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Category Archives: Libraries
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
We are witnessing the long, slow death of local government
‘We are staring into an abyss here, and it’s time we faced up to it’. Those were the words of a Conservative councillor in Croydon – in 2013. Here, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, says that faced with austerity on a … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Fisher, CIPFA, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Hastings, Lambeth, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Northumberland, Nottingham, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Thurrock, Tim Pollard, Tory, unemployment, Woking
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Libraries to offer computer training to tackle digital exclusion
Digital skills courses, workshops and drop-ins are being staged for adults in their local libraries after Croydon Council was successful in securing grant funding. Croydon’s library service has been awarded funding from Arts Council England. The funding will go towards … Continue reading
Ready. Get set: Croydon’s reading challenge gets underway
Children aged from four to 11 could win fabulous prizes for taking part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, being run throughout Croydon’s libraries, starting today. The Reading Agency has partnered with the Youth Sport Trust for this year’s theme … Continue reading
Constable comes to Thornton Heath in National Gallery tour
Here’s one way of getting the Tories to have our public libraries operating on a more regular, daily basis: stage a National Gallery exhibition. Thornton Heath public library, which under Conservative Mayor Jason Perry is routinely only open three days … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Education, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry
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Council’s £150,000 for digital zone with 12 libraries part-closed
The council has been given a £150,000 Government grant to create what its propaganda department calls “an energy-efficient, accessible digital discovery zone” at Croydon Central Library. Croydon Council currently has responsibility for 13 public libraries around the borough (Upper Norwood … Continue reading
History Detectives at Croydon Central Library, Apr 5 and 12
Posted in Education, History, Libraries, Museum of Croydon
Tagged Croydon Central Library, Easter, Museum of Croydon
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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 South, Schools, South Norwood
Tagged Better, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Selsdon, South Norwood, Tory
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Perry LIED to council over Brick by Brick’s ‘stair-less’ house
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Opposition councillors demand an immediate apology and question whether the borough’s credulous Tory Mayor can be trusted. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Officials from Croydon Council have been forced to admit that the Conservative Mayor, Jason Perry, lied … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gayle Gander, Green Party, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Nolan Principles, Stair-less house, STUART KING, 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
Now is the time to make our libraries more accessible, not less
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The 10-day closure over the Christmas holiday of the borough’s public libraries may see the council failing in its legal duties, suggests IAN KIERANS With the decision to close the borough’s 13 public libraries for a 10-day period … Continue reading
Library closures are on Mayor’s lists of cuts for New Year
All Croydon’s public libraries will close next week for a 10-day break in service – from Christmas Eve, Saturday December 24 until Monday January 2. But there’s growing concerns among Katharine Street sources that some of the borough’s 13 public … Continue reading
Posted in Broad Green, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Sanderstead, South Norwood
Tagged Bradmore Green Library, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Broad Green Library, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Library, South Norwood, South Norwood Library, Tory
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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 South, 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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Council’s rubbish collection calendars only available online
The annual bin collection calendar has been released, but this year the cash-strapped council is only making the charts available on its website, rather than delivering the helpful at-a-glance guide to every household. This is nothing to do with a … Continue reading
Purley Library and CALAT Festive Fair, Purley, Dec 10
Posted in Activities, CALAT, Education, Libraries, Purley
Tagged CALAT, Purley, Purley Library
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Funding outlook for all London’s boroughs is ‘beyond bleak’
Croydon is not the only cash-strapped council in the capital, as the body which represents all 32 boroughs and the City of London has predicted that there could be a £1.1billion black hole in Town Hall budgets over the next … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, CVA, Georgia Gould, Libraries, London Councils, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Georgia Gould, Jeremy Hunt, London Borough of Croydon, London Councils, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
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McDonald’s hands out thousands of books on Croydon tour
McDonald’s is set to donate thousands of books to children in Croydon as part of its national literacy campaign helping disadvantaged children across the country. Croydon at the end of August was the first stop in a nationwide tour during … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Education, Libraries
Tagged Happy Reader Book Tour, McDonald's, North End
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Mayor issues pledge to save ‘brutalist’ South Norwood Library
GENE BRODIE, libraries correspondent, on a council announcing that it has closed a stable door after its occupant has cantered off into the distance Jason Perry, Croydon’s £81,000 per year part-time Mayor, has declared that the 1960s-built South Norwood Library … Continue reading
Brick by Brick’s South Norwood library on the market for retail
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Fancy renting a public building? One less-than-careful owner. Going cheap-ish. Only a slight pong from leaking sewage and a risk of falling bricks… EXCLUSIVE by BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent Croydon Council has placed its new-ish, Brick by … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Libraries, Paul Scott, Property, South Norwood, Stiles Harold Williams
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, Norwood Junction, Pimp House, Pump House, SHW, South Norwood, South Norwood Library, Stiles Harold Williams
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Croydon v Croydon: Brick by Brick building declared a ‘danger’
The council’s failed development company has been criticised for its late-running, incomplete and vastly over-budget projects. Now one of its most prestigious schemes has been officially ruled to be a danger to the public. EXCLUSIVE by BARRATT HOLMES One of … Continue reading
Two-days-a-week libraries latest step in ‘lingering demise’
Staff and residents’ associations warn that reduced opening hours to be introduced from April 4 are just ‘library closures by stealth’ The borough’s public libraries will go on to a new, reduced hours timetable next month, the last part of … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Bradmore Green, Bradmore Green Library, Broad Green Library, Central Library, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, OCRA, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Purley Library
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Council’s misleading Open+ and shut case for public libraries
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The bankrupt council is spending £1.6m on an untried system that will allow it to reduce staffing hours at our libraries, a decision passed without debate at a Town Hall meeting. Our libraries correspondent, GENE BRODIE, investigates … Continue reading
Posted in Broad Green, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Education, Heather Cheesbrough, Libraries, Manju Shahul Hameed, New Addington South, Norbury, Old Coulsdon, Planning, Purley, Sanderstead, Selsdon and Addington Village, Shirley North, South Norwood, Thornton Heath
Tagged Bradmore Green Library, Broad Green Library, Central Library, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Library, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Public Libraries, Heather Cheesbrough, Manju Shahul Hameed, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead Library, Selsdon Library, South Norwood, Thornton Heath
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Short-staffed libraries forced to close their doors until 2022
Croydon’s libraries, already operating on much-reduced opening hours, will close their doors tonight and not re-open until Monday, January 3, at the earliest. The closures leave students working towards exams in the New Year and other residents denied access to … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Libraries
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Central Library, Croydon Council, Family Justice Centre, Libraries
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