Category Archives: Alisa Flemming

Green spaces under threat as Scott seeks to ignore covenants

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the latest Brick by Brick schemes which will concrete over green space, destroy mature trees and even tear up a legal covenant that dates back to the 19th century Thursday’s virtual planning meeting will … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Norbury Park, Paul Scott, Planning, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Sherwan Chowdhury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Newman’s claims over diversity miss the real ‘need for change’

Black Lives Matter. But in Orwellian Croydon, some matter more than others, as our political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports While many in England will be rushing off to the pub tomorrow, Tony Newman will be using a Croydon Labour councillors’ … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, David Wood, Jane Avis, Janet Campbell, Louisa Woodley, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

June 1 is too soon to go back to school, say teachers’ union

Education correspondent GENE BRODIE on the potentially deadly dilemma facing the borough’s headteachers, parents and youngest pupils There’s growing doubts – and much scientific evidence – that next Monday is too soon for young children to be expected to go … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Education, Schools, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon teachers issue warning over re-opening of schools

Our education correspondent, GENE BRODIE, on a dire warning from the vast majority of the borough’s teachers over placing wealth before health Teachers in the borough have written to the council to warn that they oppose any plans for a … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Education, Health, Schools | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ofsted inspection rates Croydon children’s services ‘Good’

It has taken two and a half years, and an extra £25million spent on recruiting staff and providing new equipment, but Croydon Council’s children’s services department has finally been rated as “Good” by Ofsted following its latest inspection. The borough’s … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Nick Pendry, Robert Henderson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Flemming runs for Streatham – and Newman gives his backing

Alisa Flemming, the Croydon council cabinet member who was in charge of the borough’s children’s services when they descended into a dangerously “inadequate” state, as judged by Ofsted inspectors, is now looking to advance her own political career by running … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Lambeth Council, Norbury Park, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council’s sorry performance after Ombudsman’s dozen rulings

One reason that rulings by the Local Government Ombudsman against local authorities, such as Croydon, attract so little attention is that the Ombudsman’s office never insists that the offending councils should publish the findings in full on their own website. … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Robert Henderson, Schools, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Newman ducks questions to show he’s all words, not deeds

TOWN HALL SKETCH: Who are we to believe? The last full council meeting until October descended into accusations from politicians of lying (ahh, the sweet irony), while the public’s petitions were re-written for them by council officials, until debate was … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Housing, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Libraries, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Stuart Collins, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman, Waste incinerator, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Charity, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Planning, Tony Newman, Youth Services | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Creatura’s Town Hall promotion could signal early end of May

The next full meeting of our council is Monday’s anachronistic annual ‘mayor-making’ ceremony in the Town Hall chamber. Ahead of it, the council’s two political groups have been tinkering with their line-ups. Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, reports that one … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Chris Clark, Crime, Croydon Council, Helen Redfern, Knife crime, Leila Ben-Hassel, Mario Creatura, Oni Oviri, Purley, Stephen Mann, Steve O'Connell, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Flemming’s SEND strategy report gives much to live up to

The council cabinet meeting at the Town Hall on Monday saw Alisa Flemming present the council’s draft strategy for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – SEND. Councillor Fleming is the council’s cabinet member for inadequate children’s services and failing schools. … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Schools, SEND | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Council could seek more time to fix problem children’s services

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest, critical Ofsted report on the council children’s services department, which has 78% vacancy rate among  some of its social work teams Croydon Council could be forced to seek an extension to the … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Barbara Peacock, Bromley Council, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Nick Pendry, Robert Henderson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council’s short notice of New Addington special school event

A press release from our council’s dynamic press office slammed in to our email in-box just after 2pm today. Someone had thoughtfully passed it on to us, since the council’s press office seems to think they don’t need to deal … Continue reading

Posted in Addington Valley Academy, Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, New Addington, Planning, Schools | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Pendry named by Town Hall as new children’s social care chief

Nick Pendry has been named as the council’s new director for early help and children’s social care, due to take up his post in the troubled children’s services department in January. Pendry will report to Robert Henderson, who last month … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Barbara Peacock, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Eleni Ioannides, Nick Pendry, Robert Henderson | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon social workers ‘demoralised’, say Ofsted inspectors

One year on and Ofsted inspectors are still seriously dissatisfied with the pace of improvement in Croydon’s children’s services department. Croydon’s children’s services were declared “inadequate” in an Ofsted inspectors’ report in September 2017, and today the inspectors have issued … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Eleni Ioannides, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council names Henderson as new exec for children’s services

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on how the replacement executive director for the council’s failing children’s services department arrives after having a role in the closure of a charity in another south London borough Almost six months after Barbara Peacock … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Barbara Peacock, Charity, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Robert Henderson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Local Offer website fails to meet standards under SEND laws

Parents and carers of children and young adults with SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disability – claim that the new, malfunctioning Local Offer website launched by the council last month is not only full of broken hyperlinks and broken … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Alisa Flemming, Andrew Rendle, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jo Negrini | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Failing church secondary could re-open to new pupils in 2020

GENE BRODIE, our education correspondent, on how the council and the church are planning to re-open a Waddon secondary school – once all its current pupils have left St Andrew’s High could re-open as a church secondary in 2020 – … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Andrew Pelling, Coombe Wood School, Education, Robert Canning, Schools, St Andrew's, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ofsted finds Croydon children in ‘neglectful circumstances’

Another day, another damning critique from a government agency of Croydon Council’s inability to manage the services it is supposed to provide. And yet again, no apology for the failures, nor acceptance of responsibility, from the council’s political leadership or … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Eleni Ioannides, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Controversial chair of planning Scott gets promoted to cabinet

WALTER CRONXITE reports on the latest egregious example of Town Hall patronage, and all done at your expense – including one of ‘Tony’s Cronies’ getting £6,000 per committee meeting Despite managing to bring together 17 residents’ groups in opposition to … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Jane Avis, Louisa Woodley, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mark Watson, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Nine months on, and Labour still selecting election candidates

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on how the ruling party in Croydon is struggling to find candidates for all the borough’s wards Today marks 60 days until the Town Hall elections on May 3. Yet Croydon Labour still hasn’t managed … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Caragh Skipper, Clive Fraser, Croydon Central, Selsdon & Ballards, Shirley South, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Confusing, euphemistic, unclear, vague’: Flemming unravels

BBC Radio London’s Vanessa Feltz was withering in her criticism of an abject on-air performance by one of Croydon’s most senior councillors. Listening in to the car crash interview was WALTER CRONXITE Answers provided by Alisa Flemming, the Croydon Council … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cabinet member accuses Tory councillor of ‘stalking’ her

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a heated debate in the chamber this week The first full council meeting of 2018 descended into acrimony and insults, as shocking details continue to emerge regarding Croydon’s failing children services department, with one … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Alisa Flemming, Andrew Stranack, Children's Services, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Heathfield, John Wentworth, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Litany of council failures before brutal death of toddler

The death of a two-year-old in a brutal murder in Wolverhampton in 2016 has been linked to the failures of Croydon’s children’s services department. Croydon children’s services has responsibility for the borough’s fostered and adopted children, unaccompanied asylum seekers and … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Crime, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whitehall orders Camden to take charge of children’s services

An independent commissioner has recommended that Croydon’s crisis-hit children’s services department needs outside help, after failures of leadership and management. WALTER CRONXITE reports Pressure continues to mount on Tony Newman, the council leader, after the Department for Education last night … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Alisa Flemming, Barbara Peacock, Children's Services, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Jo Negrini, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments