Tag Archives: Merton Council

Galpins Road hero still in temporary accommodation after blast

The south London hero who risked his life to rescue neighbours from the rubble following the terrifying explosion on a residential street in Thornton Heath last summer is among dozens of evacuated residents still living in hotel rooms six months … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Housing, Merton, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Client councils are failing to hold polluting Viridor in check

Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on the feeble opposition from south London boroughs to the Beddington incinerator creating even more toxic pollution The South London Waste Partnership, the arm’s-length, unelected and unaccountable quango formed by Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Croydon Council, Elliot Colburn, Environment, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Ruth Dombey, Sheldon Vestey, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

MP secures Commons debate on Galpins Road gas explosion

Siobhain McDonagh, the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, has secured a House of Commons debate tomorrow over the gas explosion on Galpins Road in August that caused the tragic death of four-year-old Sahara Salman and led to the evacuation … Continue reading

Posted in London-wide issues, Merton, Norbury, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Viridor incinerator breaks its toxic VOC permit for 40th time

MARK GALE reports on how the Environment Agency’s ‘strict limits’ on polluting emissions are not so strict after all The latest emission data for the polluting incinerator on Beddington Lane has just been released and yet again, operators Viridor have … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Health, Kingston, Merton, Old Palace, Sutton Council, Wandle Park, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Careful what you wish for as we bin rubbish contractor Veolia

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The news that Veolia won’t have their four-borough deal extended once it expires in 2025 has prompted loyal reader LEWIS WHITE, pictured right, to question our councils’ roles in the service decline From the comments made in response … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon and three other boroughs to bin Veolia rubbish deal

Veolia, who have swept Croydon’s streets and emptied its residents’ bins sporadically since 2003, are to be dropped as the council’s rubbish contractor. The decision has been reached following “significant and ongoing concerns” with Veolia’s performance, which saw three of … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

SGN ‘donates’ £0.5m to Merton to pay for displaced residents

A week on from the horrific blast in Thornton Heath that killed a four-year-old child, destroyed one house, damaged dozens of others, and forced 500 people from their homes, Southern Gas Networks, the company responsible for providing gas to Galpins … Continue reading

Posted in Merton, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Investigations continue into tragic Galpins Road explosion

The four-year-old girl who died in the massive explosion in Thornton Heath on Monday morning has been named as Sahara Salman. Police confirmed that Sahara’s body had been recovered from a house on Galpins Road. Three other people were taken … Continue reading

Posted in London Fire Brigade, Merton, Policing, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Viridor incinerator fined for multiple pollution permit breaches

After at least 34 permit breaches in three years, the south London councils’ partnership is taking action against their contractor – though nothing is being done about the serious ‘acidic air’ incident in May Viridor is to be fined for … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Health, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Off-target: Town Hall chiefs’ concern over net zero dates

More than half of the country’s local council leaders fear that their areas will fail to meet their own net zero targets, according to a survey published over the weekend. The survey was conducted on behalf of renewable energy supplier … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Incinerator goes 7 times over level for acidic hydrogen chloride

Viridor, the operators of the Beddington Lane incinerator, have admitted that they have been polluting the south London air with hydrogen chloride, a chemical normally used in the production of potentially deadly hydrochloric acid. Data released by Viridor today shows … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Environment, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tories blame Boris as Westminster and Wandsworth fall

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on a ‘dangerous political moment’ for the Conservative Prime Minister When Boris Johnson got up this morning, he was living in a Labour-controlled local council. Labour won Westminster City Council yesterday, the first time since … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, Fairfield, London-wide issues, Mark Allison, Merton, New Addington, New Addington North, Outside Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Merton’s £50m education shortfall raises finance alarms

A south London council on the brink of financial collapse, getting a multi-million-pound bail-out from government, while being run by a new chief exec and with a rudderless Labour group where the leader isn’t standing for re-election in their old … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Education, London-wide issues, Mark Allison, Merton, Outside Croydon, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor will have little say over borough’s rubbish contractors

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It is one of the biggest and most important services provided by any local council. But the manner in which the borough has outsourced the management of bin collections, street cleaning and waste disposal and recycling has become … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, idVerde, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Val Shawcross, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

#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

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Muhammad Ali, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Time to halt new incinerators and tax waste burners, MPs say

Air pollution kills 64,000 per year – and burning rubbish is doing nothing for the nation’s net zero climate crisis goals, according to report from an all-party parliamentary committee A Parliamentary committee headed by a former Croydon MP has called … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Environment, Refuse collection, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Four London boroughs have no plans for waste reduction

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston have a new draft South London Waste Plan and, according to PETER UNDERWOOD (right), it’s a load of rubbish One of the most common issues people raise with me is … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Calls for Beddington incinerator to be shut down over CO2

Viridor’s figures show that their south London plant is pumping out three times as much CO2 as other, similar facilities. By PAUL LUSHION, environment correspondent The Viridor incinerator at Beddington Lane, operated on behalf of Croydon and three other south … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Merton seeking replacement for long-standing CEO Curran

Ged Curran, the chief executive at Merton Council for nearly 17 years, is set to leave his £220,000 per year job. There has been no formal announcement from Merton of Curran’s departure, but the council is holding an appointments committee … Continue reading

Posted in London-wide issues, Merton, Outside Croydon | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Merton scraps building company to avoid Brick by Brick failure

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on how a neighbouring borough has twigged that Croydon’s model for house-building doesn’t work Another Labour-run south London council is to junk its arm’s-length house-building company – after seeing what the catastrophic clusterfuck Brick by … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Housing, Mark Allison, Merton, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viridor going for the burn: will councillors stand up to them?

The government watchdog, the Environment Agency, is actively encouraging incinerator operators to pollute more and so bank more cash, at the expense of south London residents’ health. By our Sutton reporter, BELLE MONT Any chance that Croydon or Sutton might … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Muhammad Ali, Nick Mattey, Nina Degrads, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Labour leader of south London council is to stand down

Stephen Alambritis is to stand down as the leader of Merton Council. Alambritis announced his decision two hours into last night’s annual meeting of the Labour-run council. No reason was given for his decision to stand down. He described his … Continue reading

Posted in Merton, Outside Croydon | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

TfL backs Sutton Tram Link – but lacks £420m to pay for it

Transport for London has plumped for a tram extension that links Sutton town centre with the Northern Line Tube at Colliers Wood. But they just don’t have the £420million needed to pay for it just yet. The outcome of a … Continue reading

Posted in Merton, Sutton Council, Sutton Link, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Creatura needs help from ‘Bust-up Boris’, as LibDems win seat

Two south London council by-elections in the past week suggest the LibDems might have a chance of breaking Croydon’s political duopoly, reports our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Boris Johnson’s selection by the 0.15per cent of the population which comprises the … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Mario Creatura, Merton, Old Coulsdon, Sarah Jones MP, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Viridor apologist Brunt’s blunt treatment from Merton Council

Our Merton correspondent, NORMAN COLLIER-WOOD, reports on how the toxic fall-out from rubbish contractor Veolia’s shortcomings has claimed its first council victim Merton’s rubbish councillor, Mike Brunt, has been sacked from his council cabinet post. Labour councillor Brunt had been … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Merton, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment