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Category Archives: GLL – Better
Libraries, churches and gyms all part of warm space network
Croydon Council and local organisations including churches, community centres and public libraries have created a network of 20 warm spaces across the borough to support residents through the colder months. They are part of a range of measures intended to … Continue reading
Posted in Addington, Ashburton, Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Croydon Council, GLL - Better, Leisure services, Libraries
Tagged Addington, Ashburton Hall, Better, Croydon, Croydon Council, Greenwich Leisure, London Borough of Croydon, St Mary's Church, Waddon, Warm Spaces Network
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Mayor Perry accused of ‘fibbing’ over Croydon Arena repairs
Confusion surrounds the operational status of Croydon Arena, the council-owned sports stadium, after Tory Mayor Jason Perry announced yesterday that, thanks to his personal intervention, the venue had reopened. Users of the multi-sport venue accused piss-poor Perry of “fibbing” – … Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Football, GLL - Better, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Sport
Tagged athletics, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Arena, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Football, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
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‘Appalling’ GLL is facing strike by library workers in Bromley
Library workers in Bromley are to take strike action over “low pay and shoddy working practices”, according to their union, Unite. Bromley operates 14 public libraries (more than in bigger borough Croydon), plus a volunteer-run mobile library service, all managed … Continue reading
Trams’ promotion push slowed down by Croydon Arena closure
Council-owned sports ground in such a state of disrepair that the main stand has been declared unsafe Croydon FC’s run of good form that has carried them into two end-of-season cup finals and on the brink of the play-off places … Continue reading
Sport England gives £400,000 subsidy to three Croydon pools
Sport England is providing a £400,000 subsidy for the operating costs of three Croydon swimming pools. The pools at New Addington, South Norwood and Thornton Heath will between them receive £407,069 to “mitigate their swimming pool utility bills and keep … Continue reading
Posted in GLL - Better, New Addington, South Norwood, Swimming, Thornton Heath
Tagged GLL, Greenwich Leisure, New Addington, South Norwood, Thornton Heath
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GLL’s library workers in Bromley vote by 86% for strike action
Workers at Bromley’s public libraries have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. The library workers, employed by swimming pool operators GLL, Greenwich Leisure, are fighting for better pay and an end to zero-hours contracts. Zero hours contracts are effectively … Continue reading
£500,000 tennis refurb that will turn free courts into pay-to-play
The council has announced what it calls an “exciting” £500,000 refurbishment project for the borough’s tennis courts – while trying to hide the fact that what have previously been free facilities will now become pay-to-play. Cash-strapped Croydon isn’t even offering … Continue reading
Future sporting stars get £500 boost from GLL Foundation
Greenwich Leisure, the council’s leisure and sports facilities contractor, has made awards to 84 young Croydon residents “to help them along their sporting journey”. Grants of up to £500 – mostly in the form of free passes to public-owned facilities … Continue reading
Posted in GLL - Better, Leisure services, Sport
Tagged Allen Taekwando Academy, GLL, Greenwich Leisure, Sally Gunnell, Thornton Heath, Waddon
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Residents backlash over Perry’s 200-flat scheme at Purley pool
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Even the usually placid residents associations in the south of the borough have begun to realise that they were sold a pup by Jason Perry over the fate of the leisure centre at Purley, where the Conservative … Continue reading
Parents facing ‘hollowed-out’ half-term of council activities
When Jason “It’s going to get worse before it gets better” Perry referred to the “hollowed-out council” that he took charge of last May, the Tory Mayor must have had in mind the borough’s library service, which has been run … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Children's Services, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, GLL - Better, Leisure services, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Schools, South Norwood
Tagged Better, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Selsdon, South Norwood, Tory
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Council offers warm spaces – at libraries closed for Christmas
Cold-hearted Tory Mayor Jason Perry has, somewhat belatedly, got round to publicising a list of warm banks around the borough. But typically of the dysfunctional council, the listing of 34 venues is offered on its website, which is not accessible … Continue reading
Fuel crisis takes grip of borough leisure centres’ opening times
Times are tough. Now Croydon’s leisure centres and swimming pools – owned by the cash-strapped council and operated for them by Greenwich Leisure – are reducing their opening hours because they can’t afford the steepling costs of heating the buildings, … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, GLL - Better, Leisure services, Libraries, New Addington, Purley, Purley Pool, South Norwood, Swimming, Thornton Heath, Waddon
Tagged Better, cost of living crisis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Energy crisis, GLL, Greenwich Leisure, New Addington, New Addington Leisure Centre, Purley, Purley Pool, South Norwood, South Norwood Leisure Centre, Thornton Heath, Thornton Heath Leisure Centre, Waddon, Waddon Leisure Centre
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Further £38.4m to be sliced from next year’s council budget
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall leadership hoped to keep the latest round of cuts secret until after next week’s referendum, as the consequences of the borough’s bankruptcy start to hit home. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES £12m of adult social care … Continue reading
Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, Adult Social Care, Callton Young, Croydon Council, GLL - Better, Hamida Ali, Jason Cummings, Leisure services, Libraries, Purley Pool, Richard Ennis, Section 114 notice, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged Callton Young, Conservative, coronavirus, Council budget, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, DEMOC, Democratically Elected Mayor for Croydon, Hamida Ali, Labour, Purley, Purley Pool, Richard Ennis, Save Purley Pool Campaign, Section 114, Steve Reed OBE, STUART KING, Tory
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‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While the cash-strapped council remains preoccupied with its finances, the once prestigious arts centre on the other side of Park Lane risks sliding towards cultural oblivion. By our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK There are growing concerns that … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, GLL - Better, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
13 Comments
Purley campaign demands answers over pool’s lack of funding
CROYDON IN CRISIS: With Greenwich Leisure, who operate the borough’s leisure facilities, under intense covid-19 financial pressures of their own, local mum RACHEL GARNETT (pictured left) explains the vital importance of the continuing campaign to save Purley Pool from closure … Continue reading
Libraries, pool and Arena may not open because of cash crisis
CROYDON IN CRISIS: More embarrassment for Tony Newman as Croydon-owned sports centre in his ward remains closed, while fears have been revived that the Labour-run council could flog off some libraries for housing Several of the borough’s public libraries and … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, GLL - Better, Leisure services, Libraries, Simon Hall, Sport, Tony Newman, Woodside
Tagged Bradmore Green Library, Coulsdon Library, Croydon, Croydon Arena, Croydon Council, Croydon Public Libraries, GLL, Greenwich Leisure, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Norbury Library, Purley Library, Purley Pool, Shirley Library, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Woodside
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Councillor warns Purley leisure centre may never reopen
A ward councillor in Purley says that the council-owned swimming pool and leisure centre there, which has been closed since March because of coronavirus, is at serious risk of never being reopened.
Football club forced to play games away over Arena uncertainty
The borough’s longest-established non-league football club go into the new season forced into a nomadic existence, uncertain of when their home ground at Croydon Arena will be available to stage home games. The council-owned Arena, the home ground of Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Football, GLL - Better, Sport
Tagged Croydon Arena, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Donna Fraser
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Shut Arena has Croydon trailing in national fitness campaign
With the government launching a £10million health awareness campaign to encourage the public to take more exercise and lead active and fitter lifestyles, it appears Croydon has made a false start. There’s mounting concern among some of the borough’s biggest … Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Cycling, Football, GLL - Better, Leisure services, South Norwood, Sport
Tagged Better, Croydon Arena, Croydon FC, GLL, Greenwich Leisure, South Norwood
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Council splashes cash on new pool that went £17m overbudget
Two years late and £17million overbudget, the New Addington Leisure Centre has finally opened. The building on Champions Parade is a particularly ugly block even as carbuncles go. It houses a six-lane, 25-metre pool and smaller teaching pool. There is … Continue reading
Library closures: Lewis forced to issue statement on plans
The Labour cabinet member who told the scrutiny committee that he ‘absolutely’ has plans to build more flats on the borough’s public libraries now says the council ‘currently’ has no plans to close libraries. Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Carillion, GLL - Better, Libraries, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Shirley North, South Norwood, Tony Newman
Tagged Bradmore Green, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Library, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley, Shirley Library, South Norwood, Tory
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Shhh! Four libraries could be flogged off. Don’t tell anyone
Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, on how the Labour-run council is clearing the way for more non-unionised volunteer-run libraries than the Town Hall’s Tories ever managed Croydon Council has been accused of secrecy again, this time after stopping most … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Carillion, Coulsdon, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, GLL - Better, Helen Pollard, Jo Negrini, Libraries, Norbury, Old Coulsdon, Planning, Property, Purley, Sanderstead, Shirley North, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Upper Norwood Library Trust
Tagged Bradmore Green, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Helen Pollard, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Norbury, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Sanderstead, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Tory
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TUC calls for ‘Domesday Book’ to register outsourced deals
One year on from the collapse of outsourcing giant Carillion, and the TUC is calling for greater transparency in the way private firms are able to profit from and operate public services. The Carillion collapse had some knock-on effects in … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Carillion, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, GLL - Better, idVerde, Libraries, Refuse collection, Skanska, Veolia, Waste incinerator
Tagged Capita, Greenwich Leisure, idVerde, TUC, Veolia, Viridor
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GLL Foundation seeks applications for 2019 round of funding
Posted in Athletics, Boxing, Charity, Cricket, Cycling, Football, GLL - Better, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby Union, Sport, Swimming
Tagged GLL, GLL Foundation, Greenwich Leisure
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Croydon Arena football pitch savaged as ‘danger’ to players
The borough’s longest established non-league football club is threatening to withhold its hire fees from Croydon Council over the poor state of the pitch at Croydon Arena. Officials from opposition clubs who have played Croydon FC in the opening week … Continue reading
