Blog Stats
- 20,132,917 hits
-
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy Email Subscription
Join 6,034 other subscribersinsidecroydon
Follow us on Facebook
Recent Comments
Archives
Tags
- Addiscombe West
- Alison Butler
- Andrew Pelling
- Barwell
- Boris Johnson
- Brick by Brick
- Chris Philp MP
- Conservative
- coronavirus
- Coulsdon
- Council Tax
- Covid-19
- Croydon
- Croydon Central
- Croydon Council
- Croydon North
- Croydon South
- Crystal Palace
- Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood
- East Croydon station
- Fairfield Halls
- Gavin Barwell
- Hammersfield
- Hammerson
- Jo Negrini
- Labour
- Liberal Democrats
- London
- London Assembly
- London Borough of Croydon
- Mayor
- Mayor Jason Perry
- New Addington
- Norbury
- Paul Scott
- Purley
- Sarah Jones MP
- South Croydon
- South Norwood
- Steve Reed OBE
- Sutton Council
- TfL
- Thornton Heath
- Tony Newman
- Tory
- Transport for London
- Waddon
- Westfield
- Whitgift Centre
- Whitgift Foundation
Tag Archives: Michael Gove
Mayor Perry is told to wait for £18.5m Levelling Up boost
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Business interests in the town centre will benefit from Government cash for cycling and walking schemes. But doubts surround whether Mayor Perry will manage to deliver a six-year-old Labour plan to open up College Green. By our … Continue reading
Posted in Business, College Green, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Cycling, East Croydon, Environment, Fairfield Halls, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Waddon, West Croydon, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Levelling Up Fund, Matthew Sims, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Paul Scott, Tory, Waddon, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
4 Comments
Gove’s ‘improvement’ panel handed £1,000 per week pay rise
Trebles all-round! Self-professed ‘friend of Suella Braverman’ has given generous pay rises to the unelected bureaucrats overseeing Croydon’s cash-strapped council Michael Gove and his Conservative Government have just added another £50,000 per year on to the costs of running Croydon’s … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle
Tagged Brian Roberts, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Board, Jon Wilson, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Pamela Leonce, Phil Brookes, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Statutory powers, Tony McArdle, Tory
2 Comments
Tory Mayor Perry admits: ‘Essentially, we’re insolvent’. Again
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Without significant help from Government, the council is unable to find a solution to its debt crisis. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council’s intractable financial problems will never be resolved until the Government agrees to write off hundreds … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jane West, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Thurrock Council, Tony McArdle, Tory, Toxic debt, Woking Council
10 Comments
It’s a Brum do: fixing local government won’t come cheap
After the latest local authority’s finances crashed and burned, and with Michael Gove twiddling his thumbs doing nothing before the General Election, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, looks at what needs to be done to fix local government in England Councils … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Fisher, Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner MP, Birmingham City Council, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottingham City Council, Thurrock, Tory, Woking
15 Comments
Tandridge among 14 landlords rebuked by Gove over housing
Social housing is being badly managed by councils and housing associations across the country, and all the Tory government is doing is sending a few ‘stern’ letters to officials. By our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES Tandridge District Council in Surrey … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon, Southwark Council, Tandridge District Council
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Lambeth, Lambeth council, Limpsfield, Michael Gove, Oxted, Southwark, Southwark Council, Surrey, Tandridge, Tandridge District Council, Tory
1 Comment
Didn’t I do well?! Kerswell gives herself a pat on the back
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It is three years to the week since the emergency committee meeting, attended by Jason Perry, that decided in secret to give £437,000 to Jo Negrini to leave her job as council CEO. Today, Negreedy’s replacement, Katherine … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged #PennReport, 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, DLUHC, Electoral Commission, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Information Commissioners Office, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, LGA, LGC, Local Government Association, Local Government Chronicle, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Penn Report, The Penn Report, Tory
20 Comments
We are witnessing the long, slow death of local government
‘We are staring into an abyss here, and it’s time we faced up to it’. Those were the words of a Conservative councillor in Croydon – in 2013. Here, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, says that faced with austerity on a … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Andrew Fisher, CIPFA, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Hastings, Lambeth, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Northumberland, Nottingham, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Thurrock, Tim Pollard, Tory, unemployment, Woking
21 Comments
No government checks on council’s borrowing for 15 years
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Scandals and revelations from other busted boroughs demonstrate a deliberate lack of diligence by the Tory government Government failures to keep a check on the runaway borrowing of Croydon and other local authorities is likely to come … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, BBC Panorama, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Levelling Up, Liam Kavanagh, Michael Gove, Panorama, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Thurrock, Tory, Woking
5 Comments
Council’s striking homelessness staff take their fight to Gove
Senior officials have been accused of deliberately sending in false data on homelessness, potentially costing Croydon as much as £3m per year. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE Council staff working in Croydon’s housing and homelessness department have today … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dean Shoesmith, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Susmita Sen, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, GMB, Homelessness, Housing, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Rachael Baylis, Susmita Sen, Tory
3 Comments
Petitioners tell ‘powerless’ Mayor Perry it’s time to stand down
Residents have reacted to last week’s announcement from Tory minister Michael Gove of new, increased statutory powers for the government commissioners overseeing the running of the cash-strapped council by demanding that Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year elected Mayor, should … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, South Norwood Tourist Board
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Purley Pool, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board, Tory
14 Comments
Government panel given extra powers and new commissioners
Council to remain under the supervision of government-appointed panel, which has been given extra statutory powers, until 2025. By STEVEN DOWNES No matter how many times, or in how many different ways, that Jason Perry, Croydon’s piss-poor, part-time Mayor, stamps … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Brian Roberts, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Pamela Leonce, Statutory powers, Tony McArdle, Tory
9 Comments
Gove’s ministerial statement on state of Croydon finances
At lunchtime today, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, dropped a written statement to the House of Commons – just before the start of the summer recess – on the progress, or otherwise, made … Continue reading
Councils’ collapse should have been halted by Sunak or Gove
Croydon is far from alone as a cash-strapped local authority. And bit by bit, evidence is emerging from the series of financial crashes of councils that implicates not only Michael Gove but also Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, LGC, Local Government Chronicle, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak, S114, S114 notice, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Slough Borough Council, Thurrock, Thurrock Council, Tory, Woking, Woking Borough Council
3 Comments
Gove finally admits it: Localism got councils all in a Pickles
Is the Levelling Up minister in denial about the extent of financial problems in local government? It certainly seems that way after his speech to the Local Government Association conference yesterday. By STEVEN DOWNES Michael Gove, the Secretary of State … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, LGA, Local Government Association, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Office for Local Government, Oflog, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Slough, Thurrock, Tory, Woking
9 Comments
Perry enters new plea to government to write-off council debts
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘This is not something we will be able to fix alone,’ the borough’s Mayor conceded in a recent letter to the Tory government – who haven’t bothered replying to his request. By our Town Hall correspondent, KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jane West, Labour, Lee Rowley, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Slough, Thurrock, Tony McArdle, Tory, Woking
11 Comments
‘The Tories in England are enthusiastic only about ground rent’
One-third of homeowners in Croydon are leaseholders, but the Government has flunked its promises to reform the service charge system. Citing Gramsci and Marx, Michael Gove and Sarah Jones, our columnist ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, explains why getting rid of … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Business, Housing
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Croydon, Croydon North, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Housing, Leasehold, Leasehold reform, Lisa Nandy, Michael Gove, Sarah Jones MP
10 Comments
Perry admits he has failed to secure £540m debt write-off deal
CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a year in office, the Tory Mayor told a Purley audience last night that he has failed to ‘fix the finances’ and he won’t be opening the local swimming pool without lumbering the area with another … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Purley, Purley Pool, Rishi Sunak, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
26 Comments
Perry admits he can’t take action against council’s bankrupters
Croydon’s part-time Mayor has always known that the actions of councillors and senior council staff ‘can decimate an authority… without any fear of recrimination’. But he’s been very reluctant to admit his impotency to the borough’s residents. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Improvement Board, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLU, DLUHC, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Penn Report, Richard Penn, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
19 Comments
Greens, residents and LibDems put squeeze on Tory Surrey
Follow the yellow brick road: political editor WALTER CRONXITE takes a flight of fancy over the new political map of south-east England after last week’s local elections, which have given the LibDems much encouragement The fields of Surrey, Sussex and … Continue reading
Posted in Anna Jones, Caterham, Coulsdon, Epsom and Ewell, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Outside Croydon, Sarah Jones MP, Shasha Khan, Surrey, Tandridge District Council
Tagged Chaldon, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Dominic Raab, Esher and Walton, Green Party, Jeremy Hunt, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Local elections 2023, Mario Creatura, Michael Gove, Reigate and Banstead, Sarah Jones MP, Shasha Khan, Slough Borough Council, South West Surrey, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Tandridge District Council, Thurrock Council, Tory
Leave a comment
Kerswell condemns councils’ accountability as inadequate
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Yesterday’s meeting of the cash-strapped council’s disciplinary committee may have committed Croydon to tens of thousands of pounds of additional legal costs, with no guarantee of any success in the cases which might eventually be brought. And … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged #PennReport, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Misconduct in Public Office, Penn Report, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory
7 Comments
Councillors agree to chase Negrini for golden handshake cash
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The same committee which met in August 2020 to agree the £437,000 payment to the departing CEO today decided to ignore the advice of senior lawyers and spend more council cash in trying to recover the pay-off. … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, CIPFA, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Metropolitan Police, Michael Gove, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
9 Comments
Croydon put in special measures: ‘Worst of all possible worlds’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Announcements from Westminster and Whitehall today put the borough under the control of unelected bureaucrats who are answerable only to a Tory Government minister – in a scheme that the Mayor has helped plot for months. By … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Lee Rowley, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Regina Road, S114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
16 Comments
‘Precautionary measure given the historic issues uncovered’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: At 12.15pm this afternoon, the council’s internal communications department issued the following statement to all staff, under the title, “Message from Executive Mayor Jason Perry and Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell”. This is that statement in full: Dear … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Lee Rowley, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, S114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
2 Comments
Two years too late, Tory Government intervenes over council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A Parliamentary written statement today effectively admitted defeat over the council’s bail-outs and ordered a Whitehall takeover of the council ahead of a possible £540m debt write-off Lee Rowley, the Tories’ local government minister, announced today an … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Katherine Kerswell, Lee Rowley, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, S114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
1 Comment
Gove holds back panel’s key report until after budget deadline
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The government appointed a panel of experts in early 2021 to oversee the operation of the ‘dysfunctional’ council. But after a delay of more than a year, they won’t publish their ‘assurance’ report until after the Tory … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Department for Levelling Up, DLUHC, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Gove, Tony McArdle, Tory
1 Comment