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Category Archives: Youth Services
Croydon MP introduces Bill to guarantee local youth services
Croydon East’s Labour MP Natasha Irons has introduced a 10-minute-rule Bill to Parliament that would place clear duties on councils to plan, deliver and resource youth services properly, rather than treating them as optional. Irons’s Bill has the backing of … Continue reading
Centre of excellence serving Croydon’s youth for 80 years
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: The Sir Philip Game Centre in Addiscombe is a ground-breaking experiment in crime prevention which has provided access to a range of activities for thousands of youngsters since it opened. DAVID MORGAN recounts its history and some of … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Boxing, Charity, David Morgan, Duke McKenzie, Education, Policing, Sir Philip Game Centre, Sport, Youth Services
Tagged Addiscombe, Boxing, David Morgan, Duke McKenzie, Frank Bruno, Frankie Lucas, Judo, Morland Avenue, Roy Hudd, Sir Philip Game Centre, St Vincent, Tommy Trinder
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Perry confronted outside Town Hall over Carers’ Centre closure
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Senior council official tells meeting held in George Street that he and his staff ‘had no knowledge about the closure of the centre or new service provider’. PLUS: Protests planned for Wednesday night against more service cuts … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Carers First, Charity, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Whitgift Foundation, Youth Services
Tagged Carers Centre, Carers First, Carers' assessement service, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Carers Centre, Croydon Council, George Street, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory, Whitgift Foundation
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Cut Mayor’s special allowances by 50%, say Croydon’s Greens
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Ahead of the council’s more-heat-than-light annual Budget meetings that begin this week, PETER UNDERWOOD highlights how the councillors of one party at the Town Hall are presenting some realistic proposals Honesty and fairness. They are the themes of … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Youth Services
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel
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Hundreds sign petition to protest at Carers’ Centre closure
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry accused of ‘shallow hypocrisies’ as the borough’s carers question whether council has conducted proper equalities impact assessments over the switch of contracts from local charities A petition set up by users and supporters of the … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Charity, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Whitgift Foundation, Youth Services
Tagged Carers Centre, Carers First, Carers' assessement service, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Carers Centre, Croydon Council, Croydon Mencap, George Street, Katherine Kerswell, Katie Rose, Mayor Jason Perry, Mind in Croydon, Tory, Whitgift Foundation
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‘Council is gas-lighting us over support services’ say carers
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Carers’ Centre on George Street becomes the latest casualty of Mayor Perry’s cuts, as consultants hired by the council for £1m are thought to be behind the cost-trimming changes Hard-pressed residents who use the Croydon Carers’ … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Charity, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Whitgift Foundation, Youth Services
Tagged Carers Centre, Carers First, Carers' assessement service, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Carers Centre, Croydon Council, George Street, Mayor Jason Perry, Mind in Croydon, Newton, Off the Record, Roisha Hughes, Tory, Whitgift Foundation
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Carers ‘devastated’ as new council deal sees ‘sanctuary’ close
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The hollowing out of the borough continues with the announcement to staff this morning that the Carers’ Centre is to close next month, after the council handed a service contract to another provider. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Charity, Croydon Council, Whitgift Foundation, Youth Services
Tagged Carers Centre, Carers' assessement service, Citizens Advice Bureau, Citizens Advice Croydon, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Carers Centre, Croydon Council, George Street, Mayor Jason Perry, Roisha Hughes, Tory, Whitgift Foundation
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Croydon follows Brighton and Medway with care-leavers’ app
Croydon Council has released a care leavers app to support what they now term as “care-experienced young people” – care leavers – who are taking their first steps towards independent living. The council claims that Croydon Cares “has been co-designed … Continue reading
Mayor Perry accused of ‘cover up’ over Sentamu case review
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Sources at Croydon Town Hall say that they suspect there is a cover-up over what the council’s social workers, Metropolitan Police and community groups knew about Hassan Sentamu, the teenager convicted of the vicious murder of … Continue reading
Posted in Andy Brittain, Children's Services, Community associations, Crime, Croydon Council, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, New Addington, Policing, Youth Services
Tagged Anthony King, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Donna Murray-Turner, Elianne Andam, Hassan Sentamu, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, Metropolitan Police, MOPAC, MyEnds, Safer Neighbourhood Board, Youth Engagement Service
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MP Jones ‘deeply concerned’ at council cuts to youth service
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, recommends a pay rise for himself, he’s cutting a youth service in what has been described as a ‘stealthy’ move, one which could have ‘catastrophic’ consequences. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Fieldway, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, Youth Services
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Fieldway, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, New Addington, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, STUART KING, Tory, Youth Engagement Service
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Care leavers given short notice of council’s work scheme
A two-month paid internship scheme in Croydon’s housing contact centre sounds great, but applications are online only and all the borough’s public libraries – with free internet access – are closed until after Christmas Who would want to work in … Continue reading
Council axes Fieldway youth team two weeks before Christmas
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Around a dozen youth workers, many based in New Addington, were told they would lose their jobs last week, as Mayor Jason Perry looks to outsource outreach provision to charities and voluntary groups to save some cash. … Continue reading
Collins named as new £175,000 director of children’s services
Stuart Collins – no, not that one – has been appointed as the council’s corporate director of children, young people and education, taking over from septugenarian Debbie Jones. The job was advertised in August with a £175,000 per year salary. … Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, SEND, Stuart Collins, Youth Services
Tagged Children young people and education, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Lunar House, Ofsted, Ofsted inspection, Stuart Collins, Tory
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Westfield makes £25,000 annual grant to ensure lasting Legacy
Croydon’s Legacy Youth Zone is to receive £75,000 over the next three years as part of a “new partnership” with Unibail-Rodamco Westfield, the French-owned multi-billion shopping centre developers and owners. URW announced the deal with Legacy, saying that it “forms … Continue reading
Council caught fly-tipping discarded furniture by youth club
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Volunteers, residents and even councillors have been ignored by officials, as council staff have turned a patch of open space into a dump. EXCLUSIVE by KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter Croydon’s part-time Mayor has his work … Continue reading
Council axes its annual grant to flagship Legacy Youth Zone
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest casualty of the council’s financial mismanagement The Legacy Youth Zone, a flagship development of Tony Newman’s Labour council, built with £3.25million capital investment from the Town Hall, is to … Continue reading
Kerswell considering cost-cutting 4-day week for council staff
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The cash-strapped council could reduce staff’s working hours on top of job cuts, under some of the latest solutions being offered to save money, reports KEN LEE Croydon staff could be placed on four-day weeks under one … Continue reading
‘Strong and stable’? Henderson is third to leave department
It was 2.43pm when the publish button was pressed yesterday at Inside Croydon Towers for our exclusive report of the imminent departure from the council of Rob Henderson, executive director of children, families and education. Two hours later, the council … Continue reading
Council’s prestige £6.5m youth project opening gets delayed
Four years after they announced the project in a flurry of mutual back-slapping, the council’s leadership has gone quiet as the Legacy Youth Zone has missed its deadline, reports KEN LEE There has been an unusual, for him, silence from … Continue reading
Thousands of families helped by £657,000 holiday club fund
Croydon Council has managed to make a successful bid for government funding, with a £657,000 award announced yesterday towards a scheme to provide free summer holiday activity clubs and healthy meals for children from some of the borough’s poorest families. … Continue reading
You’re hired! Council takes on two dozen apprentices
Croydon Council has taken on 24 apprentices this week as part of a campaign to create more training and job opportunities for local young people. The new recruits arrived as the council launched a campaign called Choose Your Future, encouraging … Continue reading
Negrini tells staff: ‘There are some things that we don’t do well’
While the government has had to step in to safeguard vulnerable children in the borough, Jo Negrini, Croydon’s £185,000 a year chief executive, has failed to apologise for her organisation’s failings nor taken responsibility for the shortcomings highlighted in today’s … Continue reading
Council’s ‘Rottweiler behaviour’ sent carer to brink of suicide
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Last week, we reported how the Local Government Ombudsman had found “a catalogue of unacceptable failings by London Borough of Croydon, which has left a family stretched to breaking point”. Here, in a shocking criticism of the way … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Croydon Council, Education, Youth Services
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, EHCP, Jo Negrini, Local Government Ombudsman, SEND
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