Recent Comments
derek thrower on Perry’s libraries legacy… insidecroydon on Labour forces Davis to erase… Vinod Patel on Labour forces Davis to erase… Arfur Towcrate on Labour forces Davis to erase… Jim Bush on Perry’s libraries legacy… Keith Ebdon on Perry’s libraries legacy…
Tag Archives: London Borough of Croydon
Council names new legal chief as exec churn continues
Our council reporter, PEARL LEE, discovers that the new borough solicitor was, until last month, the director of private property companies Croydon has announced a new, permanent appointee to become the council’s senior legal official. They just don’t seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tony Newman
1 Comment
Countdown to election gets underway with poll card dispatch
The poll cards for Croydon’s first Mayoral election on May 5 have been despatched, the council has announced. On May 5, residents will vote for an elected Mayor of Croydon for the first time. They will also vote for 70 … Continue reading
£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Council’s Ministry of Truth forced to pull housing press release
CROYDON IN CRISIS: On the first anniversary of the broadcast of the TV news report that shocked the nation, the council has been forced to pull a press release which tried to misrepresent the findings of the independent housing improvement … Continue reading
Pelling set to run as independent for Mayor, and in Waddon
EXCLUSIVE: After 40 years in Croydon politics, councillor decides to run as the ‘non-party’ candidate, offering to axe council rent increases, sack a distrusted council planning director and start a forensic investigation to recover the millions lost on the Fairfield … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Community associations, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, Tony Newman, Tory, Val Shawcross
8 Comments
Labour council’s ‘slumlords’ can’t face Regina Road tenants
The difference between the realities of life for council tenants in Croydon and the public statements from the Labour-controlled council demonstrate that the lessons of the Regina Road housing scandal have not been learned by those in power. By STEVEN … Continue reading
Two-days-a-week libraries latest step in ‘lingering demise’
Staff and residents’ associations warn that reduced opening hours to be introduced from April 4 are just ‘library closures by stealth’ The borough’s public libraries will go on to a new, reduced hours timetable next month, the last part of … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Bradmore Green, Bradmore Green Library, Broad Green Library, Central Library, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, OCRA, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Purley Library
1 Comment
Customs’ dogs sniff out £500,000-worth of illegal tobacco
Croydon Council trading standards team and HM Revenue and Customs have used specialist sniffer dogs to track down and seize illegal tobacco worth more than £175,000. Officers recovered 270,600 illegal cigarettes and 14.8km of hand-rolling tobacco from a storage facility … Continue reading
Cash-strapped council bankrupt of ideas for borough’s parks
Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on the council’s latest blatant attempt to off-load its public responsibilities The council has what it calls its “Parks and Green Spaces Renewal Strategy 2022-2025”, which they say outlines “plans to support the borough’s cherished … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Duppas Hill Park, Environment, Friends of Addiscombe Railway Park, Friends of Ashburton Park, Friends of Crystal Palace Park, Friends of Farthing Downs, Friends of Grange Park, Friends of Grangewood Park, Friends of Haling Grove, Friends of Heavers Meadow, Friends of Lloyd Park, Muhammad Ali, Planning, Val Shawcross, Veolia, Waddon
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Parks Service, Val Shawcross, Waddon
6 Comments
Brick by Brick boss got paid while setting up own business
CROYDON IN CRISIS: An investigation by this website has discovered that Colm Lacey set up his own personal consultancy company while he was still a paid employee of the council-owned housing developer. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Colm Lacey registered his … Continue reading
Council admits its phone system hasn’t worked for years
After almost eight years in charge of the borough, Croydon’s Labour leadership has finally admitted what thousands of residents have been saying throughout their time in office: the council’s phone system is not fit for purpose. “The council provides essential … Continue reading
Posted in Callton Young, Capita, Croydon Council
Tagged Callton Young, Capita, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Wavenet
6 Comments
CEO of loss-making Brick by Brick gets cosy job with architects
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the latest turn of the revolving door between the council and commercial firms it hires Colm Lacey, the man who single-handedly probably did more to bankrupt Croydon Council than anyone, has landed himself a … Continue reading
This is ‘democracy’ in Steve Reed’s Croydon Labour Party
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Just 56 days until the local elections, and selection stitch-ups are still being carried out in poorly-attended meetings across the borough, with a serious effort to oust a senior black woman councillor to make way for … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, John Wentworth, Nina Degrads, Pat Ryan, Patsy Cummings, Steve Reed MP
Tagged Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Pat Ryan, Patsy Cummings, Steve Reed OBE
4 Comments
Council chief exec (no, not that one) fired for gross misconduct
Government-appointed commissioners at another Labour-run council have acted swiftly after Slough was handed a record-busting £307m bail-out. By our Town Hall correspondent, KEN LEE Croydon’s cash-strapped council this week lost its status as world record-holders for the biggest bail-out ever … Continue reading
Budget reminder: ‘Better to break the law than break the poor’
ANDREW FISHER waded through the council spending reports and endured last night’s Town Hall meeting so that you didn’t have to… Croydon’s finances are in a state. The blame for that lies with the Conservative government that has slashed Croydon’s … Continue reading
Things are about to get even harder, warns report to ministers
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Government minister expresses concerns over the changes being made at council as it implements its ‘extremely challenging’ budget. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council “are at a critical point of their recovery journey and there is more to … Continue reading
Tory budget amendment looks to reopen Purley Pool for £3m
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The disparity in provision of leisure facilities between the north and south of the borough has sent mayoral candidates trying to make a budget splash. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor The Tory opposition group at the Town … Continue reading
Kerswell dismisses ‘missing’ £73m as ‘accounting problem’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council chief exec relying on advice from veteran lawyer to overcome auditors’ objections to misuse of housing money. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s £192,000 per year chief executive, and Hamida Ali, the council leader, can be … Continue reading
‘We’re not teetering on the brink of bankruptcy’ claims Kerswell
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s £192,000 CEO has told a local government magazine that she has a solution to fix the latest financial crisis: more borrowing. By STEVEN DOWNES An 11th-hour decision on a loan from the Department of Levelling … Continue reading
School street schemes dropped after council failed to consult
Croydon’s failing council administration has had to abandon an important child safety measure, introduced during the covid lockdown, because they failed to organise in advance any replacement of what were initially temporary measures. Campaigners who have fought for healthier, less-polluted … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Schools, Steve Iles
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, London Borough of Croydon, school streets, Steve Iles
2 Comments
Suspended director sues Kerswell for ‘race discrimination’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council running one of the country’s most ethnically diverse boroughs could be dragged through the courts, with one of its rare BAME directors accusing it, and its chief executive, of racism. By STEVEN DOWNES Hazel Simmonds, … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Shifa Mustafa
3 Comments
MP Reed’s letter to save park lodge ignored by Labour council
The campaign by the Friends of Grangewood Park to save a Victorian park keeper’s lodge from being sold by the cash-strapped council has attracted the support of the local MP. But even Steve Reed OBE doesn’t get replies to his … Continue reading
Posted in Callton Young, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon parks, Friends of Grangewood Park, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Property, Steve Reed MP, Thornton Heath, Val Shawcross
Tagged Callton Young, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Friends of Grangewood Park, Grangewood Park, Karen Jewitt, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Steve Reed OBE, Thornton Heath, Upper Norwood
6 Comments
Council admits: We’re on the brink of bankruptcy. Again
CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a fortnight of unconvincing denials from the Fisher’s Folly propaganda bunker and the local Labour Party, official reports released ahead of budget-setting meetings confirm that Croydon could indeed have to issue a second S114 notice. By … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Richard Ennis, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Affordable Housing, Croydon Council, Grant Thornton, James Goudie QC, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Richard Ennis, Richard Simpson, S114, Section 114, Simon Hall
8 Comments
Locals to protest in Thornton Heath over sale of parkland
Nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition raised in Thornton Heath to call on the council to stop the auctioning of Heath Lodge, a former park keeper’s house in Grangewood Park, together with a chunk of parkland. A Friends group … Continue reading
