Recent Comments
Mathew Hill on MP Jones ‘gravely concer… Anthony Miller on MP Jones ‘gravely concer… Shifra Sheikh on MP Jones ‘gravely concer… Chris Flynn on Former Whitgift teacher given… Mrs Ryan on RSPCA upgrades award to recogn… Peter Gillman on Perry’s latest money-mak…
Tag Archives: Jo Negrini
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
Didn’t I do well?! Kerswell gives herself a pat on the back
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It is three years to the week since the emergency committee meeting, attended by Jason Perry, that decided in secret to give £437,000 to Jo Negrini to leave her job as council CEO. Today, Negreedy’s replacement, Katherine … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged #PennReport, 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, DLUHC, Electoral Commission, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Information Commissioners Office, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, LGA, LGC, Local Government Association, Local Government Chronicle, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Penn Report, The Penn Report, Tory
20 Comments
Perry’s council refuses to name its design review panellists
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor decided to re-boot Negrini’s Place Review Panel, but after almost a year’s delay, the identities of the ‘experts’ assembled remain closely guarded secrets. By WALTER CRONXITE “Just what are they trying to hide?” a Katharine Street … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Design Review Panel, Environment, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Place Review Panel, Planning, Whitgift Centre
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Design Review Panel, Hawkins Brown, Hugh Pearman, Jo Negrini, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Place Review Panel, Royal Institute of British Architects, Victoria and Albert Museum, Wayne Hemingway, We Made This, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Leave a comment
Cost of failure: report says Negrini’s lined up new pay-off
Might Jo Negrini – “Negreedy” as she was less-than-fondly known by colleagues when she was chief executive at Croydon Council – be heading for a second overly generous pay-off in just three years? Next month will see the anniversary of … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman
Tagged Arup, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Private Eye, Tony Newman
4 Comments
Perry to hand key Regina Road contract to Negrini’s employers
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Having said he would begin legal proceedings to recover some of the former CEO’s £437,000 ‘Golden Handshake’, the Tory Mayor is now hiring the company that has appointed the self-acclaimed regeneration expert as a director. EXCLUSIVE by … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Property, Regina Road redevelopment, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Arup, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Regina Road, Regina Road redevelopment, Tory
6 Comments
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
From part-time to powerless: Perry’s first year under scrutiny
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on how the public are already seeing through Croydon’s failing Tory Mayor Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year elected Mayor, is likely to be given a “Must Do Better” rating when he presents his report on … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tony McArdle, Tory
12 Comments
Homes report warns of ‘unsustainable’ shared ownership deals
Shared ownership risks becoming “financially unsustainable” for lower-income buyers, warns a report published this week. The report, Shared ownership: the consumer perspective, reveals how more than one-third of shared owners display indicators of financial vulnerability, with lower financial resilience and … Continue reading
Perry admits he can’t take action against council’s bankrupters
Croydon’s part-time Mayor has always known that the actions of councillors and senior council staff ‘can decimate an authority… without any fear of recrimination’. But he’s been very reluctant to admit his impotency to the borough’s residents. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLU, DLUHC, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
19 Comments
Council yet to start legal action on Negrini’s £437,000 pay-off
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry is taking his time over his public claim to be pursuing the former council CEO for a refund of her golden handshake. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Almost two months after Jason Perry, Croydon’s elected Mayor, … Continue reading
What will the ‘new’ Westfield deal really mean for Croydon?
STEVEN DOWNES outlines some of the likely consequences of this week’s announcement that Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield have bought out their former partners Hammerson for the redevelopment of the town centre In all the flurry of civic excitement over the announcement that … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Growth Zone, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, FreeState, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Jean-Marie Tritant, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor Sadiq Khan, New Working Class, Tony Newman, Unibail Rodamco Westfield, URW, Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation
7 Comments
Year of Culture set to begin with an Oratorio of Hopelessness
CROYDON IN CRISIS: If, like us, you have been scouring the listings pages to find what’s planned for Croydon’s year as London’s Borough of Culture, you’re likely to be disappointed. But some of the PR deals surrounding the event have … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Music, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Andy Stranack, Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Caterina Loriggio, Conservative, Croydon, Desmond Dekker, Fairfield Halls, Four Communications, Jo Negrini, Justine Simons, Kristian Aspinall, Labour, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman, Tory, White Label
6 Comments
Kerswell condemns councils’ accountability as inadequate
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Yesterday’s meeting of the cash-strapped council’s disciplinary committee may have committed Croydon to tens of thousands of pounds of additional legal costs, with no guarantee of any success in the cases which might eventually be brought. And … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Misconduct in Public Office, Penn Report, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
Councillors agree to chase Negrini for golden handshake cash
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The same committee which met in August 2020 to agree the £437,000 payment to the departing CEO today decided to ignore the advice of senior lawyers and spend more council cash in trying to recover the pay-off. … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, CIPFA, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Metropolitan Police, Michael Gove, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
9 Comments
MP calls for misconduct charges against ex-councillor Hall
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Home Office junior minister Chris Philp says that some of the council’s former leaders ‘committed such egregious breaches of public trust that they should be formally investigated by the police for the criminal offence of misconduct in … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
All you ever need to know about ‘misconduct in public office’…
… but couldn’t be bothered to ask. Here’s a potted summary taken from the Law Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and independent legal advisors on the prospects of a successful prosecution being brought against Croydon’s borough bankrupters using this arcane offence … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Council Tax, CPS, Crown Prosecution Service, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Law Commission, London Borough of Croydon, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
Tory Perry tries to appoint £123,000 ‘transformation director’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Spend, spend, spend… the bad old habits of the dark days of the Negreedy era don’t seem to have been eradicated altogether, as CEO Kerswell looks to hire a new director to do her dirty work for … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Williams, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Williams, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory, Transformation director
16 Comments
‘Restructuring’ has housing workers facing £3,000 pay cut
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on the latest shocking cost-cutting measures being imposed on council staff Croydon Council could be heading for a series of strikes later this year, after senior managers at Fisher’s Folly moved to cut some … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Susmita Sen
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fly-tipping, GMB, Housing, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Neighbourhood Safety Officers, Tory, Unison, Unite the Union
8 Comments
Croydon gets two pokes in the Eye over Newman and Negrini
The national media really is waking up to the scandal in Croydon, with the latest issue of Private Eye having not its usual one, regular report about the basketcase borough, but two. And that includes a prominent place on the … Continue reading
Newman’s defence slips: there’s ‘no evidence’ of wrongdoing
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The latest in-depth coverage of the borough’s bankruptcy by a national newspaper sees the former Labour council leader dump blame on his erstwhile colleagues. By STEVEN DOWNES The council leader who oversaw Town Hall meetings and gatherings … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Manju Shahul Hameed, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Andrew Ellson, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Manju Shahul Hameed, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, STUART KING, The Penn Report, The Times, Tony Newman, Tory
9 Comments
Kerswell still holds out over Penn Report’s recommendations
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Those with the biggest responsibilities and with statutory duties let the organisation down’ according to the investigation into the council’s financial collapse. The two-year delay in publication appears to have let down the borough’s residents and council … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Brick by Brick, CIPFA, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Metropolitan Police, Penn Report, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
12 Comments
Newman breaks his silence to tell Mail: I did no wrong
CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the Penn Report into possible wrong-doing at the council expected to be released by officials shortly, the former council leader has responded to reports in the national press. By STEVEN DOWNES The Daily Mail today became … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Penn Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
14 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
