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Category Archives: RIPI II: Fairfield Halls
More Town Hall secrecy as auditors question Negrini’s pay-off
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A behind-closed-doors meeting this morning discussed the Labour leadership’s controversial £437,000 golden handshake to the ex-CEO, and recommendations over the £67m spent on the Fairfield Halls. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Grant Thornton, the council’s official auditors, have … Continue reading
Posted in Callton Young, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Joy Prince, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Penn, RIPI, Simon Hall, STUART KING, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Butler and Scott broke Code of Conduct over Fairfield meeting
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Shawcross joins condemnation of senior Labour councillors after they are let off lightly for breaking ethics rules. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Right to the bitter end, Paul Scott and Alison Butler, the couple who were at … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Bensham Manor, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Woodside
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Labour, Paul Scott, Tony Newman
6 Comments
£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Council leader Ali announces she won’t seek re-election in May
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tony Newman’s protégé has changed her mind about standing as a councillor in the forthcoming Town Hall elections. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Hamida Ali, the leader of Croydon’s cash-strapped, Labour-controlled council since October 2020, is to stand … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Woodside
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Regina Road, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman
3 Comments
Things are about to get even harder, warns report to ministers
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Government minister expresses concerns over the changes being made at council as it implements its ‘extremely challenging’ budget. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council “are at a critical point of their recovery journey and there is more to … Continue reading
Met Police confirm fraud review into £67.5m Fairfield fiasco
KEN LEE reports on the latest twist in the council’s headlong rush towards bankruptcy, and perhaps worse, with the Town Hall’s fate in the hands of Michael Gove The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they have opened an investigation into … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Housing Revenue Account, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman, Tory
11 Comments
Labour group’s response to £73m scandal? Sack the auditors!
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Having been caught out with another multi-million-pound scandal, the councillors who have been running the Town Hall for the past eight years have now decided to pass the buck to accountants Grant Thornton. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Business, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Labour, Paul Scott, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Council faces new storm over ‘missing’ £73m housing money
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Auditors are refusing to sign-off the Town Hall accounts because of missing millions from a complex nexus of housing companies, which could force the council to tip over the edge into bankruptcy for a second time in … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, S114, Section 114, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
16 Comments
Halls of shame: Butler and Scott referred to council legal chief
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Leading figures in the council’s financial crash failed to declare any interests before taking part in vote against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud at the Fairfield Halls. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour councillors … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony Newman
5 Comments
Covid positive after first full Town Hall meeting for two years
WALTER CRONXITE, our fully masked and vaccinated political editor, reports on how many of the borough’s politicians went canvassing at the weekend despite having been warned that there had been a virus positive case at a meeting they attended on … Continue reading
Brazen Butler at centre of new storm over Fairfield Halls fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A leading figure among those who failed ‘to do their jobs responsibly, honestly and legally’ voted against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud in the £67.5m arts centre refurb. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The decision … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Tony Newman
4 Comments
£67m fraud at Fairfield: Town Hall row over calling in police
CRISIS SPECIAL: The council’s most senior legal official wants to check the £70m Fairfield fiasco for fraud, but the borough’s Labour councillors don’t want to call in the police, yet their leader says she has already reported it to the … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Mott MacDonald, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Labour, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Ward, Sarah Ironmonger, STUART KING, Tony Newman, Tory
24 Comments
What a waste! Tory billions could pay to freeze your Council Tax
The Conservative government is punishing the people of Croydon by refusing to write off any of the council’s debts – but they are happy to write off £13billion from their own cock-ups in Whitehall. By ANDREW FISHER Croydon Council has … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Boris Johnson, Conservative, coronavirus, Council Tax, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, John McDonnell MP, Labour, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
Lewis is given another £1.3m to spend on Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Somehow, our cash-strapped council has managed to find a spare million to hand to the under-performing operators of the town centre’s arts venue, thanks to the recommendation of a new employee of The Campaign Company. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
7 Comments
Scots on the rocks over £13m short-term loan to Croydon
As if being subject to two Reports In The Public Interest from clearly unimpressed accountants is not bad enough, Croydon Council’s casino-like borrowing has also been investigated by local authority auditors in Scotland. Midlothian Council called in Ernst and Young, … Continue reading
Sorry saga when asking questions was called ‘troublemaking’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Those found responsible for the £67.5m shambles of a refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls should not be allowed to get away ‘scot-free’, says ANDREW PELLING Once they are elected on May 5, Croydon’s new executive Mayor needs … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
18 Comments
Tories miss chance to call for police action over Fairfield fiasco
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest fall-out from the £37m overspend on the arts venue as the borough’s councillors – Tory as well as Labour – appear reluctant to turn their old mates over to the police The council … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Shifa Mustafa, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
My six-point plan to restore some pride in the Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The auditors’ Report In The Public Interest published this week reflects very badly on the way our council is run, says the Green Party’s mayoral candidate, PETER UNDERWOOD Fairfield Halls should be one of the crown jewels … Continue reading
Council got £70m Fairfield Halls refurb wrong from the start
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was ‘insane’ to grant a licence to Brick by Brick for the refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, and that led to the £70m ‘shitshow’. Mayoral candidate VAL SHAWCROSS responds to the auditors’ Report In The Public … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Val Shawcross
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Val Shawcross
4 Comments
Negrini and execs ‘failed to ensure council was acting lawfully’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: An auditors’ report into the ‘shoddy’ deal that handed the Fairfield Halls refurbishment to loss-making builders Brick by Brick hints at potential fraud and accuses senior officials of large-scale negligence. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Some … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
17 Comments
Brick by Brick calls in ex-Royal Navy officer to sort out the flak
Brick by Brick has announced the appointment of two directors to manage the wind-down of the loss-making council-owned house-builders. With the publication expected tomorrow of the long-anticipated Report In The Public Interest into the multi-million-pound disaster that was Brick by … Continue reading
Auditors investigated four unlawful actions over Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Twelve months after Grant Thornton was asked to conduct an audit of the botched and budget-busting refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, their report has yet to be published. The delay seems likely to be because the auditors … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, Sarah Ironmonger, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Labour councillor’s 20-point plan to reduce service cuts
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Unions are tonight staging a protest outside the Town Hall against the council’s plan for another £38million-worth of cuts. Here, Labour councillor ANDREW PELLING, pictured left, outlines the ways he believes that the council can avoid causing harm … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Refuse collection, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Veolia, Waddon
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Council Tax, Council Tax Support, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Tory, Waddon
10 Comments
The Sound of Silence is not the song we need from Town Hall
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Since audit regulations were amended in 2015, only five other local councils have been the subject of Reports in the Public Interest, with findings from their auditors of mismanagement or wrong-doing*. Croydon joined that list last year and … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Ian Kierans, Jo Negrini, Labour, Nolan Principles, Report in the Public Interest, Tony Newman
1 Comment
Council to be rocked by second Report In The Public Interest
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The £70m ‘Fairfield fiasco’ has provoked serious concerns with auditors over the potential misuse of public money, with bungling developers Brick by Brick under scrutiny. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES External auditors are to issue a Report In … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paula Murray, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Ennis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sean Fitzsimons, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, London, Oliver Lewis, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Ennis, RIPI, Tony Newman
5 Comments
