Tag Archives: Jo Negrini

‘Better than evens’ chance of winning Negrini legal case

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After doing their utmost for almost two years to suppress the findings and recommendations of the Penn Report investigation into the council’s financial collapse, Katherine Kerswell’s blundering local authority managed to publish two confidential legal reports on … 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Westfield’s boss admits covid was ‘nail in coffin’ for Croydon

There’s no prospect any time soon of French-based developers ending the decade-long blight to the Whitgift Centre, according to the CEO of  Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. By our retailing correspondent, MT WALLETTE Covid was “the final nail in the coffin” for the £1.4billion … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Debenhams, Gavin Barwell, House of Fraser, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

#PennReport: Negrini staged a power-grab over councillors

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The long-withheld Penn Report describes a dysfunctional local authority where the former CEO was accused of ignoring elected representatives and keeping vital information from them. In our latest extract, we reveal what one Labour cabinet member really … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Croydon’s council close to the top of the table – for complaints

Croydon has proved itself to be outstanding once again – but in a manner in which no local authority should ever seek to shine. A study of official complaints lodged over a six-year period, from 2016, found that of local … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Judge orders CEO Kerswell to face tribunal over racism claims

Our Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest development in the increasingly messy aftermath of Croydon’s bankruptcy Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s £192,474 per year chief executive, will have to face up to 11 days in an Employment Tribunal and claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

#PennReport: Staff speak out about ‘scandalous’ bullying

CROYDON IN CRISIS: In an online poll conducted over the weekend, the overwhelming majority of iC readers – 92.5% – said that wanted to read more from the Penn Report into ‘possible wrong-doing’ at their local council. So, because Mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Lisa Taylor, Nathan Elvery, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mayor breaks silence to say he won’t publish #PennReport

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Part-time Perry took four days to respond to questions over the refusal to publish a controversial report, only to confirm that he is not in charge of the council. By STEVEN DOWNES Four days after he was … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

#PennReport: National media follow-up on Croydon crisis

Inside Croydon’s exclusive coverage of the Penn Report has already been followed-up by national newspapers, the country’s best-selling fortnightly satirical magazine, and even the trade magazine for local councils have been publishing material this week which Croydon Council has failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Men who led council to bankruptcy say they did nothing wrong

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tony Newman and Simon Hall, the duo who were in charge at the Town Hall in the months leading to its financial collapse in 2020, have hired a flash, West End PR firm to issue a statement … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

#PennReport: Hall and Negrini ‘only wanted good news stories’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Richard Penn’s report tells of how the borough’s political leaders had become ‘paranoid’ about Inside Croydon – which one senior councillor noted was filling ‘the communication vacuum’ created by the dysfunctional council. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES In … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

#PennReport: Croydon has been let down by political leaders

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The report into the council’s financial collapse that has been withheld for nearly two years includes damning criticisms of some of the council’s most senior staff and political leaders. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s dysfunctional council went … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

#PennReport: Council’s 11th hour attempt to suppress findings

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Right to the very last, Croydon Council was trying to stop the publication of any part of the Penn Report. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Earlier today, Inside Croydon approached Katherine Kerswell, the council chief executive, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

#PennReport wanted police probe into possible misconduct

CROYDON IN CRISIS: For nearly two years, the council has withheld a detailed report into ‘possible wrong-doing’ at the Town Hall, together with recommendations for a Met Police investigation and the seeking of a refund on the £437,000 pay-off to … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Crime, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Arup give notorious Negrini a platform to peddle her failures

What does someone who oversaw the biggest financial collapse in English local government history do after they trouser their £437,000 golden handshake from the Council Tax-payers of Croydon? Why, they deliver lectures to people who ought to know better, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Part-time Mayor Perry to re-boot Negrini’s design review panel

The council is looking to re-set its Place Review Panel – now to be renamed the Design Review Panel – and is inviting applications from architecture and design experts to sign up for two or three days’ work each year, … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Alison Butler, Art, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Design Review Panel, Environment, Housing, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Place Review Panel, Planning, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The deal is in: council facing another expensive staff pay-off

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Late cancellation of an Employment Tribunal hearing this morning avoids the council washing its dirty linen in public. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, could soon be asked to rubber-stamp another expensive “golden handshake” … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Shifa Mustafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Council exec Simmonds quits after 18 months ‘gardening leave’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The final obstacle to the release of the Penn Report into possible wrongdoing in Croydon has finally been removed, just ahead of an Employment Tribunal hearing this week. By STEVEN DOWNES Hazel Simmonds, one of five council … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bailiffs instructed after council breaks High Court injunction

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The discredited council under Newman and Negrini won their bid for ‘Borough of Culture’ status by using material that senior staff knew to be stolen intellectual property. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, the chief exec of … Continue reading →

Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Paula Murray | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ex-council CEO Negrini’s company finds business a struggle

Tough times for Jo Negrini, who is encountering her very own cost of living crisis. The chief exec who did so much to bankrupt the council, leading to hundreds of jobs being axed, dozens of public services cut and grants … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

4 former council bosses charged by police… as Croydon waits

Investigations into wrongdoing in local government can take many years. A meeting at the Town Hall next week could provide a long-awaited chink of public accountability into the mismanagement – possibly worse – that led to Croydon Council’s financial collapse, … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Town Hall questions take remote working to a new level

Nearly half the questions lodged by elected councillors have not had an answer from council officials within two months Part-time Mayor’s office only staffs phones for 4 hours each weekday Average wait time for phone calls to council contact centre … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fairfield: £300k council fraud investigation and still no answers

EXCLUSIVE: Council says its specialist investigators have yet to find anything around the £67m botched refurbishment of the arts centre which needs to be reported to the police. By STEVEN DOWNES An investigation to discover if there was any fraud … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Property, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Oversupply of flats in borough is due to ‘profit over need’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Official government data shows that the council’s build-at-all-cost approach that has blighted parts of the borough has created a glut of over-priced ‘executive apartments’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The proliferation of block after block of expensive flats … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Epsom and Ewell, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jo Negrini, London-wide issues, Paul Scott, Planning, Surrey, Tandridge District Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 27 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments