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Category Archives: Robert Ward
Rubbish councillor Roche finally sacked from Mayor’s cabinet
Jason Perry’s ‘top team’ for his second term in charge of the Town Hall sees a belated call-up for a 76-year-old pensioner, and an overdue axing for a work-shy colleague. KEN LEE reports Scott Roche, the Conservative councillor for Shirley … Continue reading
Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fly tipping, Housing, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Luke Shortland, Lynne Hale, Margaret Bird, Mayor Jason Perry, Ola Kolade, Refuse collection, Richard Chatterjee, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Scott Roche, Selsdon and Addington Village, Shirley South, Simon Brew, Veolia, Yvette Hopley
Tagged Cllr Alasdair Stewart, Cllr Jason Cummings, Cllr Robert Ward, Cllr Scott Roche, Conservative, Council Cabinet, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fly-tipping, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory, Veolia
5 Comments
McArdle’s reward for Croydon failure: £1,200 per day in Brum
Having delivered no appreciable improvement in Croydon after more than four years, the council’s ‘improvement’ panel left south London last week, to be replaced by Commissioners. But the panel members’ ride on the gravy train does not end there. By … Continue reading
Posted in Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Robert Ward, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged Bexley, Commissioner, Conservative, Council Tax, Council transformation, Croydon, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Greenwich, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jackie Belton, James Blythe, Jim McMahon, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Merton, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory, Transformation plan
7 Comments
Tory improvement panel ‘clearly failed’, says Tory councillor
In the first break with the omerta adopted by Mayor Jason Perry and council CEO Katherine Kerswell over the so-called ‘improvement panel’, a senior Tory councillor says that the appointees of the Conservative government ‘failed’. By WALTER CONXITE, Political Editor … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Robert Ward, Section 114 notice, Selsdon and Addington Village, Stabilisation Plan
Tagged Abi Brown, Bexley, Commissioner, Conservative, Council Tax, Council transformation, Croydon, Croydon Council, Debbie Warren, Ged Curran, Greenwich, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jackie Belton, James Blythe, Jim McMahon, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Merton, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Section 114 Notice, Tory, Transformation plan
4 Comments
Jewitt tops councillor charts for a second successive year
After the brickbats for the work-shy do-littles who populate our Town Hall Chamber, today we celebrate those elected representatives who keep busy by keeping council officials busy They will be dancing down Sauchiehall Street tonight, as proud Scot Karen Jewitt … Continue reading
Posted in Amy Foster, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Gayle Gander, Karen Jewitt, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Robert Ward, Rowenna Davis, Samir Dwesar, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, West Thornton, Woodside
Tagged Cllr Amy Foster, Cllr Claire Bonham, Cllr Karen Jewitt, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Councillor allowances, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gayle Gander, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Samir Dwesar, Sherwan Chowdhury, Simon Fox, Tory, Toss-cars
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A century of Selsdon captured in new exhibition’s photographs
CHRIS JONES, Editor of The Selsdon Gazette, the publication of the area’s residents’ association, outlines a century of suburban growth, which is now the subject of a free exhibition at the local library One hundred years ago, in 1925, Selsdon … Continue reading
Supporters campaign to save under-threat Selsdon Centre
The trustees of an old people’s charity in Selsdon that is under threat of closure after Mayor Jason Perry axed their annual council grant have launched a petition appealing for public support. As Inside Croydon revealed last week, the Selsdon … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Charity, Fatima Zaman, Joseph Lee, Mayor Jason Perry, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Centre for the Retired, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Mayor Jason Perry, Selsdon, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Centre for the Retired, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
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Crisis for Selsdon charity hard hit by council’s double-whammy
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry’s cuts are beginning to bite in his Tory heartlands, with the long-established Selsdon Centre for the Retired facing the prospect of closure next year. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A respected and admired charity that supports … Continue reading
Posted in Age UK Croydon, Andrew Stranack, Charity, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, CVA, Fatima Zaman, Joseph Lee, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Centre for the Retired, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andy Stranack, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fatima Zaman, Joseph Lee, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Robert Ward, Selsdon, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Centre for the Retired, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Tory
5 Comments
Here’s the Mayor and 33 Croydon Tory councillors who THREE times voted in favour of hitting you with a 15% Council Tax hike
JASON PERRY. Mayor of Croydon Elected in May 2022 with a margin of fewer than 600 votes. Is paid £82,000 per year by the council. His office answers the phone just 20 hours per week. Stood on a election promise … Continue reading
Posted in Adele Benson, Andrew Stranack, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fatima Zaman, Helen Redfern, Ian Parker, Jade Appleton, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Joseph Lee, Lynne Hale, Margaret Bird, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Ola Kolade, Richard Chatterjee, Robert Ward, Scott Roche, Simon Brew, Simon Fox, Sue Bennett, Tony Pearson, Yvette Hopley
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
25 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 Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Kroll, Labour, Robert Ward, Sarah Ironmonger, Tony Newman, Tory
14 Comments
Town Hall election reflections from a backbench councillor
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Among the candidates seeking election last Thursday was ROBERT WARD, right, who’s been a Conservative councillor for Selsdon and Addington Village since 2018. Here, he shares his thoughts on a tough campaign, and what the next Town Hall … Continue reading
Dear New Mayor: time to come clean with council’s secrets
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Whoever is elected on Thursday as the borough’s first Mayor will inherit an in-tray weighed down with a raft of controversial reports and investigations into missing millions, the details of which have been kept secret for far too … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, Val Shawcross
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Robert Ward, Selsdon, Selsdon and Addington Village, Tory, Val Shawcross
3 Comments
If councillors ask questions, we deserve to be given answers
CROYDON COMMENTARY: With election day a week away, Conservative councillor and member of the scrutiny committee, ROBERT WARD, offers a few ideas for any incoming Mayor Dear New Mayor, Congratulations on your election victory. You have an opportunity to make … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Selsdon and Addington Village
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Conservative, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Labour, Mayor, Robert Ward, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Tory
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£67m fraud at Fairfield: Town Hall row over calling in police
CRISIS SPECIAL: The council’s most senior legal official wants to check the £70m Fairfield fiasco for fraud, but the borough’s Labour councillors don’t want to call in the police, yet their leader says she has already reported it to the … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Mott MacDonald, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Labour, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Ward, Sarah Ironmonger, STUART KING, Tony Newman, Tory
24 Comments
The day I signed up with the NHS in the fight against covid
What’s it like on the frontline of the pandemic battle? ROBERT WARD found out yesterday, when he volunteered for duties at one of the borough’s largest vaccination centres It’s been a while since I set a 6.30am alarm, but needs … Continue reading
Posted in Centrale, Health, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village
Tagged Centrale, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Robert Ward
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Roadworks on Green Belt cause worries for Addington villagers
There’s agitation among Addington villagers, after a local landowner erected gates to block public access to a large field and has started to build an access road through Green Belt land, all apparently without any planning permission or agreement with … Continue reading
Posted in Addington, Addington Residents' Association, Community associations, Croydon Central, Environment, Planning, Property, Robert Ward, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon and Addington Village
Tagged Addington, Addington Village, Croydon, Croydon Central, Falconwood, Robert Ward, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon and Addington Village
2 Comments
Government to pay £2.3m of borough’s asylum children’s costs
The Home Office will pay an additional £2.3million to Croydon this year to cover the rising costs to the borough of being a first stop in this country for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The cash-strapped borough last month threatened to copy … Continue reading
Mystery of the ‘lost’ £600,000 expert report into Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Suspicions mount over the business of Brick by Brick and the scandal surrounding the Fairfield Halls refurbishment. But even members of the Town Hall’s scrutiny committee are being denied vital information by council directors. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Asmat Hussain, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sarah Hayward, Sean Fitzsimons
Tagged Asmat Hussain, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Labour, Robert Ward, Sarah Hayward, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman, Tory
24 Comments
How remote meetings sometimes bring the council closer
Have we inadvertently discovered a better way of staging some council meetings? Croydon councillor ROBERT WARD thinks so Imagine we had decided in the pre-pandemic world to run council meetings remotely. There would have been studies, options analyses, pilot projects, … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Robert Ward
5 Comments
Brick by Brick and the 18 documents officers want kept secret
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Not for the first time, elected councillors have been denied vital information about Town Hall deals. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Conservatives have “called in” for extra scrutiny three multi-million-pound deals intended to off-load the council’s loss-making … Continue reading
Leader says she has no idea who approved BxB loans
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The £224m in loans and unpaid interest owed to the council by Brick by Brick may have broken EU and British state aid and competition laws. But after nearly six months in her job, Hamida Ali claims … Continue reading
‘Changing the culture of secrecy must be the turning point’
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on the council leadership’s reaction to yesterday’s announcements from the local government ministry “We have a very long way to go,” the council leader, Hamida Ali, said, more than once, as she accepted the findings … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Robert Ward, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Panel, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Robert Ward, S114, Section 114, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman, Tory
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Council applies emergency brake on New Year parking hike
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Transport correspondent JEREMY CLACKSON reports on how Fisher’s Folly officials have been forced into a sudden U-turn over their money-spinning ’emissions-based’ parking charges New car parking charges, due to come into force at council-run car parks and … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Joy Prince, Muhammad Ali, New Addington South, Parking, Pubs, Purley, Restaurants, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Selsdon & Ballards, Shifa Mustafa, Shirley North, Thornton Heath, Transport
Tagged Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, Emmissions-based parking charges, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Joy Prince, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Muhammad Ali, New Addington, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Shifa Mustafa, South Norwood, Thornton Heath
8 Comments
The Audit Report: Council ignored five warnings on reserves
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Complacency and ‘corporate blindness’ to the problems at the council contributed to the collapse of the borough’s finances. But Grant Thornton’s report also managed to have a dig at Jo Negrini. WALTER CRONXITE reports Grant Thornton’s Report … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Selsdon and Addington Village, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged CIPFA, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
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