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Category Archives: Richard Simpson
Croydon’s rewards for failure laid bare in Town Hall Rich List
Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s chief executive who issued three Section 114 notices of effective bankruptcy during her time in charge at the council, was taking home salary and pensions totalling £223,838 in the year before she left Fisher’s Folly. Yet Kerswell … Continue reading
Posted in Annette McPartland, Bromley Council, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dean Shoesmith, Elaine Jackson, Helen Bailey, Jenny Rowlands, Katherine Kerswell, Lambeth Council, Outside Croydon, Richard Simpson, Southwark Council, Susmita Sen, Sutton Council
Tagged Ade Adetosoye, Althea Loderick, Annette McPartland, Bromley Council, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Conservative, Corporate Director of Resources, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Helen Bailey, Jane West, Jenny Rowlands, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lambeth council, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, Section 151 officer, Southwark Council, Susmita Sen, Sutton Council, Tax Payers Alliance, Town Hall Rich List, TPA
10 Comments
Accountancy watchdog moves in on officials from Woking
After almost five years, not a single person in Croydon has ever been held responsible for their parts in the council’s financial collapse, the scandal of Brick by Brick or the Fairfield Halls refurbishment fiasco. But in Surrey, two former … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Financial Reporting Council, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, Simon Hall, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tory, Woking Borough Council, Woking Council
9 Comments
Negrini doctored specialist reports and withheld finance details
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Investigators from Kroll never had investigatory powers to check people’s bank accounts in the search for possible fraud over the £73m refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls. But there was evidence in the public domain of ‘direct personal … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Arup, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
15 Comments
Council has £1m loan in the pipeline for heating no one needs
At a committee meeting tonight in Sutton, councillors will be asked to approve a £1m loan for the discredited council-owned heat network, SDEN. But questions are being asked about the viability of the plans, while residents are kept in the … Continue reading
Posted in Bobby Dean, Carshalton and Wallington, Nick Mattey, Richard Simpson, Sutton Council
Tagged Beddington, Beddington Lane incinerator, Bobby Dean MP, Carshalton, David McIntyre, Hackbridge, Liberal Democrats, Nick Mattey, Richard Simpson, Riverside, SDEN, Sutton, Sutton Council, Sutton Decentralised Energy Network, The Lavenders
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Kroll Report provides no answers to £73m Fairfield fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Jo Negrini refused to be interviewed, all Colm Lacey’s emails got wiped and former cabinet members Newman, Scott, Butler and Hall were never spoken to in person as part of the £310,000 investigation. By STEVEN DOWNES Late … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
13 Comments
After four-year delay, council to submit complaint reports
CROYDON IN CRISIS: There won’t be any further police investigation. The council’s pursuit of Jo ‘Negreedy’ Negrini for her pay-off cash appears to have collapsed. But chief exec Katherine Kerswell might now write a couple of sternly worded letters. EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Sutton Council, The Penn Report
Tagged Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Sutton Council, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
4 Comments
290 homes planned for Sutton by man behind Brick by Brick
The senior council director who helped set up Croydon’s doomed housing company is now behind borrowing £26.4m towards 290 homes in Sutton town centre, reports CARL SHILTON Sutton Council is to quadruple the number of homes on its town centre … Continue reading
Council’s action over Negrini pay-off ‘looks dead in the water’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite a bit of grandstanding by Tory Mayor that he would ‘hold to account’ those responsible for bankrupting the borough, an official Freedom of Information response shows that the council is actually doing nothing. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Richard Simpson, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Shifa Mustafa
7 Comments
Kerswell keeps councillors waiting for her tribunal feedback
CROYDON IN CRISIS: How will the borough’s £192,474 per year chief executive explain the suggestion that she lied under oath when defending herself against allegations of racism? By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter Almost a month has passed since the … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle
Tagged #PennReport, Appointments and disciplinary committee, Croydon, Croydon Council, Employment Tribunal, Hazel Simmonds, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Section 114, The Penn Report
12 Comments
Accountancy body launches investigation of ex-finance chief
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Thurrock, in Essex, gave our own council a two-year head start in the bankruptcy stakes, but now they are taking the kind of action which was recommended here long ago. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Outside Croydon, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report
Tagged Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Essex, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Liam Kavanagh, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Richard Simpson, Sean Clark, Shifa Mustafa, Thurrock, Thurrock Council, Tory
7 Comments
Simpson and the Sutton similarities over £100m property loan
Sutton’s investments, developments and procurement come under scrutiny after the Beech Tree Place débâcle. CARL SHILTON reports Sutton Council continues its acquisitions and regeneration projects in the borough. But in a tough economic climate, some cracks are beginning to show. … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Housing, Property, Richard Simpson, Sutton Council
Tagged Beech Tree Place, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Elm Grove, Fairfield Halls, Liberal Democrats, Oru Space, Richard Simpson, Royal Marsden Cancer Hub, skate park, St Nicholas Centre, Sutton Council
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Perry admits he can’t take action against council’s bankrupters
Croydon’s part-time Mayor has always known that the actions of councillors and senior council staff ‘can decimate an authority… without any fear of recrimination’. But he’s been very reluctant to admit his impotency to the borough’s residents. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLU, DLUHC, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
19 Comments
Kerswell condemns councils’ accountability as inadequate
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Yesterday’s meeting of the cash-strapped council’s disciplinary committee may have committed Croydon to tens of thousands of pounds of additional legal costs, with no guarantee of any success in the cases which might eventually be brought. And … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Misconduct in Public Office, Penn Report, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
MP calls for misconduct charges against ex-councillor Hall
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Home Office junior minister Chris Philp says that some of the council’s former leaders ‘committed such egregious breaches of public trust that they should be formally investigated by the police for the criminal offence of misconduct in … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
All you ever need to know about ‘misconduct in public office’…
… but couldn’t be bothered to ask. Here’s a potted summary taken from the Law Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and independent legal advisors on the prospects of a successful prosecution being brought against Croydon’s borough bankrupters using this arcane offence … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, CPS, Crown Prosecution Service, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Law Commission, London Borough of Croydon, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
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 #PennReport, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
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 #PennReport, Boris Johnson, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hammersfield, High Court, Jane Mulcahy KC, Jo Negrini, London Borough of Croydon, Lynton Crosby, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Richard Simpson, The Penn Report, Tory, Westfield
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 #PennReport, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, STUART KING, Tony Newman, Tory
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 #PennReport, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report
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 #PennReport, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Ofsted, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
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 Beech Tree Place, Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Richard Simpson, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tory
3 Comments
