Tag Archives: Merton

Viridor turns polluting Beddington incinerator into a sick joke

Incinerator operators Viridor have failed to instal any metal detectors to locate large batteries and other devices which are believed to have caused explosions inside the furnace at the Beddington Lane plant, leading to many of the 40 polluting breaches … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bailey holds urgent talks seeking Viridor bail-out for SDEN

Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on the backroom deals that have been going on to try to salvage Sutton Council’s struggling heat network business Helen Bailey, the chief exec at Liberal Democrat-controlled Sutton, has been holding emergency talks with incinerator … Continue reading

Posted in Bobby Dean, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Helen Bailey, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Ruth Dombey, Shasha Khan, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 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

South London’s JET jobs programme gets a £3.2m booster

JET, Croydon’s job entry programme for some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents, has received a £3.2million funding boost from the Department of Work and Pensions. As a result, the South London Work and Health and Job Entry Target Programme … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Bin workers face sack if they don’t work on Queen’s Funeral

While most council services have shut down for the bank holiday weekend ahead of Monday’s solemn royal ceremonials, Veolia staff have been told that if they don’t show up for work, they could be fired. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Business, Croydon Council, Kingston, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Merton, Refuse collection, Southwark Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Environment Agency issues flood warning for River Wandle

No sooner has the amber heatwave warning in south London faded away in some light rain than the Environment Agency has put the area on alert for flash flooding. With heavy rain forecast to hit the capital today and tomorrow, … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Lambeth Council, Merton, Sutton Council, Transport, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

#BINMAGEDDON! Boroughs left looking like rubbish tips

‘They treat us like the rubbish they are supposed to collect!’ Mounting reports from around the boroughs in the South London Waste Partnership suggest that the councils’ waste service contractors are creaking under pressure. By STEVEN DOWNES The complaints about … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Refuse collection, Shirley North, Steve Iles, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Tenants’ despair and politicians’ disdain: Britain’s slum crisis

STEVEN DOWNES on the television documentary being broadcast on Sunday night which seems certain to shock the nation and pour shame on Croydon Council all over again You might think you couldn’t be shocked any more. But you’d be wrong. … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Merton, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Southwark Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Boundary Commission recommends four MPs for Croydon

Croydon is to get an extra MP under far-reaching proposed changes to parliamentary constituencies released overnight by the Boundary Commission for England. Under changes which have been years in the making, England will have the number of seats in the … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Lambeth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Teacher recalls Merton’s park stars finest hour and a half

Two south London boroughs have managed to produce a profusion of footballing talent, from Neil Sullivan to Callum Hudson-Odoi, from Jason Cundy to Wilfried Zaha. Here, DAVID MORGAN looks back to the days when he was manager of one of … Continue reading

Posted in Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Football, Merton, Schools, Sport, Wilfried Zaha | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

One year on, Viridor finally submit report on Beddington blaze

PAUL LUSHION on how a company worth £4.2bn looks set to get away with another crime against the environment Don’t hold your breath, but Viridor might just be about to get around to delivering a report on the massive fire … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Viridor breaking rules over incinerator’s pollution reports

Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on how 12 months after a major fire at the Beddington Lane plant its polluting operators continue to be given a free pass by the Environment Agency and local councils Viridor, who operate the waste … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Extinction Rebellion, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 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

Councillors ‘gagged’ from questioning incinerator operators

Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on how what is supposed to be a public meeting at Croydon Town Hall tonight has banned questions about the fire at the Beddington Lane incinerator Councillors elected to represent people living across four boroughs … Continue reading

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Nick Mattey, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waddon, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pants on fire! Viridor continue to lie over incinerator blaze

Environmental polluters Viridor continue to lie about the extent of the major blaze at their Beddington Lane waste plant in July. In an official report submitted ahead of a meeting of the South London Waste Partnership to be held at … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Official figures show Croydon is capital’s worst for complaints

Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, crunches some numbers and finds that according to the annual report from the Local Government Ombudsman, our council does not compare well, however you dress it up Official figures from the Local Government Ombudsman … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Bromley Council, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, Merton, Planning, SEND, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, TfL, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council dumps disastrous idVerde outsourced parks contract

This was not what was meant when ‘taking back control’ was coined as a slogan, but this week in Croydon, our council has moved in to relieve a French firm of its responsibilities in our parks, as KEN LEE reports … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Carillion, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Duppas Hill Park, Environment, idVerde, Kingston, Libraries, Lloyd Park, Merton, Stuart Collins, Veolia, Wandle Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BINMAGEDDON!: Rubbish contractor considers more job cuts

If you thought that the refuse collection and street cleaning in Croydon couldn’t get any worse, WALTER CRONXITE has news for you Croydon’s rubbish contractor, Veolia, is considering cutting the number of staff it employs to carry out the domestic … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Politicians lead call for 1,000 years more cricket at Mitcham

A community campaign to preserve the fabric of one of the world’s oldest cricket grounds is celebrating today after securing cross-party support to save from development the pavilion at the historic Mitcham Cricket Green, with politicians backing calls for a … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, History, Merton, Siobhain McDonagh MP | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Council withholds £1m from Veolia for bin service failings

Croydon Council has withheld nearly £1million in fees due to street-cleaning and bin-collecting contractors Veolia because of poor performance, Inside Croydon has learned. The penalty has been applied by Croydon’s clean and green cabinet member, Stuart Collins, because of various … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Merton, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Norbury’s constituency move helps to spell end for McDonagh

WALTER CRONXITE, in a final review of the Boundary Commissioners’ review, lays out the extraordinary lengths undertaken to squeeze out of existence a Labour-held seat in south-west London If any further proof was needed to demonstrate that the Tories are … Continue reading

Posted in 2020 General Election, Merton, Norbury, Outside Croydon, Siobhain McDonagh MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Brake Escape: Sutton unscathed by Boundary Commission

WALTER CRONXITE on the wider ramifications of the Boundary Commission’s somewhat gentle realignment Sutton’s parliamentary seats So excited was London’s last remaining LibDem MP last night that he – or one of his over-eager aides – broke the strict embargo … Continue reading

Posted in 2020 General Election, Merton, Norbury, Paul Scully MP, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment