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Tag Archives: Steve Iles
Saga of Croydon’s vanished bins and the audit that never was
#BINMAGEDDON: After five years of community campaigning, and following repeated broken promises from Fisher’s Folly, now the council says it has no idea where around 1,000 street bins have gone. By our Town Hall correspondent, SANDRA STEAD “Totally inaccurate nonsense”. … Continue reading
Posted in Broad Green, Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Norbury, Refuse collection, Steve Iles, Veolia
Tagged Broad Green, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Litter Free Norbury, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, South London Waste Partnership, Steve Iles, Thornton Heath, Tony Hooker, Tory, Veolia
25 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
Contractor repaid £3.25m to council over school streets failure
CROYDON IN CRISIS: After the council bought number-plate recognition cameras that did not work, it managed to get a refund – after losing an estimated £16m income. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE Failures in Croydon Council’s procurement processes … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking, Steve Iles
Tagged ANPR, Automatic Number PLate Recognition, car parking, Conduent Public Sector UK Ltd, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Healthy School Streets, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking, PCN, Penalty Charge Notices, school streets, Steve Iles, Tory, Trellint
4 Comments
Council’s PCN fiasco: ex-official is still ‘signing’ official letters
Mayor Jason Perry’s Croydon, the London council that fined hundreds of drivers without sending them the proper Penalty Charge Notice in the first instance, is sending out PCNs and other legal notifications carrying the signature of a senior official who … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Parking, Steve Iles
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking Services, PCN, PCN Fiasco, Penalty Charge Notices, Steve Iles, Tory
3 Comments
Cost of Kier case against council nearly doubles in four years
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on how the risks of a multi-million-pound court case brought by road repairs contractors have been known to the local authority since at least 2019 The dispute between Croydon Council and … Continue reading
Former roads contractor Kier sues Croydon Council for £10m
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Just a couple of weeks after they took retirement from their six-figure salaried job at Fisher’s Folly, a former exec director is back, reportedly overseeing the council’s response to a potentially costly legal case. By our Town … Continue reading
Perry’s parking proposal to impose smartphone apps on drivers
A consultation is expected next month that will halve the free period allowed on most on-street bays Croydon motorists will regard ULEZ expansion as a mere picnic once they grasp what Mayor Jason Perry has in store for them over … Continue reading
Council offers £750 per day for a rubbish temporary director
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the sky-high wages on offer from the cash-strapped local authority for someone to step in and keep the bins contract ticking over and ANPR cameras working As Croydon residents prepare to … Continue reading
Council’s urgent move to exit flawed £5m traffic camera deal
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Officials look to cancel supply contract with American-owned tech firm after discovering they could not provide parking enforcement cameras required Croydon Council has moved to cancel a contract for ANPR cameras – Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras … Continue reading
‘Important’ council flood survey that suffers from missing links
Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, tries to navigate an error-strewn strategy document that has taken 10 years to draft Another day, another facile survey issued by Croydon Council, this time asking residents for their views on its “strategy” for … Continue reading
Council’s rubbish director is set to take early retirement
KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on an announcement which has been greeted warmly by many of the council’s frontline staff Steve Iles, one of the most controversial senior figures working for Croydon Council, is taking early retirement and leaving … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Refuse collection, Steve Iles, Veolia
Tagged #Binmageddon, Croydon, Croydon Council, FM Conway, London Borough of Croydon, Steve Iles, Veolia
16 Comments
Council’s healthy school streets have no ANPR protections
CROYDON IN CRISIS: More than 20 ‘Healthy School Streets’ introduced in 2023 have never had any enforcement CCTV cameras installed because the council purchased equipment that does not work in Britain. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Another omnishambles of procurement at … Continue reading
Permit problems see Crystal Palace school street dropped
The council has been forced to abandon one of the school street traffic restrictions which were due to come into force yesterday, following complaints from residents in Crystal Palace that Croydon’s online permit applications system contains significant flaws. It was … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Harris Academy Crystal Palace, Schools, Steve Iles
Tagged Claire Bonham, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Harris Academy Upper Norwood, Healthy School Streets, school streets, Steve Iles
2 Comments
Part-time Perry uses Labour budget to outsource graffiti team
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest dollop of hypocrisy and deceit to be issued on behalf of the Tory Mayor Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, has spent even more public money to burnish his own reputation, this time … Continue reading
Mayor Perry’s 20million reasons for breaking election promise
A council FoI response suggests that bullish remarks made about removing controversial traffic reduction schemes could prove too expensive to implement. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES £4,288,284.76 That’s the amount just a single low traffic neighbourhood scheme has generated for Croydon’s … Continue reading
Posted in Broad Green, Community associations, Croydon Council, Cycling, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking, Planning, Steve Iles, TfL, Transport
Tagged Andrew Gilligan, Broad Green LTN, Grant Shapps, Jason Perry, Low Traffic Neighbourhood, LTN, LTNs, Mayor Jason Perry, Parsons Mead, Steve Iles, TfL, Transport for London
4 Comments
School streets are back with a £60 bang – with more to come
As Croydon pupils yesterday packed their satchels and rucksacks and headed back to school for the final term of this academic year, so the council has reintroduced 10 school streets, with restrictions on traffic. The school streets were “paused” by … Continue reading
School street schemes dropped after council failed to consult
Croydon’s failing council administration has had to abandon an important child safety measure, introduced during the covid lockdown, because they failed to organise in advance any replacement of what were initially temporary measures. Campaigners who have fought for healthier, less-polluted … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Schools, Steve Iles
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, London Borough of Croydon, school streets, Steve Iles
2 Comments
Tried calling Croydon Council? Please hold the line… forever
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Have you had difficulties getting through to the council, perhaps to report the latest missed bin collection, or when trying to make a Council Tax payment? According to sources at Fisher’s Folly, you’re just wasting your time. … Continue reading
Residents’ despair over vile fly-tips, including a pig’s head
Residents of a quiet Thornton Heath street are becoming increasingly angry at Croydon Council for its lack of action over some persistent fly-tipping, which most recently has seen bin bags full of rotting animal parts, including a pig’s head, dumped … Continue reading
Result! Trader gets his yellow line back… after iC report
Coincidence? You decide… Within 24 hours of Inside Croydon reporting of a Waddon businessman’s year-long struggle to get the council simply to do their job by re-painting a faded bit of yellow line along the busy road outside his Stafford … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Robert Canning, Steve Iles, Waddon
Tagged Croydon Council, Optilabs, Robert Canning, Stafford Road, Steve Iles, Waddon
1 Comment
Waddon business waits year for action on dangerous parking
A local business owner claims that inaction by the council’s roads department is putting lives at risk on busy Stafford Road, as officials treat elected councillors with undisguised contempt. Report by our transport correspondent, JEREMY CLACKSON How difficult can it … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Robert Canning, Steve Iles, Stuart King, Waddon, West Thornton
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, Robert Canning, Stafford Road, Steve Iles, STUART KING, Waddon, West Thornton
9 Comments
Director admits £12m sums on ANPR fines don’t add up
Fisher’s Folly’s answer to Baldrick has come up with a cunning plan to help fix the bankrupt borough’s finances: raise millions of pounds through penalty charges on Croydon’s drivers. The trouble is, some drivers might simply follow the warning signs … Continue reading
#Binmageddon: 1,000 street bins have vanished from borough
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council agreed to pay its rubbish contractor an extra £20.7m while it reduced the services they are expected to deliver, leaving the borough’s streets ever dirtier. EXCLUSIVE by SANJANA IDNANI Around 1,000 bins have been vanished from … Continue reading
Flood warning: after six years, Riddlesdown works set to start
More than a month’s average rainfall was deposited on Croydon and parts of southern England yesterday, exposing once more the areas of the borough more prone to flooding, and in many cases also illustrating the failures of council contractors’ to … Continue reading
Broad Green driver has 12 penalty notices dropped by council
A traffic adjudicator has ruled that some council signs for restricted-access streets are ‘inadequate’ A motorist who accumulated more than £845 in fines for driving into a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Broad Green has had 12 of his 13 PCNs … Continue reading
Posted in Broad Green, Croydon Council, Parking, South Croydon, Steve Iles
Tagged Broad Green, Broad Green LTN, Croydon Council, school streets, South Croydon, Steve Iles
14 Comments
