Recent Comments
Tag Archives: Labour
‘Dysfunctional’ council had ‘lost its way’, says CEO Kerswell
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council leadership acknowledges a need for significant change from the authority’s previous culture, in which bullying, cronyism and racism were alleged. But tens of millions of pounds of cuts in services cannot be avoided. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Ali promises to release report into ‘collusive, unhealthy culture’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Has the council leader made another meaningless promise to the borough’s residents over ‘disciplinary action’ against those responsible for the Town Hall’s financial collapse? By STEVEN DOWNES The potentially dynamite but still unpublished Penn Report into possible … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hamida Ali, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Tony Newman
2 Comments
CEO Lacey quits Brick by Brick; deputy to leave company, too
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The incompetent chief executive and self-proclaimed ‘founder’ of the council-owned building company which bankrupted the borough has announced his departure – but councillors have been kept in the dark. By STEVEN DOWNES Colm Lacey is to leave … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Planning
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon
9 Comments
Council has no answers over missing Fairfield Halls sculpture
Croydon’s crass council has been accused of another act of cultural vandalism, after “losing” a significant piece of mid-century street art from the site alongside the “award-winning” (try not to laugh) Fairfield Halls. The art installation, in a modernist, geometric … Continue reading
South Norwood’s ‘brutalist’ library in Top 10 attractions
Yet more sphincter-clenching embarrassment for the Blairites who control Croydon’s Labour Party, as the public library which their local council wants to flog off, for possible demolition and redevelopment, is to feature in September’s Open House London celebration of all … Continue reading
Purley local hits out: ‘It’s always developers before residents’
CROYDON COMMENTARY: This week BRIAN WATSON, a leading member of the Foxley Residents’ Association, vented his frustrations at the inappropriate building works and overdevelopment being allowed in his corner of the borough by writing a letter to the council leader, … Continue reading
After eight-year wait, Croydon delivers homes on Taberner site
Eight years since the old council offices, Taberner House, that stood on the site, was vacated, and many months later than the council’s chosen developers had planned for the build to be complete, the ribbon was cut this week on … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Malcolm Wicks MP, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, Taberner House, Tom Copley
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hub Residential, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Malcolm Wicks House, Malcolm Wicks MP, Mayor, Patricia Hay-Justice, Taberner House
5 Comments
£700,000: Croydon counting the costs of council failures
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Town Hall has been hit with ‘penalty fines’ of its own since its financial collapse 12 months ago. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES £697,300 And rising… That’s how much Croydon Council says it has paid so far, … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Improvement Panel, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Canning, Robert Jenrick, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Leave a comment
MP’s Kabul tweets: ‘I don’t know what will happen. It is awful’
The clock is ticking for the international evacuation of Afghanistan, as the Taliban closes in on capital Kabul and its airport. In the middle of all this, one Croydon MP has told of the heart-rending individual human stories of families … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP
Tagged Afghanistan, Croydon, Croydon Central, Kabul, Kabul Airport, Labour, Sarah Jones MP, Taliban
Leave a comment
Council deputy leader gets new job working for lobbyists
CROYDON IN CRISIS: West Thornton councillor Stuart King says he intends to continue with his cabinet tasks overseeing potentially hundreds of millions of pounds of council assets. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Stuart King, the deputy leader of the Labour-run council, … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Stuart King
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, STUART KING, Terrapin Group, West Thornton
1 Comment
Lecturer blocked by Labour for ‘anti-council’ library campaign
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Rejected council election candidate makes wide-ranging allegations over fixed selections and racism in the local party. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES There is growing disquiet among grassroots Labour members in Croydon as the process to select candidates for … Continue reading
Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Jamie Audsley, Jane Avis, Louis Carserides, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Caragh Skipper, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, DEMOC, Democratically Elected Mayor for Croydon, Jose Joseph, Labour, Louis Carserides, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Tesfa Mehari, Tony Newman
Leave a comment
Croydon Labour to return to the Three-Day Week for libraries
Oliver “Shit Show” Lewis, the councillor with responsibility for the borough’s culture, has had a second set of money-saving proposals for Croydon libraries mostly rejected, and so will preside over the council’s statutory service now being provided on just three … Continue reading
Capital punishment: Tories could insist on 4.8% fares hike
London’s bus, Tube, rail and tram passengers could face a punitive near-5 per cent fare rise in January, the biggest price hike on the capital’s public transport network for 10 years. Annual fare increases are linked to the July inflation … Continue reading
Posted in Commuting, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Tramlink, Labour, London, Mayor, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tory, Transport for London
3 Comments
Labour panel rejects another supporter of DEMOC campaign
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The purge continues against those who dare to consider that there might be another way of running the council. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Officials overseeing the applications of Labour members who still want to be candidates for … Continue reading
Labour leaders block Audsley over support for elected mayor
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The ghost of Tony Newman has come back to haunt one of his former councillors, as purges begin against those who dared to question the council leader who bankrupted the borough. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The “very … Continue reading
Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Clive Fraser, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Clive Fraser, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Directly Elected Mayor, Jamie Audsley, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Paul Scott, Rapid Review, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Council wields the axe on wonky trees in conservation area
Residents of an historic, tree-lined South Croydon street reacted with horror this morning when they discovered that the council is intending to hack down almost all of Mulgrave Road’s plum trees. According to the council, the mature trees – some … Continue reading
Croydon riots 10 years on: Risks greater now than in 2011
The key risk factors which led to rioting in Croydon and across the country 10 years ago are “even greater today than in 2011”, leaving London at risk of riots. That’s according to a review by Steve Reed OBE, the … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Croydon 8/8, Croydon North, Steve Reed MP
Tagged 8/8, 8/8 Riots, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon North, Croydon Riots, Labour, London, London Assembly, Steve Reed OBE, Tory, West Croydon
4 Comments
Councillors were warned of financial crisis months in advance
CROYDON IN CRISIS: All but one of the borough’s Labour councillors voted that they had ‘confidence’ in Tony Newman and Simon Hall last year – just weeks after they had received a briefing note that told of an £85m budget … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, David Evans, Jo Negrini, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, David Evans, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory
14 Comments
Now it’s the Fairfield Halls fiasco that gets one in the Eye
Britain’s best-selling satirical fortnightly returns to Croydon’s financial woes – and says police should be called in to investigate deals around unfinished arts centre refurbishment While some citizen bloggers claim to try “to emulate Private Eye”, the professional journalists here … Continue reading
Ticking boxes – how our council lets down staff and public
CROYDON COMMENTARY: A former council insider responds to our report about the borough’s vanishing street bins with their insight into the authority’s procurement process – which they find to be disorganised and open to potential corruption There is a big … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Refuse collection, Veolia
Tagged Capgemini, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Tory, Veolia
18 Comments
Brick by Brick failed to replace Fairfield’s 60-year-old windows
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The ‘fiasco’ of Brick by Brick’s bungled £70m refurbishment of the arts venue gets worse, with the latest admission of failures from a cabinet member. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Ollie “Shit Show” Lewis, the council cabinet member … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor of London, Oliver Lewis, Timothy Godfrey, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis
11 Comments
#Binmageddon: 1,000 street bins have vanished from borough
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council agreed to pay its rubbish contractor an extra £20.7m while it reduced the services they are expected to deliver, leaving the borough’s streets ever dirtier. EXCLUSIVE by SANJANA IDNANI Around 1,000 bins have been vanished from … Continue reading
Millions of questions for BHLive over Fairfield grant aid
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It’s like nothing has ever changed at the borough’s prestigious arts centre, where tribute acts still dominate its sparse programme, while the venue operators are staying schtum about how they’re spending public money. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Neil Chandler, The Wreck
Tagged Arts Council England, Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, The Wreck
5 Comments
Flemming forced to drop plan to close two children’s centres
The council has been forced to back down from cost-cutting proposals, including closures, that will have impacted thousands of the borough’s children and the families. The council wanted to reduce its spend on its Best Start Children’s Centres by £1million … Continue reading
