fairfield Halls refurbishment cost Croydon £50m-plus
EXCLUSIVE: Council was warned in 2017 of problems with the management of works at the borough’s flagship arts centre. By STEVEN DOWNES A report by the council’s internal auditors has raised very serious concerns over the mismanagement of the multi-million-pound … Continue reading
Council set to lend more money to failing Brick by Brick
CROYDON IN CRISIS: When in a hole, stop digging? Not Croydon’s bankrupt council, which is ‘damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t’ according to a senior Tory councillor over plans to throw more cash at its loss-making house-builder. KEN … Continue reading
Jenrick issues ‘strongly-worded’ warning over property deals
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Government minister targets bankrupt borough when he tells LGA conference ‘Councils shouldn’t make investments for which they are not well-equipped’. By WALTER CRONXITE It seems increasingly likely that Whitehall will insist on Croydon flogging off many of … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Section 114 notice
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colonnades, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, S114, Section 114
3 Comments
Council paid £1m compensation for unfinished Fairfield Halls
EXCLUSIVE: A year-long investigation has uncovered multi-million-pound payments by the council on its arts centre, largely because of the bungled refurbishment managed by Brick by Brick. And it is now suggested some payments may have been unlawful. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Council scoops top award among most rotten boroughs
Croydon Council has been handed the ultimate accolade: the most rotten of boroughs in the 2020 Rotten Borough Awards, revealed today in the latest edition of Private Eye magazine. The awards are always hotly contested, with the greed, venality and … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Private Eye, Rotten Boroughs, Tony Newman
6 Comments
Hard labour: the Croydon Mayor, dodgy deals and bankruptcy
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a tale from Katharine Street’s history which resonates strongly today New Year may be a time for looking forward, but it can also be most useful for taking a backward glance, perhaps to learn … Continue reading
£30m Fairfield Halls project never went to competitive tender
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Brick by Brick’s management of the refurbishment of the Halls has been subject to disputes with at least two leading contractors £3m grant to build an art gallery was diverted to pay for other work – … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mott MacDonald, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
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£29m deal on flats buys Brick by Brick some breathing space
Yet more public money is being used to bail-out the council’s failed house-building company, as it flogs off 85 flats intended for shared ownership. Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports In the latest admission of the abject failure of Brick … Continue reading
Commissioner orders council to answer FoI over libel threats
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A year-long struggle with the council has revealed the possibility that Jo Negrini was breaking the law when using the Queen’s solicitors in a failed attempt to have news reports removed from this website The Information Commissioner … Continue reading
Croydon gets Commons debate, but Labour MPs go AWOL
The collapse of Croydon Council’s finances got a debate all to itself at the House of Commons last week. But two of the borough’s three MPs didn’t bother to show up. Adjournment debates are a peculiar piece of parliamentary procedure, … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP
Tagged Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, S114, Sarah Jones, Section 114, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory
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New Addington block of flats dropped from planning meeting
EXCLUSIVE: With barely six hours’ notice ahead of today’s planning meeting, two controversial building schemes from Brick by Brick have been withdrawn. By STEVEN DOWNES Planning applications for two controversial schemes from Brick by Brick, the council’s loss-making house-builders, were … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Colm Lacey, Martyn Evans, New Addington, Planning, South Croydon
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Croydon, Croydon Council, New Addington, South Croydon
4 Comments
Merton scraps building company to avoid Brick by Brick failure
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on how a neighbouring borough has twigged that Croydon’s model for house-building doesn’t work Another Labour-run south London council is to junk its arm’s-length house-building company – after seeing what the catastrophic clusterfuck Brick by … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Housing, Mark Allison, Merton, Planning
Tagged Brick by Brick, Labour, London, Mark Allison, Merantun, Merton Council, Mitcham Cricket Green
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The Audit Report: Newman’s £100m gamble with your money
CROYDON IN CRISIS: There’s growing public demand for some degree of accountability over the council’s financial collapse, and there’s mounting evidence that the former leader of the council and his mates broke rules to push through his pet policies. By … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Brick by Brick abandons plans to build on ‘village green’
A resident-led campaign in Purley and Kenley was today declaring victory after Brick by Brick announced it was abandoning plans to build on their “village green”. Brick by Brick wanted to build 17 flats, nine houses and a car park … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Environment, Kenley, Planning, Purley, Wildlife
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Kenley, Purley, Wontford Road Green
8 Comments
Council survey on cuts tries to pass the buck to residents
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The people running the borough, whether executive staff on sky-high salaries or elected councillors, have a well-earned reputation for failing to listen to the people they are supposed to serve. So why should residents expect any difference … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, S114, Section 114
17 Comments
Now Scott tries to play the blame game over Brick by Brick
Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on how the chief architect of the council’s disastrous housing policy is trying to salvage his reputation Paul Scott, part of the clique which led Croydon Council to bankruptcy, broke cover at a virtual Town … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Lisa Taylor, Martyn Evans, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, S114, Section 114, Tony Newman
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BxB-built library which has never opened is now to be closed
The story of South Norwood Library is just the latest example of how thoroughly screwed-up and costly the council’s relationship with its loss-making house-builders has become. GENE BRODIE, our bookish gyms correspondent, reports This could only happen in Croydon. The … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Education, Jane Avis, Libraries, Lisa Taylor, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Section 114 notice, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside
Tagged Bradmore Green Library, Brick by Brick, Broad Green Library, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Jane Avis, London Borough of Croydon, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Sanderstead Library, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley Library, South Norwood, South Norwood Library, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Investigation gets under way but left waiting for Negrini
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The terms of reference for an independent investigation into the disastrous decisions and mismanagement which led to the council going broke have been leaked to Inside Croydon. STEVEN DOWNES reports It might be seen as appropriate, given … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Robert Henderson, Section 114 notice
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Penn, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Robert Henderson, S114, Section 114
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Directors Murray and Cheesbrough start exodus from council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The director of planning and the borough’s culture chief are to leave Fisher’s Folly – the first top-level departures since the council issued its Section 114 notice. By STEVEN DOWNES Heather Cheesbrough, Croydon’s director of planning, and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paula Murray, Planning, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Paula Murray, Planning
16 Comments
Why selling the unsaleable is not the answer on Brick by Brick
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It is nearly three years since this website began exposing the financial disaster that Brick by Brick was creating for Croydon Council. NICHOLAS PANES, the construction industry expert who advised on our reports, looks at the options … Continue reading
Council still receiving ‘vast quantities’ of planning applications
What trade magazine Property Week described as “an unprecedented volume of planning applications” has been submitted to Croydon Council in the couple of weeks since the authority issued a Section 114 notice to declare itself broke. Between October 1 and … Continue reading
Lacey still spinning as he hangs on to his job at Brick by Brick
It is not only the former council chief exec who has shown unconcealed contempt for the borough’s residents. Now, as our housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES reports, the discredited head of the council-owned builders is pushing his luck, too Colm Lacey … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Jane Avis, Leila Ben-Hassel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Labour, Leila Ben-Hassel, London Borough of Croydon, S114, Section 114, STUART KING, Tory
17 Comments
Negrini missing from list of finance investigation interviewees
EXCLUSIVE: The former CEO, who presided over a £500m increase in the borough’s debts in just three years, may avoid being questioned about the financial collapse of the council. By STEVEN DOWNES Jo Negrini, the council official who led Croydon … Continue reading
Brick by Brick part of a perfect storm that bankrupted Croydon
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The Price Waterhouse Coopers report confirms that the council-owned house-builders have been badly mismanaged, putting at risk millions of pounds of public funds. As one reader asks – why wasn’t something done much sooner? This is a thoroughly … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Section 114 notice
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, S114, Section 114
5 Comments
Lacey to be removed from board of mismanaged Brick by Brick
Consultants’ report is latest damning review of Croydon’s badly-run council. By STEVEN DOWNES Colm Lacey is to be removed from the board of Brick by Brick, the council’s loss-making house-builder, while funding for new schemes is to be frozen and … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Martyn Evans, Planning, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Martyn Evans, PwC, PwC Report, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
10 Comments
