WALTER CRONXITE on a new report that shows that in neighbouring boroughs, some councillors have not been punctual in paying their Council Tax bills
Yet further evidence has emerged that Croydon Council Tax-payers may be forking out far too much in “allowances” to the the many councillors who are supposed to represent residents at the Town Hall, since Croydon turns out to be one of the few boroughs in south London where the local authority has not had to issue any reminders to its elected councillors for late payment of Council Tax.
There’s probably good reason why the councillors – 39 Labour, 30 Tory and one independent on the naughty step – are up to date with their Council Tax payments: between them they receive a grand £1,456,862 per year in payments from the council, the highest figure paid out among all London boroughs.
Many Croydon councillors are hard-working, trying to cope with a soaring volume of casework, as they now take up some of the slack left by round after round of redundancies to council staff. Most receive a modest basic allowance of £11,239 per year.
But a small clique of cabinet members, including council leader Tony Newman, his deputy Alison Butler and close colleague Mark Watson can expect to bank £43,000 or more as a result of their “special responsibilities”.
CROYDON COMMENTARY: 
This indicates to me that the problem of delays, cancellations and skip stopping is to continue into 2018.
“After a year off in preparation for the move to Crystal Palace Park, we return bigger and better than ever and we are looking forward to working with you all, ensuring that our festival continues to engage and inspire,” the organisers said today.
This is the same Croydon Council which in the past year paid more than £100,000 to a “despicable” firm of legal experts to block appeals from parents of children with special educational needs from getting the proper support to which they are entitled by law
Churches across London, including three in Croydon, are inviting their local communities to help bring hope to some of the country’s most vulnerable children this festive season by supporting their candle-lit Christingle celebration in aid of The Children’s Society.
The timing appears particularly cynical, coming just as the rail industry announced the latest fare hike, at more than double the rate of inflation, to hit commuters in their wallets and purses from January 2.
CROYDON COMMENTARY: 
The decision to go into the property speculation business was announced in a council report at the end of last week – only after the contracts had already been exchanged.
