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Tag Archives: Alison Butler
Council names new legal chief as exec churn continues
Our council reporter, PEARL LEE, discovers that the new borough solicitor was, until last month, the director of private property companies Croydon has announced a new, permanent appointee to become the council’s senior legal official. They just don’t seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman
1 Comment
Butler and Scott broke Code of Conduct over Fairfield meeting
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Shawcross joins condemnation of senior Labour councillors after they are let off lightly for breaking ethics rules. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Right to the bitter end, Paul Scott and Alison Butler, the couple who were at … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Bensham Manor, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Woodside
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Labour, Paul Scott, Tony Newman
6 Comments
£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Going, going… Labour council flogs off parkland for £600,000
The toxic legacy of Alison Butler, Hamida Ali, Tony Newman and the rest of his numpties was hammered home this morning, with an auctioneer’s gavel. Heath Lodge, the long-neglected park keeper’s cottage in Grangewood Park, Thornton Heath, was sold by … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Business, Callton Young, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Grangewood Park, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Thornton Heath
Tagged Alison Butler, Callton Young, Croydon, Croydon Council, Friends of Grangewood Park, Grangewood Park, Heath Lodge, Jo Negrini, Labour, Steve Reed OBE, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
6 Comments
Council admits: We’re on the brink of bankruptcy. Again
CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a fortnight of unconvincing denials from the Fisher’s Folly propaganda bunker and the local Labour Party, official reports released ahead of budget-setting meetings confirm that Croydon could indeed have to issue a second S114 notice. By … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Richard Ennis, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Affordable Housing, Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, James Goudie QC, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Richard Ennis, Richard Simpson, S114, Section 114, Simon Hall
8 Comments
Locals to protest in Thornton Heath over sale of parkland
Nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition raised in Thornton Heath to call on the council to stop the auctioning of Heath Lodge, a former park keeper’s house in Grangewood Park, together with a chunk of parkland. A Friends group … Continue reading
Met Police confirm fraud review into £67.5m Fairfield fiasco
KEN LEE reports on the latest twist in the council’s headlong rush towards bankruptcy, and perhaps worse, with the Town Hall’s fate in the hands of Michael Gove The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they have opened an investigation into … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Housing Revenue Account, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman, Tory
11 Comments
Labour group’s response to £73m scandal? Sack the auditors!
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Having been caught out with another multi-million-pound scandal, the councillors who have been running the Town Hall for the past eight years have now decided to pass the buck to accountants Grant Thornton. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Business, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Labour, Paul Scott, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Labour to sack councillor who voted against benefit cuts
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The Tony Newman-led vendetta against one of his own council group seems set to reach a bitter conclusion this week when Andrew Pelling looks likely to have the whip removed for daring to vote in the … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Hamida Ali, Joy Prince, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Croydon, Croydon South, Joel Bodmer, Labour, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Steve Reed OBE, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Waddon
13 Comments
Council faces new storm over ‘missing’ £73m housing money
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Auditors are refusing to sign-off the Town Hall accounts because of missing millions from a complex nexus of housing companies, which could force the council to tip over the edge into bankruptcy for a second time in … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, S114, Section 114, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
21 Comments
Halls of shame: Butler and Scott referred to council legal chief
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Leading figures in the council’s financial crash failed to declare any interests before taking part in vote against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud at the Fairfield Halls. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour councillors … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony Newman
5 Comments
Travers quits Lambeth after housing watchdog’s 30 complaints
It’s all change up the road at Brixton Town Hall, where £185,000 per year chief exec Andrew Travers has announced he is standing down, probably after May’s local elections. “Working for Lambeth Council has been a great experience,” Travers tweeted. … Continue reading
Countryside charity slams Local Plan threat to green spaces
One of England’s biggest conservation and countryside charities has accused Croydon Council’s revised Local Plan of “lacking ambition” and once again putting the borough’s green spaces under threat of development. What the council is calling a “review” of the Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Lloyd Park, New Addington South, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, Shirley North, Waddon
Tagged Alison Butler, Coombe Farm, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Local Plan, Heather Cheesbrough, Labour, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Purley, Shirley, Waddon
5 Comments
Under-fire repairs contractors Axis quit before they can be axed
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The housing repairs contractors who were at the centre of the Regina Road council flats scandal are walking away from their new £21m per year deal two years early. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Less than a year … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing
Tagged Alison Butler, Axis, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Patricia Hay-Justice, South Norwood
7 Comments
A year after housing scandal, council to raise rents by 4.1%
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Some of the poorest people in the borough face another cost-of-living increase – and one which the cash-strapped council doesn’t need to impose. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s Labour-run council is preparing to hike rents to all its … Continue reading
Brazen Butler at centre of new storm over Fairfield Halls fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A leading figure among those who failed ‘to do their jobs responsibly, honestly and legally’ voted against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud in the £67.5m arts centre refurb. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The decision … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Tony Newman
4 Comments
£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
Sorry saga when asking questions was called ‘troublemaking’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Those found responsible for the £67.5m shambles of a refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls should not be allowed to get away ‘scot-free’, says ANDREW PELLING Once they are elected on May 5, Croydon’s new executive Mayor needs … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
18 Comments
Tories miss chance to call for police action over Fairfield fiasco
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest fall-out from the £37m overspend on the arts venue as the borough’s councillors – Tory as well as Labour – appear reluctant to turn their old mates over to the police The council … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Shifa Mustafa, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
Negrini and execs ‘failed to ensure council was acting lawfully’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: An auditors’ report into the ‘shoddy’ deal that handed the Fairfield Halls refurbishment to loss-making builders Brick by Brick hints at potential fraud and accuses senior officials of large-scale negligence. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Some … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
17 Comments
Eye! Eye! Croydon gets two gongs in Rotten Boroughs awards
The annual round-up of greed, venality and incompetence among the country’s local authorities has seen our council out-perform many others, yet again. But did satirical fortnightly magazine Private Eye miss a trick over one former ‘award-winner’? Perhaps the governance and … Continue reading
Croydon 2021: a tale of lockdowns, let-downs and meltdowns
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: Croydon entered 2021 as a bankrupt borough, yet there was worse still to come. Inside Croydon has been there, reporting on every twist and turn of events around the cash-strapped council as it entered … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Rachel Flowers, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, South Norwood Community Kitchen, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged #Binmageddon, Alison Butler, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Fransoy Hewitt, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Peter Bingle, Regina Road, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, STUART KING, Terrapin Group, Tony Newman
4 Comments
Auditors investigated four unlawful actions over Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Twelve months after Grant Thornton was asked to conduct an audit of the botched and budget-busting refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, their report has yet to be published. The delay seems likely to be because the auditors … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Report in the Public Interest, Sarah Ironmonger, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Pelling banned by Labour for daring to speak to Inside Croydon
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: ‘It’s not about justice, it is about Labour Party rules. It’s not a court of law.’ That’s what one official said, apparently seriously, as the purge continues with potentially ruinous consequences for the party come polling … Continue reading
Nine months on and council tenants are still being ignored
CROYDON IN CRISIS: If 2020 was Croydon Council’s year of Negreedy and bankruptcy, 2021 has been the year of leaks, mould and a local authority exposed as incompetent and uncaring about those living in its properties. And there are worrying … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, London-wide issues, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Daniel Hewitt, Fransoy Hewitt, Hamida Ali, ITV News, Labour, News At Ten, Regina Road, Sarah O'Connell, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman
4 Comments
