Tag Archives: Jo Negrini

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 →

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Manju Shahul Hameed, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Kerswell finally prepares to publish long withheld #PennReport

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s £193,000 per year CEO has descended into the realms of Alice In Blunderland with her latest excuses for ignoring elected councillors and the public. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s chief executive, claims that it … Continue reading →

Posted in Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Stripped of powers, absentee councillors still getting paid

CROYDON IN CRISIS: One councillor has turned up for just one meeting in six months. Another has been on holiday in Brazil for the last six weeks. But under the new Mayor, councillors have been left with little to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Mohammed Islam, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Westfield non-developers facing £5m fine for failed supermall

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council concedes it is virtually powerless over land-owners and developers for long-delayed regeneration scheme, as influential scrutiny chair admits her committee is not convinced things will change. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The company formed 10 years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Growth Zone, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Property, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Greystar looking at possible third tower twins for town centre

Plans for a £500million 69-storey residential tower at One Lansdowne Road have been dumped, as the original landowners have instead sold the site to the American developers behind the world’s tallest prefabs, the black towers near East Croydon Station. Guildhouse … Continue reading →

Posted in 101 George Street/Ten Degrees, Business, College Tower/Enclave, Fairfield, Growth Zone, Housing, Jo Negrini, One Lansdowne Road, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Negrini strikes out with her post-council business venture

Times are tough for start-up businesses in the construction sector. Especially those with little to offer but their own hubris. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jo “Negreedy” Negrini has applied to strike-off the consultancy business that she set-up in the weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Croydon needs deal that could set precedent for all councils

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A government-appointed inspector, council directors and senior councillors all agree that throwing millions more at the cash-strapped council won’t fix its deep-seated problems. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Tories who control Croydon Town Hall have already done … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Fisher, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bankrupt council paid firm of solicitors £2m over two years

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council used to have a senior official known as the ‘Borough Solicitor’. These days, the cash-strapped council is out-sourcing much of its legal work to a single firm of solicitors, at huge cost. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Julie Belvir, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Three PMs and a Funeral: tumultuous months for Croydon

Being featured in a television documentary, standing up against Croydon Council in the High Court and getting a mention in despatches from Private Eye were among some of the highlights of the end of 2022 for Inside Croydon, as this … Continue reading →

Posted in Inside Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Mayor with no mandate, the BxB homes with no residents

Jubilee street parties, wildfires in our parks and woodlands, further decline on the High Street, and a set of local elections that at Croydon Council they managed to take an agonising four days to deliver the full results. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Inside Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon 2022 – a review of the year, Inside Croydon-style

Three Prime Ministers and a Funeral… 2022 was busy on the news front, even by recent standards. Here in deepest south London, the stories just kept coming, some part of a narrative thread which ran throughout the year – such … Continue reading →

Posted in Inside Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Negrini’s dodgy pay-off now gets attention from the trade press

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Borough’s most senior lawyer, responding to advice the council received almost nine months ago, says that the meeting that agreed to pay £437,000 to departing chief exec was ‘potentially unlawful’. By STEVEN DOWNES The council’s glacially slow … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Negrini pay-off arranged after ‘breakdown’ with leader Newman

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The notorious £437,000 payment made to former council chief exec was agreed at an ‘unlawful’ meeting and should never have been paid. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The near-half-a-million pounds paid to Jo Negrini in August 2020 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

‘You seem to be trying to put the genie back in the bottle’

A High Court judge yesterday refused Croydon Council’s attempt to ‘unpublish’ documents that it had itself put into the public domain. STEVEN DOWNES, Editor of Inside Croydon, on a small victory for the freedom of the press Two years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

#PennReport: No referrals sent to staff’s professional bodies

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Recommendations for action made by auditors, a Local Government Association report and two sets of legal experts have not been acted on by the current CEO. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Confidential legal advice provided to Croydon Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Stuart King, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council threatens injunction over reports it published itself

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Having published two confidential reports on its own website last week, today Croydon Council’s top legal official threatened this website with a High Court injunction. By STEVEN DOWNES The myth that Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, has … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments