Croydon News at 14 November

Benefits Cuts will hit over 1,750 Croydon children 

According to the Council more than 1,750 children will be hit by the Government’s latest cap on welfare benefits. 653 households in the borough are set to lose out for the first time when the cap reduces to £23,000 from £26,000 next April – a change that the Council is predicting may leave hundreds of families homeless or struggling to make ends meet. 

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/croydonnews/14024642.Croydon_families____will_be_forced_out_of_the_south_east____by_new_welfare_cap_and_hundreds_more_will_struggle__council_claims 

Boris plans to axe a Norbury fire engine 

http://insidecroydon.com/2015/11/12/boris-wields-axe-as-another-13-london-fire-engines-face-cuts

Petition to save CALAT Centre

A petition to save the Coulsdon CALAT adult learning centre has been started.

https://www.change.org/p/croydon-council-save-coulsdon-s-calat-centre-from-closure-by-croydon-council?recruiter=342961803

 Council backs the madness of the Dingwall Tram Loop 

Hidden away in the section of the Town Centre section of the Council’s consultation document on the Local Plan is a commitment to support the Dingwall Loop. The main text just talks about it being a possibility. For an analysis of the madcap nature of this scheme see:

http://insidecroydon.com/2015/11/13/tfls-loopy-scheme-will-strangle-town-centre-to-a-stand-still

http://insidecroydon.com/2015/11/09/28m-dingwall-tram-loop-wastes-cash-on-gold-plated-pipes  

Can Croydon’s music scene be revitalised? 

So asks Jonny Rose, one of the leaders of Croydon Tech City.

http://thecroydoncitizen.com/culture/can-revitalise-croydons-music-scene

Not if he ignores the folk and classical parts of the scene as has been pointed out by me and another in comments on his article. And not if the allegation is true that the police are preventing black music gigs taking place.

http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Draconian-police-stopping-making-MOBOs-success/story-28158370-detail/story.html 

Council Leader Tony Newman has objected to the police action.

Xmas Lights Fiasco

Newman’s public comments on Croydon Bid’s Christmas lights fireworks fiasco are awaited.

http://insidecroydon.com/2015/11/13/children-hurt-by-burning-rocks-in-croydon-bid-firework-fiasco 

Martha Lane Fox backs action to close digital divide 

It is excellent news that Martha Lane Fox’s charity Go Online is launching a digital skills initiative in Croydon to help decrease the digital divide with the backing of the Council and Croydon Tech City (CTC).

Recognising the fact that I have been arguing for some time that CTC should be contributing to addressing the divide, CTC co-founder Jonny Rose let me know in advance about the launch.

‘There’s lot of parts to the pilot but it’s actually really exciting: CTC, GO ON and the council, are focussing on five ‘needy’ groups (including, interestingly, the homeless) and there will be lots happening in 2016 to help narrow the divide. We’re all fully cognisant of the size of the challenge and just how many people aren’t online in Croydon. Hopefully, this will go some way to ameliorate it.

I hope it will give you some confidence in our efforts to help the whole of the borough and not just what (perhaps) has been perceived as the privileged few.’ While this is an important contribution much more needs to be done, and it is an issue that the Fairness Commission needs to give further thought to.

See the story by Nigel Dias, one of CTC’s founders of Croydon Tech City at http://www.cityam.com/227812/why-has-croydon-tech-city-been-so-successful-heres-why-we-think-martha-lane-fox-chose-the-south-london-borough-to-launch-her-digital-skills-pilot