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Tag Archives: Scrutiny and Overview Committee
It was a bad deal for Croydon. Why did they allow it to happen?
CROYDON COMMENTARY: With Tory Mayor Jason Perry using £½million of public money as a hush fund, RICHARD HOWARD, pictured right, the LibDem mayoral candidate, lays out all the obvious flaws with the council’s Red Clover Gardens scheme Two years ago, … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Business, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Ian Parker, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Howard, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, The Penn Report, Tony McArdle
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, Brick by Brick, Cllr Ian Parker, Conrad Hall, Conservative, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Ian Parker, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Liberal Democrats, Lion Green Road car park, London Borough of Croydon, Major Richard Howard, Peter Underwood, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Regen Coulsdon, Richard Howard, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Tory
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Mayor candidates call for investigation into Red Clover Gardens
LibDems and Greens say that only a thorough, deep dive into the council’s accounts and records conducted by an outside body – such as HM Revenue and Customs – can get to the bottom of the latest multi-million-pound financial scandal … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Rick Howard
Tagged Brick by Brick, Conservative, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Liberal Democrats, Lion Green Road car park, London Borough of Croydon, Major Richard Howard, Peter Underwood, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Regen Coulsdon, Richard Howard, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Tory
4 Comments
Perry agrees to pay £½m to reclaim flats at Red Clover Gardens
Inside Croydon has obtained a top-secret, ‘Part B’ council report providing key financial details on the collapsed property deal for Red Clover Gardens – all because someone at Croydon’s cash-strapped and incompetent council posted it on their own website EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Brick by Brick, Cllr Stuart King, Conrad Hall, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Lion Green Road car park, London Borough of Croydon, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Regen Coulsdon, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Tory
5 Comments
Tory council loses £20m over Coulsdon collapsed property deal
It is almost three years since this website warned that a ‘complicated, opaque lease-back arrangement’ conducted with a property firm with no real track record, for the disposal of blocks of flats at Red Clover Gardens, all looked just a … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Mears, Stuart King
Tagged Brick by Brick, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Lion Green Road car park, London Borough of Croydon, Mears Group Plc, Red Clover Gardens, Regen Capital, Regen Coulsdon, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, STUART KING, Tory
4 Comments
82% of Labour members back Davis as 2026 Mayor candidate
The 2026 Croydon Mayoral contest began in earnest today when Labour finally got round to naming their chosen candidate EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor To the surprise of absolutely nobody – except perhaps Manju Shahul-Hameed – Rowenna Davis has … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
11 Comments
‘We need a Mayor who puts people first’ says Labour’s Davis
Rowenna Davis has emerged as the front-runner in the race for selection to be Labour’s candidate for next year’s Croydon mayoral elections. A councillor for Waddon since 2022, Davis announced over the weekend that she has been shortlisted in her … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
25 Comments
Newman Numpty could seek Labour pick as Mayor candidate
EXCLUSIVE: In 2021, one councillor seeking to be chosen as her party’s candidate for elected Mayor ran a campaign with the slogan: ‘I can do more for the people I care about’. What might be her catchphrase be in 2025? … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Alan Patridge, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
5 Comments
For planner Cheesbrough, budget increase is ‘non-negotiable’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: All those public consultations that don’t ever make any difference to what the council sets out to do? This week, one director made it clear that they are indeed pointless exercises, as KEN LEE reports Croydon Council … Continue reading
Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Louis Carserides, Planning
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Alasdair Stewart, Budget, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Louis Carserides, Planning, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tory
21 Comments
Directors leave scrutiny short of answers over council job cuts
KEN LEE reports from the frontline of budget discussions at the cash-strapped council, after a meeting where everyone is working very, very hard, but no one in charge bothered to turn up equipped to provide any answers Councillors from both … Continue reading
Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Kristian Aspinall, Libraries, Louis Carserides, Scott Roche, Stella Nabukeera
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Alasdair Stewart, Budget, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Kristian Aspinall, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Louis Carserides, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Steve Iles, Tory
8 Comments
Davis quits scrutiny to be Labour pick as mayor candidate
EXCLUSIVE: Labour councillor for Waddon ward stands down from council committee role, with 2026 local elections as a target. By STEVEN DOWNES The starting gun on the campaign for election as Croydon Mayor in 2026 was fired this afternoon, as … Continue reading
Charities shocked to find council set to sell their buildings
Not content with withdrawing all grant aid from the borough’s voluntary groups, cash-strapped Croydon Council is now looking at making 17 charities and community groups effectively homeless by selling the buildings that they currently use. At the start of the … Continue reading
Posted in Charity, Council Tax, Croydon Council, CVA, Mayor Jason Perry, Mind in Croydon, Steve Phaure
Tagged Conservative, Cornerstone House, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon VA, Croydon Voluntary Action, CVA, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mind in Croydon, Pampisford Road, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Selhurst, Steve Phaure, Tory
4 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
Greens and LibDems to be given seats at scrutiny committees
Tonight’s scrutiny committee meeting will also see significant changes in approach, and a small crack appearing in the granite-like control of power held by Croydon’s political duopoly, reports WALTER CRONXITE More than two years after the slum-like conditions in Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Housing, Leila Ben-Hassel, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis
Tagged Claire Bonham, Conservative, Green Party, Housing, Labour, Leila Ben-Hassel, Liberal Democrats, Regina Road, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tory
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From part-time to powerless: Perry’s first year under scrutiny
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on how the public are already seeing through Croydon’s failing Tory Mayor Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year elected Mayor, is likely to be given a “Must Do Better” rating when he presents his report on … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tony McArdle, Tory
12 Comments
Town Hall bomb scare halts committee’s rubbish discussion
Last night’s council scrutiny meeting had to be abandoned after the building was evacuated because of a bomb scare. The committee, chaired by Labour councillor Rowenna Davis, had spent more than an hour discussing the latest budget figures and the … Continue reading
Meeting over Council Tax hike over-subscribed within hours
CROYDON IN CRISIS: All places at a public Q&A session about the Tory Mayor’s 15% Council Tax increase were snapped up within hours of being released – even though the council gave the event little publicity. By STEVEN DOWNES An … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Scrutiny committee, Tory, Waddon
7 Comments
Mayor makes rapid U-turn as report confirms £19.3m overspend
CROYDON IN CRISIS: A report to be discussed at the Town Hall tonight confirms the deepening financial problems facing the borough’s new Mayor. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE Part-time Mayor Jason Perry has been forced to admit that his Conservative administration … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Dr Ola Olasode, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Ennis, Section 114 notice
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of Croydon, Rowenna Davis, S114, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Section 114, Tory
3 Comments
Part-time Mayor Perry is only ‘listening’ four hours a day
EXCLUSIVE: Town Hall officials answer phone calls from the public for just half a working day. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Croydon’s part-time Mayor, having refused to delegate responsibilities even to his closest political colleagues, has had no such problem … Continue reading
£81,000 part-time Mayor pulls a sickie for first scrutiny meeting
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the seemingly miraculous recovery from covid by Tory Jason Perry Croydon’s £81,000 part-time Mayor pulled out of his first scheduled appointment with the council’s scrutiny committee last night, citing covid as his excuse. Yet … Continue reading
Time’s running out for Axis as new Mayor comes under scrutiny
The honeymoon period is over for Jason Perry, as the first reports of his administration are due to be published this week, reports KEN LEE, our Town Hall correspondent Jason Perry this week faces his first real tests as Croydon’s … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Sean Fitzsimons, South Croydon
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Green Party, Jason Perry, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of Croydon, Regina Road, Rowenna Davis, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, South Norwood, Tory
12 Comments
£100,000 Mayor Perry unveils his old team as the new team
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the completely predictable make-up of the borough’s executive Mayor’s first cabinet, and the wheeling and dealing over who will chair the Town Hall’s most influential committees Given that it took nearly five days to count … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Maria Gatland, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Scott Roche, Sean Fitzsimons, South Croydon, Yvette Hopley
Tagged Andy Stranack, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Jason Cummings, Jason Perry, Jeet Bains, Labour, Lynne Hale, Maria Gatland, Mayor Jason Perry, Ola Kolade, Planning Committee, Scott Roche, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Tory, Yvette Hopley
21 Comments
If councillors ask questions, we deserve to be given answers
CROYDON COMMENTARY: With election day a week away, Conservative councillor and member of the scrutiny committee, ROBERT WARD, offers a few ideas for any incoming Mayor Dear New Mayor, Congratulations on your election victory. You have an opportunity to make … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Selsdon and Addington Village
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Conservative, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Labour, Mayor, Robert Ward, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Tory
2 Comments
Mystery of the ‘lost’ £600,000 expert report into Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Suspicions mount over the business of Brick by Brick and the scandal surrounding the Fairfield Halls refurbishment. But even members of the Town Hall’s scrutiny committee are being denied vital information by council directors. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
Posted in Asmat Hussain, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sarah Hayward, Sean Fitzsimons
Tagged Asmat Hussain, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Labour, Robert Ward, Sarah Hayward, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman, Tory
24 Comments
Reports on Fairfield Halls and BxB missing from audit meeting
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tonight’s meeting of the council’s GPAC – General Purposes and Audit Committee – will mark the end of a error, as Labour councillors risk handing even more control to council executives. By STEVEN DOWNES Karen Jewitt, the … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Buss, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman
Tagged Chris Buss, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, GPAC, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Rapid Review, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman, Tory
6 Comments
‘Not good enough’ chair of scrutiny could yet stay in post
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite his committee being accused of lacking an ‘understanding of the urgency of the financial position’, one key Labour councillor shows no intention of standing down. By political editor WALTER CRONXITE For many residents and front-line council … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Report in the Public Interest, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Rapid Review, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, S114, Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114, Tony Newman
7 Comments
