Category Archives: Brick by Brick

Brick by Brick’s George Street offices are put up for rent

A lasting reminder of one of the principal factors that crashed the council’s finances could be about to be erased from Croydon town centre. Brick by Brick’s vainglorious sales suite and offices on George Street have been vacated and put … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Developer consults on 775-flat proposal next to Fairfield Halls

Proposals for another 775 flats, including a 38-storey tower, on a two-acre site next to the Fairfield Halls are being laid out for public consultation tomorrow. The scheme is being brought forward by asset managers Delta Properties, who acquired the … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon College, Fairfield Halls, Housing, Oliver Lewis, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Ex-councillor Hall says: ‘Sorry to be direct, but this is a lie’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Only two elected councillors have so far had their roles in the council’s financial collapse questioned, and Tony Newman and Simon Hall are still not saying sorry. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Tony Newman and Simon Hall, two … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Kerswell condemns councils’ accountability as inadequate

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Yesterday’s meeting of the cash-strapped council’s disciplinary committee may have committed Croydon to tens of thousands of pounds of additional legal costs, with no guarantee of any success in the cases which might eventually be brought. And … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Councillors agree to chase Negrini for golden handshake cash

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The same committee which met in August 2020 to agree the £437,000 payment to the departing CEO today decided to ignore the advice of senior lawyers and spend more council cash in trying to recover the pay-off. … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

MP calls for misconduct charges against ex-councillor Hall

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Home Office junior minister Chris Philp says that some of the council’s former leaders ‘committed such egregious breaches of public trust that they should be formally investigated by the police for the criminal offence of misconduct in … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

All you ever need to know about ‘misconduct in public office’…

… but couldn’t be bothered to ask. Here’s a potted summary taken from the Law Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and independent legal advisors on the prospects of a successful prosecution being brought against Croydon’s borough bankrupters using this arcane offence … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grey man’s appointment places Gray with Croydon clique

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE delves into the shadowy south London connections that Sue Gray will encounter when she starts work as the Labour leader’s Chief of Staff The grey man of British politics, the terminally boring Keir Starmer, now has … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon North, David Evans, Hamida Ali, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

10-year campaign by locals wins reprieve for Central Hill Estate

Plans by a labour-controlled south London council to bulldoze a residential estate have been binned, after a decade-long campaign by locals. Lambeth Council has paused the redevelopment of Central Hill and two other estates after a critical report recommended a … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Newman’s defence slips: there’s ‘no evidence’ of wrongdoing

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The latest in-depth coverage of the borough’s bankruptcy by a national newspaper sees the former Labour council leader dump blame on his erstwhile colleagues. By STEVEN DOWNES The council leader who oversaw Town Hall meetings and gatherings … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Manju Shahul Hameed, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Kerswell still holds out over Penn Report’s recommendations

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Those with the biggest responsibilities and with statutory duties let the organisation down’ according to the investigation into the council’s financial collapse. The two-year delay in publication appears to have let down the borough’s residents and council … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Newman breaks his silence to tell Mail: I did no wrong

CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the Penn Report into possible wrong-doing at the council expected to be released by officials shortly, the former council leader has responded to reports in the national press. By STEVEN DOWNES The Daily Mail today became … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Taxing times for Perry as he deploys Negrini as his ‘dead cat’

Try not to get your hopes up too much ahead of next week’s Penn Report meeting, suggests STEVEN DOWNES. The Mayor might be over-promising before under-delivering again Is Jo Negrini being used as a “dead cat” by Croydon Mayor Jason … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

£495,000 for a flat – this is Brick by Brick’s ‘affordable’ housing

The argument that the council-owned property developer was somehow the answer to the borough’s housing crisis appears lost among the high cost of its properties in Coulsdon. By BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent Flats in Coulsdon that were built by council-owned … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Croydon Council, Housing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mayor Perry: ‘It’s going to get worse before it gets better’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: It didn’t take very long once he became Croydon’s first executive Mayor after telling the electorate that he had a plan, that Jason Perry was forced to admit that he never had a plan at all. By … Continue reading

Posted in Bernard Weatherill House, Brick by Brick, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Fisher, Section 114 notice, URV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Perry to preside over record-breaking 15% Council Tax hike

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough with one of the biggest Council Tax bills in London has just been given permission to make those bills even bigger. Much bigger. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon, under Tory Mayor Jason Perry, has been … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The end is nigh: Brick by Brick’s final tower block is sold off

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the council’s increasingly desperate efforts to flog off the last developments from its inept house-builder Flyover Towers, the final development by Brick by Brick, Croydon Council’s bankrupting building firm, has been sold as a … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Jason Cummings, Property, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Perry LIED to council over Brick by Brick’s ‘stair-less’ house

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Opposition councillors demand an immediate apology and question whether the borough’s credulous Tory Mayor can be trusted. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Officials from Croydon Council have been forced to admit that the Conservative Mayor, Jason Perry, lied … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Negrini strikes out with her post-council business venture

Times are tough for start-up businesses in the construction sector. Especially those with little to offer but their own hubris. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jo “Negreedy” Negrini has applied to strike-off the consultancy business that she set-up in the weeks … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Croydon needs deal that could set precedent for all councils

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A government-appointed inspector, council directors and senior councillors all agree that throwing millions more at the cash-strapped council won’t fix its deep-seated problems. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Tories who control Croydon Town Hall have already done … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Fisher, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mayor Perry must get at least £33m for BxB’s Coulsdon flats

CROYDON COMMENTARY: In our first public platform article of 2023, former MP and Mayoral candidate ANDREW PELLING, pictured right, says that it is essential to get maximum value from the cash-strapped council’s assets – and having more than a single … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Brick by Brick close to selling off Coulsdon flats at half-price

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s residents could be short-changed again as the council’s housing developer bails out by selling Lion Green Road flats on the cheap. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES One of the country’s biggest housing associations is in talks … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Now Lambeth Labour forced to ditch its failed housing venture

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the latest embarrassing climbdown by a south London council Lambeth Council is to wind up its arms-length housebuilding company Homes for Lambeth after an official review described its performance as “very poor” and recommended … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Gove’s broadside at builders over their ‘ugly’ developments

Michael Gove, in his second spell as the Tories’ Levelling Up Secretary, has declared war against “ugly” buildings, in an effort to reduce opposition to residential developments. That could be bad news for the profit-hungry developers who seek to replace … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Environment, Housing, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘You seem to be trying to put the genie back in the bottle’

A High Court judge yesterday refused Croydon Council’s attempt to ‘unpublish’ documents that it had itself put into the public domain. STEVEN DOWNES, Editor of Inside Croydon, on a small victory for the freedom of the press Two years ago … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments