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Category Archives: Katherine Kerswell
‘Mistakes will be made’ warn staff after latest round of cuts
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Libraries to close, refuse dumps to close, while elderly, disabled and mental health services are to be cut. Even buses for SEND schoolchildren face the axe. Yet the council’s ‘renewal plan’ will still spend £37m more in … Continue reading
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Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Refuse collection, Sarah Hayward, Section 114 notice
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Renewal Plan, Hamida Ali, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, S114, Sarah Hayward, Section 114
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Council staff are summoned to meetings for more job cuts
Hundreds of council staff members, from departments across the organisation, face special meetings tomorrow which many believe will determine whether they have any future working for cash-strapped Croydon. This comes on top of the 400 posts at the council which … Continue reading
The late, late show: scrutiny sees anger and hears of bullying
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council is ‘on a journey’, according to the interim chief executive, who clung firmly to platitudes and clichés at her first scrutiny committee this week. But will it all be just ‘words, words, words’, as a … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jo Negrini, Joy Prince, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman, Uncategorized
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jo Negrini, Joy Prince, Labour, Leila Ben-Hassel, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, S114, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
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Officials to investigate possible wrong-doing at council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Selflessness. Integrity. Objectivity. Accountability. Openness. Honesty. Truthfulness. Leadership. The Nolan Principles in public office are at last to be used as a test of the council’s leaders. By STEVEN DOWNES An investigation into whether disciplinary action should … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Local Government Association, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, S114, Section 114, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
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Kerswell tries to gag council staff over Section 114 crisis
Council staff have been ordered not to read or talk to Inside Croydon. Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on how the council’s £192,000 per year CEO has quickly adopted the bunker mentality of her discredited predecessor Katherine Kerswell has been … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, S114, Section 114, Tony Newman
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Croydon in Crisis: The questions the council refuses to answer
Frontline council staff, having already this year been put through one “reorganisation” – meaning more than 400 job cuts – now believe that there are more jobs to be axed. Seeking reassurance, these are just some of the questions which … Continue reading
Unison warns Kerswell not to play blame game with workers
‘Our members did not cause this mess… our members did not approach the council’s finances with “corporate blindness”.’ Unions are gearing up for a battle to protect frontline jobs, WALTER CRONXITE reports Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s interim CEO, has been put … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Laura O'Hara, London Borough of Croydon, S114, Section 114, Unison, Unite the Union
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The cuts: Fisher’s Folly to be sold and 3-weekly bin collections
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The problem facing Croydon Council as it seeks to balance its books is that, after a decade of Tory austerity, there’s precious little left to cut. STEVEN DOWNES reports The frustration with the slow pace of progress … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Alisa Flemming, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Lisa Taylor, Refuse collection, Report in the Public Interest, Schools, Section 114 notice, Timothy Godfrey
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Andrew Fisher, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, S114, Section 114, Timothy Godfrey, Tory
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Angry council staff have hard questions for exec directors
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The honeymoon period for interim chief exec Katherine Kerswell appears to be over after a memo, sent just as the Section 114 notice was issued yesterday, has prompted new anger among the already demoralised staff. KEN LEE … Continue reading
S114 notice will make cost-cutting ‘more stringent and tough’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Chief finance officer Lisa Taylor sent out her report on the Section 114 notice at just after 3pm today, as her new boss, Katherine Kerswell, the interim council CEO, sent this email to all council staff Dear … Continue reading
Croydon In Crisis: Council forced to declare itself bankrupt
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Devastating blow’ for the borough as it has issued a Section 114 notice, making it the first local authority in London for two decades to admit it has gone bust. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council’s finance director, Lisa Taylor, … Continue reading
Lacey could lose job over latest pitch to sell Brick by Brick
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A publicity campaign – effectively funded by Council Tax-payers – on behalf of the council-owned housing firm in an effort to salvage the managing director’s job has enraged councillors. By STEVEN DOWNES Labour councillors were furious today, … Continue reading
Kerswell considering cost-cutting 4-day week for council staff
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The cash-strapped council could reduce staff’s working hours on top of job cuts, under some of the latest solutions being offered to save money, reports KEN LEE Croydon staff could be placed on four-day weeks under one … Continue reading
CEO Kerswell: council staff ‘are angry, upset and want answers’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: They say confession is good for the soul, though apologies issued yesterday by several council executives read more like pleas to keep their jobs. By WALTER CRONXITE There were several council staff members who half-expected Katherine Kerswell, … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Hamida Ali, Hazel Simmonds, Heather Cheesbrough, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Chris Wood, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Shifa Mustafa
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Wood comes knocking with brief to investigate Brick by Brick
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Can it really just be coincidence that the troubleshooter appointed to conduct an urgent review of the council also has extensive experience working at one of Jo Negrini’s former boroughs? WALTER CRONXITE reports It seems almost certain … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Property, Report in the Public Interest, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Wood, Colonnades, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, Tony Newman
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Jenrick orders urgent inquiry into ‘unacceptable’ council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Government minister steps in to deal with the ‘dysfunctional governance’ at the council, ‘who have been entirely irresponsible with their spending and investments’. By STEVEN DOWNES The politics have started, with the Tory government now coming after … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Chris Wood, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Jenrick, Tony Newman, Tory
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The Audit Report: Leader apologises for six years of misrule
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Report in the Public Interest from the council’s auditors had been well-trailed. But few, if any, expected the undertones of anger from the accountants over the crass mismanagement of the council. STEVEN DOWNES reports It was … Continue reading
Help us conduct the first ever People’s Audit in Croydon
By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon At some point this week, Croydon Council slipped its 2019-2020 accounts on to its website. Six weeks later than they were required to do so by law – a special covid-19 dispensation said they … Continue reading
Council had ‘corporate blindness’ and ignored warnings
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Auditors step in with damning Report in the Public Interest over the way in which the council’s finances had been mishandled. By STEVEN DOWNES Council staff were summoned into a meeting at barely 10 minutes notice this … Continue reading
Auditors look at legal sanctions over council’s finances
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A Town Hall committee has been told that the council was ‘in breach of financial regulations’ over its commercial dealings, as they delivered a report with 75 recommendations for improvements. By STEVEN DOWNES The resignation of Simon … Continue reading
Hold very tight: will Buss give Brick by Brick a rough ride?
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on how the local council troubleshooter who was brought in to deal with Kensington and Chelsea’s finances in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire has now been hired by Croydon In the final … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, BxB Review, Chris Buss, Croydon, Croydon Council, Grenfell Tower, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
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Audit shows £9m shortfall in Hall’s property speculation deals
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Internal audit report will make very uncomfortable reading for the council leader and his finance chief, and shows worrying budget problems for most of the council-run schools. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor It is barely a week … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Children's Services, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Jo Negrini, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Schools, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alissa Flemming, Croydon, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, GPAC, Jo Negrini, Karen Jewitt, Katerine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
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Croydon’s rescue plan placed ‘at risk’ over £8m covid grant
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The cash-strapped council is struggling to make its sums add up, reports WALTER CRONXITE The £22.4million gap in the council budget could yet get worse, with the status of £8million of government grant made before the end … Continue reading
No conflict of interest over BxB review, claims chief exec
KEN LEE reports on a hurried closing of ranks at Fisher’s Folly over the loss-making council-owned house-builders Asking the council executive director who has been in charge of Brick by Brick’s piss-poor performance for the past four years to draw … Continue reading
Luton Airport offers hope that Croydon’s rescue scheme will fly
Croydon is one of six local authorities who have been forced to go cap-in-hand to the government to ask them to ease the rules on council borrowing, the Local Government Chronicle has reported today. The city councils in Peterborough, Birmingham … Continue reading
