Category Archives: Alison Knight

One year on from housing shame: ‘not enough has been done’

Posted on March 16, 2022 by insidecroydon

A report from the improvement committee appointed in the aftermath of the council homes scandal has found that Croydon’s tenants continue to be treated with ‘shocking rudeness and inhumanity’, while many in Regina Road blocks ‘are still living in very … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Nine months on and council tenants are still being ignored

Posted on December 16, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: If 2020 was Croydon Council’s year of Negreedy and bankruptcy, 2021 has been the year of leaks, mould and a local authority exposed as incompetent and uncaring about those living in its properties. And there are worrying … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, London-wide issues, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council recruitment drive offers £1.1m in wages across 8 jobs

Posted on November 16, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: One year since the council declared itself bankrupt, CEO Katherine Kerswell is offering a slew of six-figure salaried executive positions for recruits to be ‘part of a new chapter’ and to ‘go on a journey’. By Town … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Children's Services, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Debbie Jones, Elaine Jackson, Katherine Kerswell, Richard Ennis, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

£800 per day council director Knight quits housing top job

Posted on November 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Troubleshooter’ hired to fix scandalous conditions in flats in South Norwood has left cash-strapped local authority after less than six months. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Alison Knight, the £800 per day director who was hired in May … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Community associations, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Regina Road residents shiver as they face £2,000 heating bills

Posted on October 15, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘My kids suffer so badly with their breathing. I am scared for this winter.’ The words of one mother as she and other residents in the damp and mouldy flats in South Norwood face sky-high heating bills, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Health, Housing, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regina Road residents angry as Knight ducks another meeting

Posted on September 27, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The blundering £800 per day bureaucrat in charge of fixing the council’s ‘appalling’ housing has cancelled a scheduled meeting with residents. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES and MICHAEL NELSON Residents of the tower blocks on Regina Road are … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Community associations, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Two housing officials quit as council is condemned again

Posted on September 13, 2021 by insidecroydon

The departure of two senior officials working in the council’s housing department, including the head of repairs, is not linked to the latest shocking coverage of the appalling conditions in flats in a Croydon-owned block in Regina Road, according to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Housing, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

£800 per day housing chief fails to show for Regina Road meet

Posted on August 24, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After waiting six months, residents of what was described as some of the worst housing in the country finally got to meet senior officials. But the council’s head of housing had gone off on holiday. EXCLUSIVE by … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Patricia Hay-Justice, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council forced to pay (Sandwell) blogger’s £50,000 legal costs

Posted on August 3, 2021 by insidecroydon

By STEVEN DOWNES “Dr” Alison Knight, the council’s £800 per day interim director of housing, who was recruited in a rush by CEO Katherine Kerswell to deal with the Regina Road council flats scandal, might want to have a quiet … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Months after Regina Road scandal, council conducts a survey

Posted on July 24, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council is accused of ‘bureaucratic bullshit’, as promises to meet distressed residents have still not been honoured. By STEVEN DOWNES Only now, four months after the scandal of its sub-standard housing in South Norwood was exposed on … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jenrick rejects Croydon’s landlord licence scheme application

Posted on June 11, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The government has binned an application to extend the borough’s landlord licensing scheme, saying that the council failed to provide any housing strategy. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, has rejected … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Alison Knight, Business, Chris Buss, Croydon Council, Landlord licensing, Paul Scott, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

After 3-month delay, council calls in surveyors for Regina Road

Posted on June 11, 2021 by insidecroydon

Almost three months after the appalling conditions of flats in South Norwood were exposed, and the council has stuffed letters through the residents’ front doors to say that they are only now about to start doing something about it. Though … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Community associations, Croydon Council, Housing, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Deeply shocking’ report shows council’s ‘serious failure’

Posted on May 20, 2021 by insidecroydon

The pressure increased on Hamida Ali, the leader of Croydon Council, as the Town Hall’s pay-masters, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, issued a statement today in response to the notice issued by the Social Housing Regulator which … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Alison Knight, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Sarah Hayward, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Government regulator steps in over ‘appalling’ council flats

Posted on May 19, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The squalid conditions of homes in South Norwood has seen the council found to be in breach of 15-year-old regulations introduced to prevent people having to endure slum conditions. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The council has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Sarah Hayward, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

‘None of the tenants in Croydon trust anybody in the council’

Posted on May 18, 2021 by insidecroydon

By STEVEN DOWNES The council took the unusual step last night of inviting one of the people it is supposed to serve, a resident, a council tenant, to speak at its Town Hall cabinet meeting. What Fransoy Hewitt said, her … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Patricia Hay-Justice, Sarah Hayward, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Renters Union calls on its members to join Regina Road demo

Posted on May 17, 2021 by insidecroydon

The London Renters Union has called on all its members and supporters from across the capital to join a protest outside Croydon Town Hall this evening to show solidarity for the long-ignored council tenants at Regina Road. The flooded, mouldy … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Community associations, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

£104,000: astronomical pay deal for housing troubleshooter

Posted on May 17, 2021 by insidecroydon

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE says that the controversy surrounding the squalid conditions in council homes in South Norwood seems likely to be stoked further tonight over disputed claims that the council leader, Hamida Ali, has met with residents in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Community associations, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Sarah Hayward, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Knight appointed to come to the rescue of council tenants

Posted on May 13, 2021 by insidecroydon

Croydon Council has appointed a doctor to try to heal the deep wounds caused to its reputation over the scandal of damp and mouldy flats in South Norwood. Dr Alison Knight – her doctorate was in education – was revealed … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment