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Tag Archives: London Borough of Croydon
Met Police confirm fraud review into £67.5m Fairfield fiasco
KEN LEE reports on the latest twist in the council’s headlong rush towards bankruptcy, and perhaps worse, with the Town Hall’s fate in the hands of Michael Gove The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they have opened an investigation into … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Housing Revenue Account, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Michael Gove, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman, Tory
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Crisis-hit council hires fourth housing director in a year
Croydon Council has announced the appointment of Susmita Sen to the role of corporate director of housing. Recruitment ads for the post at the cash-strapped local authority offered a salary of up to £150,547. Sen is the fourth top exec … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Knight, Croydon Council, David Padfield, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, South Norwood, Susmita Sen
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Housing Revenue Account, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Regina Road, Social Housing Regulator, South Norwood, Susmita Sen
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#Binmageddon: Under-performing Veolia hit with warnings
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on some long-overdue action being taken with the rubbish contractors who are supposed to be responsible for the state of the borough’s streets One day after “Mucky Merton”™ issued a Service Improvement Notice to … Continue reading
London Mayor joins critics of ‘unlawful’ Local Plan review
‘Ludicrous’, ‘grotesque’ and ‘vandalism’ are some of the milder rebukes aimed at the council’s planning department’s latest piece of developer-friendly work. And now Sadiq Khan has joined the critics, while a Tory MP is threatening a Judicial Review. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Val Shawcross, Waddon
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Local Plan, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Tory, Val Shawcross, Waddon
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Halls of shame: Butler and Scott referred to council legal chief
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Leading figures in the council’s financial crash failed to declare any interests before taking part in vote against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud at the Fairfield Halls. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour councillors … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Tony Newman
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Travers quits Lambeth after housing watchdog’s 30 complaints
It’s all change up the road at Brixton Town Hall, where £185,000 per year chief exec Andrew Travers has announced he is standing down, probably after May’s local elections. “Working for Lambeth Council has been a great experience,” Travers tweeted. … Continue reading
MP Philp launches attack on council’s ‘grotesque’ Local Plan
Time is running out for submissions on the council’s Local Plan, which some say could ‘destroy’ the suburbs, ‘turning the whole borough into a highly dense urban area’. By STEVEN DOWNES Chris Philp, the Conservative MP for Croydon South, has … Continue reading
Under-fire repairs contractors Axis quit before they can be axed
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The housing repairs contractors who were at the centre of the Regina Road council flats scandal are walking away from their new £21m per year deal two years early. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Less than a year … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing
Tagged Alison Butler, Axis, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Patricia Hay-Justice, South Norwood
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#Macarnage: Formal complaint over planners’ too-close links
EXCLUSIVE: The council has approved a scheme for another block of flats which is to be built by a firm with close links to a senior member of the planning staff, and where another planner appears to have helped draw … Continue reading
Posted in Coulsdon, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Nicola Townsend, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Planning
Tagged #Macarnage, Alex MacDonald, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, London Borough of Croydon, Macar Developments, Natalie Gentry, New Place Associates, Old Coulsdon, Planning, Ross Gentry
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A year after housing scandal, council to raise rents by 4.1%
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Some of the poorest people in the borough face another cost-of-living increase – and one which the cash-strapped council doesn’t need to impose. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s Labour-run council is preparing to hike rents to all its … Continue reading
Covid positive after first full Town Hall meeting for two years
WALTER CRONXITE, our fully masked and vaccinated political editor, reports on how many of the borough’s politicians went canvassing at the weekend despite having been warned that there had been a virus positive case at a meeting they attended on … Continue reading
Brazen Butler at centre of new storm over Fairfield Halls fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A leading figure among those who failed ‘to do their jobs responsibly, honestly and legally’ voted against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud in the £67.5m arts centre refurb. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The decision … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Tony Newman
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Lewis is given another £1.3m to spend on Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Somehow, our cash-strapped council has managed to find a spare million to hand to the under-performing operators of the town centre’s arts venue, thanks to the recommendation of a new employee of The Campaign Company. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
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Toxic legacy that could destroy borough’s character forever
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council is running a consultation (another one), this time over its proposals to increase the amount of housing intensification it will allow across the borough. ANITA SMITH shares her concerns about the changes to the Local Plan … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, Planning, Val Shawcross
Tagged Anita Smith, Councillor Jason Perry, Croydon Council, Croydon Local Plan, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Park Hill and Whitgift Estate, Paul Scott, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Whitgift Estate, Whitgift Foundation
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Council got £70m Fairfield Halls refurb wrong from the start
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was ‘insane’ to grant a licence to Brick by Brick for the refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, and that led to the £70m ‘shitshow’. Mayoral candidate VAL SHAWCROSS responds to the auditors’ Report In The Public … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Val Shawcross
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Val Shawcross
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Negrini and execs ‘failed to ensure council was acting lawfully’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: An auditors’ report into the ‘shoddy’ deal that handed the Fairfield Halls refurbishment to loss-making builders Brick by Brick hints at potential fraud and accuses senior officials of large-scale negligence. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Some … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, Sarah Ironmonger, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
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Kerswell gets her fourth council finance chief in 12 months
Council correspondent KEN LEE reports on the latest bit of empire-building going on at Fisher’s Folly Croydon’s cash-strapped council, which over the past 18 months has been handing out P45s willy-nilly to hundreds of the low-paid front-line workers who grafted … Continue reading
#Macarnage: Planner Slominski returns with a promotion
EXCLUSIVE: Distrust of the council’s planning department, and director Heather Cheesbrough, has reached new highs after it was discovered that they have re-employed a developer-friendly official with blatant conflicts of interest. By STEVEN DOWNES Representatives of residents’ associations at a … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Kenley, Old Coulsdon, Planning
Tagged #Macarnage, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon South, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Jan Slominski, London Borough of Croydon, Macar Developments, Maureen Levy, Natalie Gentry, NewPlace, Old Coulsdon, Ross Gentry
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Tried calling Croydon Council? Please hold the line… forever
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Have you had difficulties getting through to the council, perhaps to report the latest missed bin collection, or when trying to make a Council Tax payment? According to sources at Fisher’s Folly, you’re just wasting your time. … Continue reading
The Buck stops here: Labour campaign disarray after fixer quits
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The party’s local organiser has quit his job just months before council elections after a row over how much backing to give to Val Shawcross’s Mayoral campaign. And there’s only a short-term plan for a replacement. … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Central, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Jack Buck, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
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Here was the news: Inside Croydon’s most-read articles of 2021
All the numbers are in, counted and verified… Here’s the top 10 most-read Inside Croydon articles of 2021. In reverse order…
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2021, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon
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Croydon 2021: voter apathy, petrol queues and dodgy deals
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: In our final instalment of our annual review of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2021, we reach the season of missed opportunities and not much fruitfulness, as far as Croydon Labour … Continue reading
Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Wendy's
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Brick by Brick, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Croydon Park Hotel, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Steve Reed OBE, STUART KING, Terrapin Group, Tony Newman, Westfield
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Croydon 2021: Where Eagles care and people power takes hold
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: In the second part of our review of the year, loyal readers step up to report raptor sightings, there’s the retirement of a much-admired Palace manager, worrying election results for Labour and the council … Continue reading
Posted in 2021 London elections, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace FC, Environment, Housing, Inside Croydon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, New Addington North, Patsy Cummings, Planning, Roy Hodgson, Sadiq Khan, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Wildlife, Woodside
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Emma Hope-Fitch, Labour, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, New Addington, Simon Hall, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory
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Croydon 2021: a tale of lockdowns, let-downs and meltdowns
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: Croydon entered 2021 as a bankrupt borough, yet there was worse still to come. Inside Croydon has been there, reporting on every twist and turn of events around the cash-strapped council as it entered … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Rachel Flowers, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, Report in the Public Interest, Simon Hall, South Norwood Community Kitchen, Stuart King, Tony Newman
Tagged #Binmageddon, Alison Butler, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Fransoy Hewitt, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Peter Bingle, Regina Road, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, STUART KING, Terrapin Group, Tony Newman
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