April Events
Wednesday 7 April. 6pm. South West London Law Centres On-line AGM
To register your attendance, please sign up at:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/south-west-london-law-centres-agm-tickets-146907555453
Thursday 8 April. 6pm. Planning Committee On-Line
37 Kingswood Lane, 131 Woodcote Valley Road and 103 to 111A (Croydon) High Street,
The High St one involves the demolition of existing buildings and erection of 29 storey building to provide 121 residential units and flexible commercial floor space (on corner of Edridge Rd). 32 objections, 1 supporter.
Monday 12 April. 6.30 pm. Cabinet On-Line
Financial Performance Report; Croydon Renewal and Improvement Plan – Performance Reporting Framework & Measures; Report in the Public Interest Progress Update; Real Letting/Resonance Property Fund Extension; Crystal Palace and South Norwood Low Traffic Neighbourhood; Investing in our Borough; Care UK – Provision of Care Home Services extension of contract.
The update on the Report in the Public Interest shows that there is still much to be done to respond to the recommendations. One of the most important proposed responses is:
‘Working with local residents, rebuild the trust with their local Council by focussing on effective delivery of core services, responding promptly and appropriately to queries and complaints and learning from good practice as well as failures and from each other.’ ‘A Cabinet paper on a potential Community Panel is going to May Cabinet with operating principles and outcomes defined’
If the Leadership genuinely believes in openness, transparency and engagement, given the complexity of Croydon’s ‘community’ the draft should be circulated to all the different lists of community and voluntary groups across the different sections of the Council for comment.
Friday 30 April. Permitted Development Rights Close of Evidence to Commons Committee
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has launched a new inquiry to examine the Government’s approach to permitted development rights.
If any readers would like to be involved in drafting evidence please contact me: seancreighton1947@btinternet.com
It is to be hoped that the Council will submit evidence.
Thursday 6 May. Five Council By-elections
Alongside the elections for the Mayor of London and the Greater London Assembly, there are five by-elections for Councillors in New Addington North, Woodside, South Norwood, Kenley, and Park Hill & Whitgift wards. In addition to the seats from which Labour’s Jane Avis, Simon Hall and Tony Newman resigned, there are two from which the Tories Steve O’Connell and Vidi Mohan have resigned. For timetable on postal and proxy votes see:
https://news.croydon.gov.uk/by-elections-in-may
The Regina Rd Housing Scandal
ITV’s interview on 24 March with Hamida Ali can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgQj8iv5vt4
Its report on the rehousing of one the families can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oduVAdy1ZZg
Meanwhile a Selsdon mother reports severe mould at:
www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/there-not-one-room-isnt-20295361
The recording of the Croydon evidence at the House of Commons Select Committee can be seen at
https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/fd713d0f-ff1a-41b5-8f82-0235433234be
The webcast discussion at Scrutiny on 30 March can be seen at
https://webcasting.croydon.gov.uk/meetings/11905
Changes In Cabinet Membership
As a result of voting at the annual meeting of the Labour Group there have been some changes the Cabinet.
Croydon Cabinet Members:
Councillor Hamida Ali, Leader of the Council
Councillor Stuart King, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal
Councillor Muhammad Ali – Sustainable Croydon
Councillor Janet Campbell – Families, Health & Social Care
Councillor Alisa Flemming – Children, Young People & Learning
Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice – Homes
Councillor Oliver Lewis – Culture & Regeneration
Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, Communities,
Safety and Business Recovery
Councillor Callton Young OBE – Finance
Deputy Cabinet Members:
Patsy Cummings – Sustainable Croydon and Culture and Regeneration
Nina De Grads – Homes and Communities, Safety and Business Recovery
Maddie Henson – Children, Young People and Learning
Stephen Mann – Families, Health and Social Care
Labour Group Chief Whip: Jerry Fitzpatrick
COVID News
Croydon – Lowest COVID rate in London
www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/london-covid-croydon-lowest-infection-20275699
COVID Back To Work Guidance
www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
www.unitetheunion.org/media/3094/legal-s44-100-advice-to-members-returning-to-workplaces-200520.pdf
A School’s Experience Through COVID
www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/croydon-through-covid-a-year-like-no-other-as-headteacher
Health Watch COVID Analysis
Food Charity Worker Nominated For Award
Tracey Davis of Guiding Hands, has nominated by Council Leader Hamida Ali form a BBC award. GH has supplied a weekly food box to families during COVID with around £50 worth of
www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/01042021-food-charity-founder-nominated-as-croydon-hero-for-bbc-campaign
General News
Croydon Planning Applications Week 21 March
www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/croydon-planning-applications-week-commencing-march-21
Flats Proposed For Cane Hill Asylum and Water Tower
www.mylondon.news/news/property/new-pictures-show-how-water-20310689
Whitgift Offers Free Seeds To Every Resident
The John Whitgift Foundation are marking their 425-year anniversary by handing out free seeds to all Croydon residents who want them.
www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/19201807.croydons-project-give-free-seeds-400-000-people
CIVIC Trust Commends Fairfield Halls Refurbishment
www.civictrustawards.org.uk/winners/fairfield-hall
Resident Advises GOVIA On Accessibility
www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/croydon-residents-advises-rail-network-on-accessibility
Basic Croydon Stats On Poverty, Housing, Etc
www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/boroughs/croydon-poverty-and-inequality-indicators
https://eastcroydon.org.uk/2021/01/27/fuel-poverty-healthy-homes
The Council ‘s Revenues and Benefits service administers collection of Council Tax, Business rates and payment of benefits to residents for the council. Income of £342 million is collected annually. And Benefits of £205 million are paid annually (2019/20 figures). (Investing in Our Borough Report to Cabinet 12 April)
Workers Memorial Day 28 April
Concerned About Amazon?
See the Newsnight video at:
https://the.organise.network/campaigns/contact-bezos-amazon-dangerous-parcels
South West London Law Centres
Patrick Marples, the Chief Executive of SWLLC tells they made ‘representations to the Council about the cuts. Sadly the Council does not fund us to do any welfare benefits or housing work. Their funding has supported some of our pro bono clinics. There are further discussions going with the Council about the advice sector funding and over the welfare rights service. As lock down eases we remain concerned about issues around housing and homelessness and we had a recent online housing seminar to promote our work to local Croydon groups. Most of our housing work is funded through legal aid and we do a limited amount of welfare rights work for which we are trying to seek further funding for.’
The 2019 Annual Review can be downloaded here:
People — South West London Law Centres – Helping local people access justice (swllc.org).
Culture & History News
New Croydonist Postings
Croydon’s original mural artist – Barbara Mildred Jones
Zoom to the moon and beyond. (The Croydonites festival of new theatre)
Croydon’s modern Tudor kitchen
Coromandel coast’s climate-smart coffee
www.croydonist.co.uk
London’s Lost Railways – Woodside and South Croydon
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug_hOPLBKig
KLM Began Flights From Croydon Airport in 1920
https://simpleflying.com/10-oldest-airlines
The Commission On Race And Ethnic Disparities Controversy
Two friends are at the centre of the row over the Commission’s report: Stephen Bourne and Steve Martin (S. I.).
My book stock is down to just a few copies of Stephen’s books:
Black Poppies. Britain’s Black Community and the Great War. £12.99
Mother Country. Britain’s Black Community on the Home Front 1939-45. £14.99
Plus:
Afua Hirsch. British(ish). On Race, Identity and Belonging. £9.99
Jeffrey Green. Black Americans in Victorian Britain. £12.99
Miranda Kaufmann. Black Tudors. The Untold Story. £9.99
David Olusoga. Black and British. A Forgotten History. £12.99
Jamia Wilson. Young Gifted and Black. (52 Black Heroes from the Past and Present). £9.99
Plus the booklets under my imprint History & Social Action Publications:
My. Croydon’s Black African and Caribbean History Before the Windrush. An Introduction. £3
My. John Archer. Battersea’s Black Progressive and Labour Activist 1863-1932. £4
Jeffrey Green. Coleridge-Taylor. A Centenary Celebration. £4
All are post free. Orders can be sent to me at sean.creighton1947@btinternet.com
