Councillors Newsletter May 2024

Labour Victory – Keeping platform ticket offices open

In response to the government exerting pressure on rail operators to close their ticket offices, you may recall that your councillors lobbied outside East Croydon station to raise public awareness and evoke objections during the consultation period in Autumn 2023. After receiving a ground-breaking number of objections, the rail passenger watchdog officially rejected the rail operators’ proposal. The government also changed course, and rail operators were instructed to scrap the plans entirely.

Croydon Labour Victory – For Croydon Private Renters

The council constitution requires a proposed Housing Strategy to be presented to the Full Council and gain a two-thirds majority vote for it to become legal. Due to the Tories not having a majority number of councillors, significant leverage is found. Labour councillors secured the following amendment safeguards and passed the revised Housing strategy.

• Consult on options for the introduction of a Landlord Licensing Scheme
• Establish a Private Renters Forum and development of a Private Renters Charter
• Support Leaseholders in private buildings with concerns about Fire Safety and High Service Charges
• Tackle Anti-Social behaviour in the private rented sector
• Improve the energy efficiency of council housing stock and private homes
• Improve the service for survivors of domestic abuse
• Provide genuinely affordable housing

Potential loss of maintained nursery places

In Autumn 2023, the council ran a consultation to close or merge the borough’s five council-run maintained nursery schools. Tunstall Nursery is one such school, and councillors again raised awareness and put forward the case of the well-run Tunstall Nursery.

The Council’s justification is that numbers had fallen between 2020 – 2023, [Covid lockdown period included], and the cost was becoming prohibitive. These nurseries are subject to the exact requirements as other schools; they must have a head teacher, qualified Special Educational Needs and teachers. In addition to childcare, they offer early years education to children between 2 and 4 years. Closures or mergers will result in the loss of nursery places Croydon-wide. This will result in a disproportionate loss of SEN places, as many ordinary nurseries do not accept SEN children; this problem is further compounded by their being a reduction in access of health visitor provision.  The outcome of last Autumn’s consultation is yet to be announced.

Potential loss of our Libraries

As mentioned above, this Administration knows the cost of a service but not the value. The public consultation for closing five libraries within Croydon has recently ended. The nearest to Addiscombe West is Shirley Library, an iconic building boasting architectural splendour of the 1930s. Besides being great stores of knowledge and mental escapism, these buildings offer social refuge for the lonely, a warm space for the poor, IT learning for some or simply a quiet study space away from an overcrowded household. These spaces are life-changing to some, including our Addiscombe West residents. After lobbying for them to remain open, we await their fate.

Addsiccombe East-West Roads Healthy Streets – update from September 2023

Background: In 2023, TfL granted the Council £40k to carry out an initial scoping exercise relating to their Healthy Streets initiative, the aim being to improve the quality of the street environment including reduction of through traffic (on side roads) and speeding. The main target area is within the boundary of Cherry Orchard Road, A222, Shirley Road and A323 below:

Cross Road and Leslie Grove have recently been included.

As planned, the scheduled area-wide consultation/drop-in sessions were completed before Christmas. Information from the consultation/drop-in sessions and traffic flow data were then used at the workshop phase.

Using the co-design model, council officers set up workshops in January 2024; they partnered with area representatives (20 reps max.) and identified solutions for traffic hotspots. A sub-group of ECCO, Canning & Clyde, TACRA and ward councillors has represented Addiscombe West. The wider group should be kept informed via the sub-group representatives and a council-dedicated website, link below:

The link to the Council web page explains the general approach to Healthy Streets:  Public realm proposals: Healthy Streets | Croydon Council.

Some were concerned about Traffic flow, but officers were open to other suggestions, such as Road Safety works,  widening pavements, adding signage and safer road crossings. Workshop solutions were subject to technical testing, and in mid-April 2024, officers could present the sub-group representatives with the draft solutions.

Residents have proposed various solutions. One was restricting traffic along the residential side roads during the rush hour in the mornings and evenings, which should encourage traffic to remain on the main roads. Since Transport for London (TfL) is a key stakeholder, officers were anxious to present the solutions to TFL to see what is acceptable.

Whilst more modelling and assessment have been requested by TfL, in principle, they seem agreeable to the evening restriction of access to side roads for non-residents. Given the potential to increase traffic volume on the TfL main roads and thus further delays, the proposal to restrict side-road entrance during morning peak time will require much more work to get TfL agreement. Within this workstream, officers will also look at the critical signal junctions as raised in the co-design session and any correspondence that can assist in unlocking the main roads to some degree.

As we advance, there shall be two work streams: morning peak and evening peak traffic restrictions to side roads. Evening traffic restriction modelling will be prioritised to complete this sooner and obtain an informal agreement from TfL, albeit in principle, followed by a formal submission. Officers have assured that work will continue on the morning restrictions to achieve an outcome.

In parallel, officers aim to start on the design of road safety elements (ideas which can improve conditions for walking and cycling) of the project so that at the time of the next feedback session, more certainty can be presented and a more detailed discussion can ensue.

Officers believe that the delivery of this programme shall be x2 years, and the deadlines are tight.  Since April’s meetings, they have been modelling solutions towards gaining the approval of both TfL and the Elected Mayor, ready for Cabinet approval in May 22024.

When the proposed amendments to the road layout of the junction by the Leslie Arms were raised, officers estimated this project t could cost more than £1m. No such funding is said to be currently available. However, the project lead, (Abu) intends to bid for internal funding of £300K to improve road safety at part of the junction. Ward councillors shall be kept informed.

East Croydon access to East Croydon Railway

After many years of waiting, Menta Ltd has finally fulfilled its promise of providing step and lift access to East Croydon The area is spacious and inviting, but without the connection between the steps and the existing bridge, the raised anticipation of residents as soon become tempered.  ECCO Residents and local councillors have questioned Croydon Council and Network Rail.  The opening of the pedestrian bridge and access to East Croydon Station is down to Network Rail, and they have had five years to get ready since Menta got planning for its new scheme. With no legal definitive time impetus, we continue to cajole.

Meetings and walkabouts

Crime & ASB

Councillors continue to meet with residents and work with police partners and council officers to target drug and ASB-related activity within the ward.  This includes a meeting with Sarah Jones, the MP for Croydon Central. Some successes have been achieved with ASB arising from supported living accommodation. Promises have been upheld as we are starting to see investments outside of this prominent site. Welcomed by both residents and businesses in uplifting the aesthetics of the street.

Visit to Ark Oval

A local charity has aimed to raise the awareness of primary school children regarding the diverse range of jobs and voluntary services within Croydon. Patricia volunteered to visit Ark Oval School and bring a few clues as to what she does as a local councillor. It was a revelation to see that they understood the concept of national parliament but not so much local. It has sparked an idea to get our young people aware of ‘local political government, ‘catching them young!

Park Hill Residents Association

Local Community Showcase –  9^th March 2024

Between campaign sessions, Clive had the opportunity to attend the annual Parkhill Showcase event, organised by the Park Hill Residents Association at St Mathews Church,  Chichester Road.

Park Hill Resident Association covers Park Hill and Whitgift Ward and a substantial part of the new ADW 5 Polling District in Addiscombe West.

The community event was very well attended, with many groups attending the modernist 1960s St Mathews Church building, full of life, with multicultural dance and inter-faith cultural activities. Clive took the opportunity to talk to many participating groups, including:

• Representatives of Whitgift Care, whose care homes are in the vicinity of Park Hill,  in addition to the Croydon Alms Houses.
• The Addiscombe Neighbourhood Care Association,  a voluntary organisation delivering care in the community over at least the last two decades, is now under threat of closing if they lose the small amount of Council funding.
• Friends of Lloyds Park raised concerns regarding the potential sell-off of some of the associated Lloyds Park woodland for the use of the Golf Course.
• The Couch of St Mathews Parish representatives actively funded a new church roof.
• Croydon Community Energy is looking for a community building on which to install solar panels (yes, they were speaking to St Mathews).  Before the event Clive had joined Croydon Community Energy, which is a form of cooperative, and can report that they have secured some £40k to start turning their ideas into practice.
• Croydon Healthy Homes,  a Council initiative offering advice on energy efficiency to households.
• The Parkhill Residents Association, primarily Penny Channon, had actively organised the Showcase event. Subsequently, an offer was also made to write an article for the next Park Hill Residents newsletter, an offer put on hold slightly due to a local by-election.

Overall, it was a worthwhile community event in the Park Hill area of Addiscombe West.

Safer Neighbourhood Partnership meeting April 2024

April 2024. It was agreed that local policing priorities would remain ASB, domestic violence against women & girls and theft. Attendees were aware of the increasing theft cases amongst young people, usually expensive phones and clothing.

Healthy School Streets: Should we have one?

Following the introduction of 40 Healthy School Streets across the borough, the council have been working with schools to understand where there is an interest in introducing a new scheme, but before doing so, they have commenced a consultation process to hear local views.

The council wants to hear your thoughts about introducing six new Healthy School Streets in Croydon. One includes John Wood Primary School, previously known as Davidson School, on Dartnall Road.

The survey for this school is John Wood Primary School | Get Involved Croydon [press Ctrl and click mouse together].

Given that Robert Fitzroy School on Brampton Road is just around the corner, Sean has highlighted to officers the potential for traffic congestion in the surrounding streets if not planned well. Please do have your say before this closes 28^th May.

Addiscombe Railway Park: New Path replaces muddy path

And finally…… After securing the Section 106 council funding in 2001, (partly for laying a durable pathway), councillors can finally report that the council has completed the outstanding path from the East India/Orchard end to Dalmally Passage. Who said things never happen? “Patience, my dear boy, patience.”