Christmas meeting to discuss Croydon’s secret Tory deals

The seriousness of the mounting financial crisis engulfing Croydon’s Conservative Council is finally being acknowledged. The Mayor has agreed to Labour’s demand for a special Council meeting to discuss the decision to gamble with £300 million of Croydon taxpayers money. The emergency meeting is to be held just 4 days before Christmas on the evening of 21 December.

There are two issues of deep concern which will finally be discussed in public at the meeting. The first is the decision to build a new Council headquarters building costing hundreds of millions of pounds. The second issue is the way in which the ruling Tory Cabinet attempted to cover up the taxpayer funded bail out of the Croydon Economic Development Company which has now been brought under Council control.

Labour Group Leader, Councillor Tony Newman said:

“At a time when our hard pressed residents are struggling to find the money to ensure that their families are able to have a good Christmas, it is shocking that it has now been confirmed that those same Croydon taxpayers are going to be asked to pay the costs of the entire multi million pound new Council headquarters is nothing short of a disgrace.

Croydon Tories push through secret £145m funding deal

The Croydon Guardian revealed this week the level of bailout that the Croydon Tories have handed to the private firm that is behind the new luxury HQ.

£145million is to be handed over to the ‘CCURV’ a joint company with construction company Laing. This is because the private markets refused to lend to the joint company at viable interest rates.

The incompetent Tories have now propped up this joint company with £145million of taxpayer cash. If they were being sensible they would now scrap the joint deal and instead revert to a traditional model of building. This is a perfect time to scrap the project and save money.

They now have a ‘half cow half pig’ that is on life support provided by Croydon Council. All the risk has been transferred to the Council.

Croydon Labour commits to providing accessible and affordable council services for all residents

At the budget-setting Council meeting on Wednesday, the Labour Group Leader, Councillor Tony Newman and other Labour Councillors set out their vision for Croydon, providing an alternative to nearly three years when residents have had to suffer a succession of Tory incompetence and cuts.

Councillor Newman said:

“I continue to be dismayed by the lack of vision shown by this Tory administration. Instead of building a £450 million town centre headquarters for the Council we are committed to making it easier for residents to contact the council by opening a series of high quality and accessible area offices that will offer all Council services in each neighbourhood. We have already identified New Addington, Thornton Heath, Purley and the Town Centre as locations but want to know where residents think they should be located. We will be contacting as many people as possible over the coming weeks and months to find out their views. We think that by combining this proposal with the Labour government’s pledge to have broadband internet available in every home by 2012 that a truly responsive service will be able to be achieved. This approach is in stark contrast to the Tories plans to build themselves and the Council a luxury town centre headquarters building.”

Tax freeze needed to compensate Croydons’ residents

Croydon Council’s Labour Group is calling on the Tory administration to rethink their budget and implement a freeze in the Council tax. At a time when council staff are being made sacked and consultants are being brought in to replace them at vastly inflated salaries of £300 per hour, and costs are falling, this Tory administration needs to start recognising their waste and incompetence.

Councillor Tony Newman said:

“In addition to raising the council tax above the rate of inflation, this Tory Council has wasted taxpayers money hand over fist over the last three years. You only have to think of the money they have wasted on South Norwood Pool, the failed parking contract, not to mention the £4 million spent on buying up Davis House. Now they are planning to charge residents for bulky waste collection, and increasing the cost of residents’ parking permits.”

He added:

Council tax freeze proposed by Croydon Labour

Councillor Tony Newman, Leader of the Labour Group on Croydon Council, is demanding that there are no increases in Council Tax for hard pressed Croydon residents for the next two years. He insists that this could easily be afforded by the Council if the Tory administration called a halt to its current policy of gambling with taxpayers’ money on the increasingly unstable property market. Property values and rents are continuing to fall and yet Croydon’s Tories approved the Urban Regeneration Vehicle at the last Council meeting.

Councillor Newman said:

“We have already seen millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money wasted with the speculative purchase of Davis House, a dilapidated office block, that is part of the Tories’ crazy plan to indulge themselves in building a new Council headquarters at this time of economic hardship for many Croydon residents.

Croydon Labour hails Conservative u-turn “victory for pupil power”

* Croydon Tories make humiliating U-Turn.
* Sham education consultation lies in tatters.
* Addington High, Westwood, Haling Manor and Selsdon High schools saved.

Parents and pupils, along with Croydon’s Labour Councillors are celebrating the successful outcome of the community backed campaign to save four of Croydon’s popular Schools from the Tory Council’s plan to axe them. The Tory Council had already closed Tollgate primary and Selhurst Community schools last year.

Cllr Tony Newman said:
“Having always put the Education needs of Croydon pupils first this must be good news, however, this total capitulation by Croydon Tories is long overdue. What we cannot tell is how much long term damage has already been done.

Croydon Labour: Council should stimulate local economy too

Croydon’s Labour Councillors are calling on the Conservative Council to follow the example shown by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, during the current global banking and credit crisis; they believe that similar measures to those being taken by the Government are needed to support the local economy in Croydon.

This should be achieved by introducing an immediate and dramatic change in the priorities of the local multi million pound LEGI (local enterprise growth initiative) programme. Funding of £28 million was awarded to the borough in early 2006 to promote and support businesses in the Borough.

Councillor George Ayres, Labour Spokesperson for Planning and Regeneration outlined Labour’s proposals for Croydon and said:

“Economic priorities have changed radically over the last few days. The emphasis must be to support our existing businesses and employers and to help them through this difficult time.”