Category Archives: Richard Simpson

Newman breaks his silence to tell Mail: I did no wrong

CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the Penn Report into possible wrong-doing at the council expected to be released by officials shortly, the former council leader has responded to reports in the national press. By STEVEN DOWNES The Daily Mail today became … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Taxing times for Perry as he deploys Negrini as his ‘dead cat’

Try not to get your hopes up too much ahead of next week’s Penn Report meeting, suggests STEVEN DOWNES. The Mayor might be over-promising before under-delivering again Is Jo Negrini being used as a “dead cat” by Croydon Mayor Jason … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Kerswell finally prepares to publish long withheld #PennReport

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s £193,000 per year CEO has descended into the realms of Alice In Blunderland with her latest excuses for ignoring elected councillors and the public. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s chief executive, claims that it … Continue reading

Posted in Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

#PennReport: Cover-ups and denial over Brick by Brick failure

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The ‘highly dysfunctional’ council had ‘no transparency or accountability’ over the way it handled millions of pounds of public money. And this latest extract from the Penn Report shows that some key figures refuse to accept responsibility … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIF, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

#PennReport: Croydon has been let down by political leaders

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The report into the council’s financial collapse that has been withheld for nearly two years includes damning criticisms of some of the council’s most senior staff and political leaders. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s dysfunctional council went … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

LibDems refuse council debate on £44m Beech Tree money pit

Ruth Dombey’s LibDems in Sutton are refusing to discuss a council development project which has already gone £14million over budget before a single brick has been laid. Sutton wants to bulldoze 25 council homes on Beech Tree Place in the … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Richard Simpson, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fairfield: £300k council fraud investigation and still no answers

EXCLUSIVE: Council says its specialist investigators have yet to find anything around the £67m botched refurbishment of the arts centre which needs to be reported to the police. By STEVEN DOWNES An investigation to discover if there was any fraud … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Property, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Brick by Brick boss got paid while setting up own business

CROYDON IN CRISIS: An investigation by this website has discovered that Colm Lacey set up his own personal consultancy company while he was still a paid employee of the council-owned housing developer. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Colm Lacey registered his … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Planning, Richard Simpson | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Kerswell dismisses ‘missing’ £73m as ‘accounting problem’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council chief exec relying on advice from veteran lawyer to overcome auditors’ objections to misuse of housing money. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s £192,000 per year chief executive, and Hamida Ali, the council leader, can be … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Council admits: We’re on the brink of bankruptcy. Again

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a fortnight of unconvincing denials from the Fisher’s Folly propaganda bunker and the local Labour Party, official reports released ahead of budget-setting meetings confirm that Croydon could indeed have to issue a second S114 notice. By … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Richard Ennis, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Sutton’s Simpson show can’t account for £2m SDEN subsidy

‘I can’t give you a guarantee there is no fraud’ – the words of an independent accountancy official at a meeting this week caused further dismay to Sutton’s ruling LibDems amid the growing controversy of their loss-making heat network. CARL … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Elliot Colburn, Environment, Helen Bailey, Jayne McCoy, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Richard Simpson, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opposition renews call for full-scale fraud probe into SDEN

Independent review finds that the loss-making, council-owned district heating network has less of a business case, and is more of a basket case, reports CARL SHILTON Richard Simpson, the senior council official who helped unleash the £200million disaster that is … Continue reading

Posted in Helen Bailey, Jayne McCoy, Nick Mattey, Richard Simpson, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ofgem called in to rule over SDEN’s unfair heating prices

Sutton’s deputy leader has much to account for over the ‘too complicated’ business model for the misfiring power network. CARL SHILTON reports Just days after appointing independent accountants to conduct a review into the business of Sutton’s controversial heating network, … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Jayne McCoy, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Richard Simpson, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Simpson feels heat from MP over SDEN ‘independent’ review

A Sutton MP has raised serious doubts whether a supposedly “independent” review into the controversial council-owned SDEN company will make any difference for the hundreds of Hackbridge residents whose homes and lives have been blighted by the expensive and unreliable … Continue reading

Posted in Elliot Colburn, London-wide issues, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Richard Simpson, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Complaints to regulator over council’s £100m pensions deal

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The scandals at Fisher’s Folly surrounding questionable property transactions keep emerging. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES The council’s £1.5billion pension fund has been the subject of two complaints to the statutory watchdog, the Pensions Regulator, Inside Croydon has … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Chris Buss, Croydon Council, Richard Simpson, Simon Hall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Investigation gets under way but left waiting for Negrini

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The terms of reference for an independent investigation into the disastrous decisions and mismanagement which led to the council going broke have been leaked to Inside Croydon. STEVEN DOWNES reports It might be seen as appropriate, given … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Robert Henderson, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Audit Report: ‘Tony Newman always has been a coward’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: More senior council figures could lose their positions as a result of the Report in the Public Interest which was released last night, as the Town Hall politicians take stock of its consequences. KEN LEE reports Half … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Consultant gives 75 reasons for council’s financial mess

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tony Newman goes into tonight’s council meeting without the cabinet member for finance who has been at his side for a decade, and confronted with a report that shows his administration failed to listen to the warnings … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Croydon In Crisis: Council in disarray as Negrini quits

EXCLUSIVE: Unconfirmed reports suggest that the borough’s £220,000 pa chief exec is about to announce her resignation, leaving behind a trail of calamity as the Town Hall axes at least 400 jobs. By STEVEN DOWNES Jo Negrini, Croydon Council’s chief … Continue reading

Posted in Barbara Peacock, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Planning, Richard Simpson, Robert Henderson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Croydon in crisis: Council spent £5.5m on legal fees in a year

EXCLUSIVE: The Town Hall has mounting legal issues, as it paid south London Rumpoles nearly half a million pounds a month over the past year, reports WALTER CRONXITE Croydon Council spent £5,477,010 in fees for external legal advice in the … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Richard Simpson | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Troubleshooter’s report may give Negrini no choice of action

STEVEN DOWNES on a crucial couple of days for the borough At some point today, Ian O’Donnell will deliver his report on the state of the borough’s finances and what he recommends that needs to be done to get the … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Richard Simpson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments