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Tag Archives: Katherine Kerswell
I’ve been told the car park cleansing team do great work!
Have you ever wondered quite what Katherine Kerswell does for her £192,474 per year salary as the council chief executive? It’s something that often perplexes what remains of the borough’s front-line staff… KK’s ‘duties’, such as they are, include signing … Continue reading
Borough’s director of public health quits her council job
Rachel Flowers, the director of public health at the cash-strapped council who helped guide the borough through the covid pandemic, is leaving her job. Her boss, Katherine Kerswell, the council chief executive, made the announcement almost as an after-thought in … Continue reading
With 48% turn out in outer London, Khan’s team gets the jitters
Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on Labour’s post-polling nervousness and confirmation that in Croydon council by-elections, things are never done as quickly as you might hope Have you ever met a poor bookmaker? No, me neither, which is why when … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Price, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Park Hill and Whitgift, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion, Woodside
Tagged Andrew Price, Conservative, Croydon, ExCel Centre, Green Party, Harrow hairdresser, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor of London, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, Tory
5 Comments
Council’s official guide on voting in May 2’s London elections
With London elections, and a couple of Croydon by-elections (in Woodside and Park Hill and Whitgift wards) being held this Thursday, May 2, the council has (belatedly) issued its own guide to how you can take part in the democratic … Continue reading
This time we’ve got it right, council says on postal ballot forms
Croydon Council has confirmed that there has been no error in the printing of the postal vote envelopes for the London elections next month. As postal ballot papers began to arrive at voters’ homes in Croydon this week, some questioned … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Park Hill and Whitgift, Woodside
Tagged 2024 London elections, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, London Elections, London elections 2024, London Elects, Mayor, Park Hill and Whitgift, Returning Officer, Woodside
2 Comments
£603,000: the soaring costs of Croydon’s ‘improvement’ panel
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Three years since Tony McArdle and his government-appointed team of troubleshooters were parachuted into the council, there are mounting questions about what they have achieved. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Government-appointed chair of Croydon Council’s “improvement and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Section 114 notice, SEND, Tony McArdle
Tagged Bankrupt, Chrildren's Services, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Eleanor Brazil, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Levelling, LGC, Local Government Chronicle, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Phil Brookes, S114, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory
12 Comments
Council chief Kerswell has doubled up on £140,000+ executives
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While more than 400 frontline jobs have been axed since 2020, the executive suite in Fisher’s Folly has barely been touched. But the council CEO is spending even more on ‘cost-cutting’ consultants. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Corporate directors, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Executive directors, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Regina Road, Tony Newman, Tory
6 Comments
Council’s PCN fiasco: ex-official is still ‘signing’ official letters
Mayor Jason Perry’s Croydon, the London council that fined hundreds of drivers without sending them the proper Penalty Charge Notice in the first instance, is sending out PCNs and other legal notifications carrying the signature of a senior official who … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Parking, Steve Iles
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking Services, PCN, PCN Fiasco, Penalty Charge Notices, Steve Iles, Tory
3 Comments
Government blocks public inquiry into collapse of councils
Any suspicion that the Establishment that controls local and national government doesn’t want the public to find out about the shady deals that go on in Town Halls up and down the land will have been confirmed with the news … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Outside Croydon, Section 114 notice
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Essex, Katherine Kerswell, Liam Kavanagh, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Simon Hoare, Thurrock Council, Tory
1 Comment
Check your photo ID and registration now for voting on May 2
The introduction of the requirement on the public to produce photo ID when they go to vote is a deliberate effort by the beleaguered and failed Conservative Government to stop younger and marginalised citizens from exercising their democratic rights. That’s … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Sadiq Khan, postal votes, proxy votes, Sadiq Khan, Tory, Voter ID, Voter registration
1 Comment
Perry plans £100m more cuts in country’s first AI-driven council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Transformation’ project is set to be rubber-stamped at this week’s cabinet meeting (it will be approved without anything resembling a debate). But according to council insiders, it is ‘rushed’, ‘full of risks’ and just a ‘Trojan horse’ … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King
Tagged 'Future Croydon', Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, STUART KING, Tory
8 Comments
Check your photo ID and registration now for voting on May 2
The introduction of the requirement on the public to produce photo ID when they go to vote is a deliberate effort by the beleaguered and failed Conservative Government to stop younger and marginalised citizens from exercising their democratic rights. That’s … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Sadiq Khan, postal votes, proxy votes, Sadiq Khan, Tory, Voter ID, Voter registration
2 Comments
Court condemns council’s ‘inhuman’ treatment of disabled man
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Another costly legal defeat over housing, as High Court Judge finds our local authority acted deliberately in contravention of its responsibilities under the European Convention on Human Rights. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The High Court has given … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Deputy Judge Alan Bates, ECHR, European Convention on Human Rights, Garden Court Chambers, High Court, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tory
7 Comments
Cash-strapped council to splash out £4.8m on new laptops
CROYDON IN CRISIS: No money for adult services, half the borough’s libraries facing closure or down-grading, and Council Tax hiked by 21% in just 12 months. But Mayor Perry has found the cash to buy 3,700 new computers. By KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ian Golland, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Ian Golland, Katherine Kerswell, Laptop refresh, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
10 Comments
King gets his bluff called over Tory cuts and Council Tax hike
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was déjà vu all over again at last night’s budget meeting, where ‘steadfast’ opposition melted as soon as the borough’s opposition councillors were given a stern talking to. TOWN HALL SKETCH by STEVEN DOWNES Anyone out … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Stuart King
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Fund Croydon Fairly, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Pay More Get Less, Ria Patel, STUART KING, Tory
5 Comments
Wanted: ‘storyteller’ to spin CEO Kerswell’s recruitment binge
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘History,’ said Marx (Karl, not Groucho), ‘repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.’ At our cash-strapped council, we appear to have arrived at the farcical stage. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES How good is your “story-telling”? £50,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Corporate directors, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Executive directors, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Regina Road, Tony Newman, Tory
8 Comments
It’s time for our elected councillors to stand up for Croydon
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Saddled with £1.4bn of ‘toxic’ debt, Mayor Perry has been rendered paralysed in his management of the cash-strapped council’s finances. Ahead of tonight’s budget meeting, ANDREW PELLING outlines some of the options for the borough’s politicians There’s … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department of Levelling Up, DLUHC, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Ria Patel, S114, S114 notice, Say No To 15%, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tony McArdle, Tory
8 Comments
‘Thorton’ Heath: council spelling error is latest embarrassment
Croydon’s cash-strapped council’s capacity for ballsing up even the simplest of tasks has been exposed yet again, after the authority ordered and installed dozens of signs to warn of its latest PSPO – Public Space Protection Order – and managed … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Thornton Heath, Thornton Heath Community Action Team, West Thornton
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, PSPO, Public Spaces Protection Order, Thornton Heath, Thorton Heath, Tory
6 Comments
McArdle’s £94.8m error in crucial report to minister Gove
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The latest submission from government-appointed experts included a small error that added up to very big money – and no one in power noticed. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES The latest report to Michael Gove at the Department … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Tony McArdle
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, Tony McArdle
8 Comments
Mayor Who? Council survey exposes low satisfaction rates
A public opinion survey conducted at the end of 2023 found that only 34% of Croydon residents think that the council offers value for money. The cash-strapped council spent £33,000 on the survey. By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter Tucked … Continue reading
Kerswell looks to hire £127k director of ‘customer experience’
Croydon Council staff who inhabit the lofty realms of the seventh floor of Fisher’s Folly were horrified when they heard the news that Elaine Jackson, the assistant chief executive (a post that was created especially for her) had broken her … 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
Kerswell keeps councillors waiting for her tribunal feedback
CROYDON IN CRISIS: How will the borough’s £192,474 per year chief executive explain the suggestion that she lied under oath when defending herself against allegations of racism? By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter Almost a month has passed since the … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Richard Simpson, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle
Tagged #PennReport, Appointments and disciplinary committee, Croydon, Croydon Council, Employment Tribunal, Hazel Simmonds, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Section 114, The Penn Report
12 Comments
Council claims it is ‘learning’ over repeated housing errors
Following the Housing Ombudsman’s finding in four cases of severe maladministration by Croydon Council, the authority issued this “learning statement”: We acknowledge that there were significant failures in the way we handled these cases and would like to offer our … Continue reading
Fresh shame for council in 4 ‘severe maladministration’ cases
Ombudsman orders Croydon CEO Katherine Kerswell to make apology to resident, as housing complaints allowed to drag on in some cases for five years. By STEVEN DOWNES All suggestions that Croydon Council’s failing housing department is being drastically improved under … Continue reading
