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Tag Archives: Colm Lacey
Council’s £68m write-off as Brick by Brick goes into liquidation
The housing company that borrowed £200m but never made a penny profit is finally to be closed down after a six-year winding-up process. By STEVEN DOWNES Brick by Brick, the council-owned housing company that bankrupted the borough, has gone into … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Lion Green Road car park, London Borough of Croydon, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Regen Coulsdon, Tory
10 Comments
Eight Brick by Brick-built flats issued with fire safety order
EXCLUSIVE: More problems for residents who have shared-ownership in homes built by the council’s omnishambles of a development company. By housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES Eight flats built by Brick by Brick, Croydon Council’s useless housing company that helped to bankrupt … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Grenfell Tower, Heathfield Gardens, LFB, London Borough of Croydon, London Fire Brigade, Mayor Jason Perry, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, South Croydon
5 Comments
Anti-crime CCTV cameras nicked from Brick by Brick block
EXCLUSIVE: The winding up of Brick by Brick won’t see an end to the misery being suffered by those who bought homes or live as leaseholders in properties built by the Croydon Council-owned housing company. By our housing correspondent, BARRATT … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Auckland Rise, Brick by Brick, Church Road, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
6 Comments
Accountancy watchdog moves in on officials from Woking
After almost five years, not a single person in Croydon has ever been held responsible for their parts in the council’s financial collapse, the scandal of Brick by Brick or the Fairfield Halls refurbishment fiasco. But in Surrey, two former … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Financial Reporting Council, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, Simon Hall, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tory, Woking Borough Council, Woking Council
9 Comments
Final Brick by Brick annual accounts withheld for three months
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It looks like Tory Mayor Jason Perry and the council execs who now run the failed housing company have opted to bury bad news. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES What could possibly be the very final set of … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Brick by Brick, BxB, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mears Group Plc, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Tony Newman, Tory
5 Comments
Councillor complains over legal failings: ‘It feels morally wrong’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: No one will face legal action for their part in the council’s financial collapse, despite Town Hall bosses spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on special reports and advice from high-powered barristers. Yet one of Mayor Perry’s … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shirley South, The Penn Report
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Penn Report, The Kroll Report, Tony Newman, Tory
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Negrini doctored specialist reports and withheld finance details
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Investigators from Kroll never had investigatory powers to check people’s bank accounts in the search for possible fraud over the £73m refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls. But there was evidence in the public domain of ‘direct personal … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Arup, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
15 Comments
Pressure mounts on Sutton finance chief over Fairfield fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Kroll Report, which this week had its release delayed because of legal threats on behalf of a former council director, might be seen as a waste of another £310,000 of public money. But for former director … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Penn Report, Richard Simpson, Sutton Council, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
8 Comments
Kroll Report provides no answers to £73m Fairfield fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Jo Negrini refused to be interviewed, all Colm Lacey’s emails got wiped and former cabinet members Newman, Scott, Butler and Hall were never spoken to in person as part of the £310,000 investigation. By STEVEN DOWNES Late … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
13 Comments
Brick by Brick’s final flats put up for rent at £2,400 per month
In Coulsdon, 157 flats have been standing empty for almost two years, in the middle of a housing crisis. But now, with the council silent on the multi-million sale of the properties, some are being made available for eye-watering rents. … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, BxB, Chris Philp MP, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mary Duggan, Mears Group Plc, Notting Hill Genesis, Paul Scott, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Tony Newman, Tory
4 Comments
Auckland Rise residents suffer the ‘curse’ of Brick by Brick
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how some of the warnings about the council house-builders’ ‘affordable’ homes are becoming an costly reality in Crystal Palace Residents in supposedly “affordable” shared ownership homes built in Crystal Palace by the council-owned … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning
Tagged Alison Butler, Auckland Rise, Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jo Negrini, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Borough of Croydon, Tory
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£68m: final cost of Brick by Brick, as agreed by Mayor Perry
£68m This is what a “solvent liquidation” looks like, according to Croydon’s elected Mayor Jason Perry. That’s the latest final estimate of the exit costs of winding down and closing Brick by Brick, the failed housing company set up by … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Planning, Simon Hall, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Tony Newman, Tory
13 Comments
Brick by Brick posts £7.6m loss in latest annual trading report
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Yet more bad news finally emerging into the public record. By BARRATT HOLMES, our house building correspondent Even when it is no longer paying above the odds to build new homes, Brick by Brick continues to lose … Continue reading
Council loaned Brick by Brick additional £47.3m last year
CROYDON IN CRISIS: In its latest report to Michael Gove, the Government’s improvement panel reveals a £38m hole in cash-strapped council budgets for the next four years – and repeats plea for unprecedented half-a-billion pounds loan write-off Croydon’s cash-strapped council … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, £540m debt write off, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Department for Levelling UP Housing and Communities, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Tony McArdle, Tory
5 Comments
Defiant squatters are ordered to leave Brick by Brick’s offices
While security guards peered from the windows of the empty Croydon Park Hotel on Altyre Road, squatters and their supporters were erecting banners in the forecourt of Croydon County Court this morning. The group of squatters calling themselves Reclaim Croydon … Continue reading
Squatters take over Brick by Brick’s abandoned office building
Perhaps this is the start of a people’s fightback against the Croydon Establishment. A group of squatters calling themselves “Reclaim Croydon” has moved in to the abandoned offices of Brick by Brick in the town centre, to show the high … Continue reading
Brick by Brick’s unsold homes are costing Croydon a fortune
Despite there being a ‘housing crisis’, the council’s failed development company is struggling to sell dozens of its homes. As housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES reports, £440,000 for a two-bed shared-ownership flat is putting off buyers There’s good reason that loss-making … Continue reading
Brick by Brick’s losses pile up even after selling £89m of homes
As the failed development company staggers towards its ultimate demise, it is maintaining its unwanted record of never making a single penny in profit, as our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports Brick by Brick, the council-owned housing company, sold £89million-worth … Continue reading
Brick by Brick’s George Street offices are put up for rent
A lasting reminder of one of the principal factors that crashed the council’s finances could be about to be erased from Croydon town centre. Brick by Brick’s vainglorious sales suite and offices on George Street have been vacated and put … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, George Street, Stiles Harold Williams
6 Comments
Taxing times for Perry as he deploys Negrini as his ‘dead cat’
Try not to get your hopes up too much ahead of next week’s Penn Report meeting, suggests STEVEN DOWNES. The Mayor might be over-promising before under-delivering again Is Jo Negrini being used as a “dead cat” by Croydon Mayor Jason … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report
Tagged #PennReport, Boris Johnson, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hammersfield, High Court, Jane Mulcahy KC, Jo Negrini, London Borough of Croydon, Lynton Crosby, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, Richard Simpson, The Penn Report, Tory, Westfield
12 Comments
Brick by Brick close to selling off Coulsdon flats at half-price
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s residents could be short-changed again as the council’s housing developer bails out by selling Lion Green Road flats on the cheap. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES One of the country’s biggest housing associations is in talks … Continue reading
#PennReport: Cover-ups and denial over Brick by Brick failure
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The ‘highly dysfunctional’ council had ‘no transparency or accountability’ over the way it handled millions of pounds of public money. And this latest extract from the Penn Report shows that some key figures refuse to accept responsibility … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIF, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report
7 Comments
This is £12m Fairfield ‘plaza’ that Mayor Perry wants to create
Existing designs for a public open space between the town’s major arts centre and Croydon College have been derided as ‘jokey’, ‘crass’ and ‘one gigantic hardscape of pink and grey candy stripe concrete’. By STEVEN DOWNES Mayor Jason Perry’s announcement … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Place Review Panel, Planning, Queens Gardens
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Charles Holland Architects, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Department for Levelling Up, Fair Field, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Labour, Levelling Up, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of Croydon, Paul Scott, Rick Mather, Tory
12 Comments
‘Disgrace’ as £110m of Brick by Brick homes stand empty
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Research conducted by a residents’ group has confirmed that more than 200 new homes, built with public cash by the council-owned company, remain vacant, in some cases for more than a year. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES and … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Chris Philp MP, Colm Lacey, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Housing, Old Coulsdon, Planning, Property, South Croydon, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Colm Lacey, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Drummond Road, Emma Gardiner, Heathfield Gardens, Lion Green Road, Pimp House, Pump House, Regina Road, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Croydon, South Norwood, Waddon
19 Comments
