£8.9m Cuts On The Way
An estimated £8.9m of cuts are on the way in order to ensure that Croydon Council achieves its balanced budget for this financial year.
The details on this are in the draft minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on July which can be seen on the Council’s website.
The Cabinet discussed the Mayor’s Opening the Books projectto return the Council to financial sustainability and ‘providing a step change improvement in transparency in relation to the Council’s finances’
The Council’s finances are to be scrutinised over the next six months through a review of its balance sheet, its capital financing arrangements, all reconciliations and the financial relationships with the Council’s companies. The aims are:
- to provide a firm base position from which to achieve financial sustainability by 2024/25.
- to improve the Council’s understanding of its financial risks and to develop additional plans to mitigate them.
- to know ‘the true shape and scale of the financial mess, which had been left to his Administration to mend.’
The results are to be reported to Cabinet no later than January 2023.
There will then be further cuts from 1 April 2024.
- The budget gap for 2023/24 had initially been identified as £27.4m but had risen to £42.9m based on current known pressures.
- The budget gap for 2024/25 had initially been identified as £8.7m but that these gaps had risen to £15.7m respectively based on current known pressures.
£500,000 has been allocated to support the project including paying for external specialist advice.
Ruskin House August Events
19. 8pm. Jazz – Don Stuart Quartet
21. 8pm. Folk & Blues. The Coyles and Singers’ Night
28. From 2pm Croydon TUC BBQ. From 2pm
28. 8pm. Folk & Blues. Dave Marshall and Singers’ Night

Tuesday 30 August. 5pm.Close of Applications For Stanley Arts Borough of Culture Worker
Monday 5 September. Close of Applications For Music Heritage Trail Project Officer
Sunday 11 September. Ruskin House Treasurer Kevin Smith In London to Brighton Cycle Ride
Kevin is raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support and would appreciate any support people are able to give. Anyone wishing to donate can do so on – www.justgiving.com/Kevin-Smith162
Tuesday 16 September. 7pm. Peterloo
Mike Leigh’s film about the events leading up to Peterloo Massacre in Manchester in August 1819 is being shown by the Ruskin film club organised by Peter Durrans. After the film I will discuss ‘What happened next?’ Ruskin House.
Croydon Mayoral Action News
https://news.croydon.gov.uk/croydon-opposes-extension-of-ulez-to-outer-london-boroughs
Inside Croydon’s criticism of the Council and Mayor for the name of the Borough of Culture Ignite Fund announced on the weekend marking the 11th anniversary of the Croydon Riots has been picked up by Arts Professional
www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/newsreel/croydon-criticised-insensitive-name-arts-fund