Category Archives: Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense

More bad news for Perry over the Negrini ‘golden handshake’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Another council legal action looks about to collapse – despite having landed the borough unnecessary bills worth tens of thousands of pounds. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Mayor Jason Perry’s forlorn exercise in “throwing good money after … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Court condemns council’s ‘inhuman’ treatment of disabled man

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Another costly legal defeat over housing, as High Court Judge finds our local authority acted deliberately in contravention of its responsibilities under the European Convention on Human Rights. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The High Court has given … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cash-strapped council spent £305k on legal case it already lost

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The cash-strapped council paid a single firm of solicitors £2m over a two-year period. Now it has been forced to admit that it spent another chunk of public money in pursuing a housing case in which they … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Supreme Court orders Croydon Council: fulfil your legal duties

By STEVEN DOWNES The Supreme Court yesterday threw out Croydon Council’s defence, after a case brought by a homeless disabled woman finally reached the conclusion that the local authority really does have to deliver on its statutory responsibilities, however badly … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis Skylight Centre, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Perry drops action against bus shelter firm and loses £500,000

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Valo Smart City has racked up £1m debts, attracted at least four County Court Judgements and is now cancelling contracts with its suppliers. But after waiting nearly three years for the company to deliver their ‘smart’ bus … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Commuting, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Opama Khan, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Council law officer sent complaint over Perry’s Facebook group

CROYDON IN CRISIS: London is suffering a Tory-inspired crime wave which saw more than nine incidents every day in September attacking ULEZ cameras and equipment. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A formal complaint has been filed to the Borough Solicitor over … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Mayor Jason Perry, Policing, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, TfL, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council’s lawyers take case all the way to Supreme Court in attempt to deny disabled mother her legal housing rights

A team of highly paid lawyers representing cash-strapped Croydon Council returned to the Supreme Court this morning for an appeal hearing that the authority has brought against a disabled woman and her three children. Yes… “Despite going bankrupt, Croydon Council … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis Skylight Centre, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How blind man took on the council – and won £66,000 in costs

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It has long been established that the council is far from infallible. It nonetheless takes a great amount of courage to launch a High Court challenge against the authority, with its deep pockets and well-paid lawyers. YUSUF OSMAN, … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Councillors ready to vote against Perry’s 15% tax hike again

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Facing threats from the council lawyer, auditors and even Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, some councillors are determined to vote ‘in the interests of residents’ tonight, also knowing that they could bring down Mayor Perry. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Labour councillor subject to complaint over ethics breaches

#THELABOURFILES: Former party official has called for member of council’s ethics committee to be disqualified as a councillor over their role in handling documents stolen in a malicious internet hack attack. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Clive Fraser, the controversial Labour … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David White, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mayor maintains Croydon’s record in Rotten Boroughs awards

Staff at Fisher’s Folly had something to celebrate this week, after Croydon Council managed to make it into the annual Private Eye magazine round-up of the country’s rottenest boroughs for a sixth year in a row. Someone has even suggested … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Bankrupt council paid firm of solicitors £2m over two years

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council used to have a senior official known as the ‘Borough Solicitor’. These days, the cash-strapped council is out-sourcing much of its legal work to a single firm of solicitors, at huge cost. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Julie Belvir, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Negrini’s dodgy pay-off now gets attention from the trade press

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Borough’s most senior lawyer, responding to advice the council received almost nine months ago, says that the meeting that agreed to pay £437,000 to departing chief exec was ‘potentially unlawful’. By STEVEN DOWNES The council’s glacially slow … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Negrini pay-off arranged after ‘breakdown’ with leader Newman

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The notorious £437,000 payment made to former council chief exec was agreed at an ‘unlawful’ meeting and should never have been paid. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The near-half-a-million pounds paid to Jo Negrini in August 2020 to … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

£1,000 donation to Nightwatch as they battle cost of living crisis

A week ago Croydon Council withdrew its ludicrous High Court injunction against this website. Inside Croydon’s Editor had pledged that any money raised by readers for the #KerswellBallsFund, its legal fighting fund, that was not needed for the court case … Continue reading

Posted in #KerswellBalls Fund, Charity, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Inside Croydon, Jad Adams, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council withdraws High Court case against Inside Croydon

Hailing a ‘victory for commonsense’ over legal threats against him, this website’s editor promises to continue reporting on matters surrounding the Penn Report and Croydon’s bungling efforts to bring those responsible for the borough’s bankruptcy to account A week after … Continue reading

Posted in #KerswellBalls Fund, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

#KerswellBallsFund: We need your help to fight the council

By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon Croydon Council is trying to silence Inside Croydon. Last week, they tried to get an injunction at the High Court to stop us publishing documents which the council had already placed in the public … Continue reading

Posted in #KerswellBalls Fund, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , | 12 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

Council threatens injunction over reports it published itself

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Having published two confidential reports on its own website last week, today Croydon Council’s top legal official threatened this website with a High Court injunction. By STEVEN DOWNES The myth that Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, has … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mayor breaks silence to say he won’t publish #PennReport

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Part-time Perry took four days to respond to questions over the refusal to publish a controversial report, only to confirm that he is not in charge of the council. By STEVEN DOWNES Four days after he was … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

#PennReport: Council’s 11th hour attempt to suppress findings

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Right to the very last, Croydon Council was trying to stop the publication of any part of the Penn Report. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Earlier today, Inside Croydon approached Katherine Kerswell, the council chief executive, with a … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Council names new legal chief as exec churn continues

Our council reporter, PEARL LEE, discovers that the new borough solicitor was, until last month, the director of private property companies Croydon has announced a new, permanent appointee to become the council’s senior legal official. They just don’t seem to … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment