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

Work experience: Croydon Council is offering a paid internship for care leavers. But it has made applying fiendishly tricky
Who would want to work in customer services at cash-strapped Croydon Council?
Croydon Council seems to think someone might, because they are trying to recruit youngsters to the role.
Though they are not trying too hard, in true Croydon Council style, as they issued the announcement of a training and work experience “programme” only this morning, just as most of the country is preparing to shut-down and gorge itself silly for 10 days.
And the deadline for applications to the council’s little scheme is Friday January 3.
Croydon Council is an organisation where the meaning of the words “customer” and “service” were believed to have been forgotten long ago, even before the Town Hall went bust.
So it will surprise no one that there’s been some further word-mangling going on with the title of the council’s new scheme, which is targeted at “care-experienced young people aged 18 to 24”. Continue reading

















Jason Cummings, the Conservative-run council’s most senior cabinet member, maintains that misconduct did take place in Croydon in the years leading up to the authority’s financial collapse in 2020 – despite the Metropolitan Police saying that they will not investigate the senior staff and councillors who were behind the Brick by Brick scandal and the Fairfield Halls fiasco.
Faced with a surge in demand for hospital beds because of seasonal viruses, the NHS in London is asking the public to “help us help you” this Christmas.





