Tag Archives: S114 notice

LibDem candidate Howard would axe chief exec role at council

EXCLUSIVE: In our latest Andrew Fisher Interview with candidates to become Croydon Mayor in the local elections on May 7, Richard Howard says that he would work on a cross-party basis at the Town Hall, would look at ways of … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Richard Howard, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

£84,000 per year Tory Mayor approves his own pay rise

EXCLUSIVE: It’s trebles all-round for directors at Croydon’s cash-strapped council, as there’s a second generous pay rise in 12 months for council chiefs, while allowances paid to councillors are also to rise, and amount to £1.6m per year. Yet long-suffering … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry begs for another £119m to balance his busted budget

Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, who has hiked Council Tax by 33% since 2023, still needs another £119m government bail-out to make his council budget balance. By STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry, Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, has got his begging bowl out again to … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Davis’s Valentine’s message: I’ll mend Croydon’s broken heart

EXCLUSIVE: Labour candidate issues public apology for ‘some things that my party has done in the past’ in crashing Croydon Council’s finances Rowenna Davis has revealed how she has been talking to a consortium of around 12 potential investors and … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

When’s a pay-off not a pay-off? When it’s 50 grand in Croydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: At public expense (again), Mayor Perry deploys the council’s top lawyer to try to shut down reporting of his £50,000 pay-off to departing chief executive Katherine Kerswell. By STEVEN DOWNES “When’s a pay-off not a pay-off?” a … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

‘I’ll miss heartfelt moments we have shared in our Tea Talks’

In her final message to staff, council CEO describes a pay-off of possibly as much as £95,000 as ‘just my contractual notice period’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES In typical Croydon Council style under Katherine Kerswell’s leadership, it was the borough’s … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mayor Perry tells councillors Kerswell ‘will be much missed’

Rushed email to the borough’s elected officials confirms pay-out to departing chief executive will be at least £50,000 – in lieu of notice. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES In a hastily drafted memo rushed out in the minutes after Inside Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Kerswell takes another pay-off as she quits as council’s CEO

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Jason Perry makes another massive ‘reward for failure’ from public money as his chief executive joins the stampede for the exit at Fisher’s Folly. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell has resigned from her £204,000 per … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jo Negrini, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Nazeya Hussain, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Perry fails to publish any council spending figures since May

Political Editor WALTER CRONXITE on suspicions that Croydon’s £84,000 per year part-time Mayor is trying to cover-up yet more ‘runaway’ spending Jason Perry, the failed Mayor, has returned to Croydon after spending much of the week on a personal re-election … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tory councillor’s Commissioner video nasty is another wild rant

Simon Brew, a Conservative councillor in Croydon for the past 11 years, hasn’t had the best of luck with his campaigning on local issues when he has tried to use modern communication techniques – like videos. Remember how he lobbied … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley, Section 114 notice, Simon Brew, Stabilisation Plan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Croydon residents pick up the £1m tab for ‘improvement’ panel

It is residents who will pay the cost of government ‘intervention’ if Commissioners move in at Fisher’s Folly next month, just as they have been paying for a panel of Whitehall-appointed ‘experts’ since 2021. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Official figures … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Croydon’s finances are not sustainable warns council chief

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Ahead of tonight’s Council Tax-setting meeting, an exec director says the authority cannot continue by borrowing more, with overspends likely to rise to more than £200m by 2028. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE Jason “Fix … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Jase and Kathy Show – a Christmas Special for Croydon!

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Inside Croydon has obtained a leaked video from an internal council webinar earlier this month, where the Mayor fails to mention the £83m overspend predicted in a recent report to government, and council CEO seems to blame … Continue reading

Posted in Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Improvement Board, Inside Croydon, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Norbury and Norwood Junction council car parks to be sold off

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on how 157 Brick by Brick flats in Coulsdon were sold below the market rate, as the council continues to overspend on Mayor Perry’s unbalanced budget Anything that is not nailed down … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Perry’s Council Tax increases to reach 27% by April 2025

CROYDON IN CRISIS: More mega-millions borrowing, more maximum tax increases, but still no solution in sight for the borough’s residents, as officials pretend that they are running a balanced budget. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon residents will be hit by another … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Council’s action over Negrini pay-off ‘looks dead in the water’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite a bit of grandstanding by Tory Mayor that he would ‘hold to account’ those responsible for bankrupting the borough, an official Freedom of Information response shows that the council is actually doing nothing. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Simpson, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

£603,000: the soaring costs of Croydon’s ‘improvement’ panel

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Three years since Tony McArdle and his government-appointed team of troubleshooters were parachuted into the council, there are mounting questions about what they have achieved. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Government-appointed chair of Croydon Council’s “improvement and … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Section 114 notice, SEND, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Government blocks public inquiry into collapse of councils

Any suspicion that the Establishment that controls local and national government doesn’t want the public to find out about the shady deals that go on in Town Halls up and down the land will have been confirmed with the news … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Outside Croydon, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cummings’ budget rejected before his big Newsnight moment

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The government has just found £2.5bn in ‘exceptional financial support’ for 19 councils. But Mayor Jason Perry and his finance chief have an anxious week after having had their unbalanced budget rejected in a Town Hall meeting. … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Chris Philp MP, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s time for our elected councillors to stand up for Croydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Saddled with £1.4bn of ‘toxic’ debt, Mayor Perry has been rendered paralysed in his management of the cash-strapped council’s finances. Ahead of tonight’s budget meeting, ANDREW PELLING outlines some of the options for the borough’s politicians There’s … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

It’s the same in Croydon and Birmingham: Pay More, Get Less

In this week’s column, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, looks at the criminalisation of journalism through the treatment of Julian Assange, and he charts the latest  undermining of local councils by central Government It could be worse. You could live in … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Can’t deal with debt’ admits Perry as he borrows £38m more

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council staff morale ‘at an all-time low’ according to a national newspaper report, while the bankrupt borough’s part-time Mayor’s only answer to its financial struggles is to borrow even more money Last week, Inside Croydon columnist Andrew … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tribunal judge finds no evidence of racism or unfair dismissal

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A landmark judgement, handed down today, determined that the council did not act in a racist, prejudicial or harrassing manner towards one of its former senior staff members. By STEVEN DOWNES This was one battle that David … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

CEO Kerswell could face crucial cross-examination at Tribunal

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A hearing for an employment dispute alleging unfair dismissal and racism brought by one of the council’s senior members of staff at the time of its financial collapse has done more to expose bullying and cover-ups at … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Hazel Simmonds, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Backlash against Hunt as Tory-run councils feel the squeeze

Malign neglect of local government after 13 years of savage spending cuts has created an ‘existential threat’ to council services. ‘Things are starting to fall apart at the seams,’ warns a Tory source “Flagship” Conservative-run county councils could suffer financial … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, London Councils, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments