Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council
It is now more than a week since the devastating tram crash that took away the lives of Dane Chinnery, Donald Collett, Robert Huxley, Philip Logan, Dorota Rynkiewicz, Philip Seary and Mark Smith, and left so many others seriously injured. All remain at the heart of our prayers and thoughts.
As the leader of Croydon Council, I have been inspired by how, in one of our darkest moments, Croydon as a community and a town has come together, to stand in solidarity with all the victims and their families. I would like to take this opportunity to not only thank once again the bravery and dedication of all the emergency services, but the volunteers and community groups who have worked alongside our dedicated council officers to support both the victims of the crash and the local community in places like New Addington and across Croydon.
Working with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and our local MPs, we have, over the past week, asked the tough questions regarding the safety of our tram network and demanded that the full investigation report is published sooner, rather than later. I will ensure we keep everyone informed of how those issues progress.
In the meantime our thoughts, as I have said, remain first and foremost with the victims, so thank you to all who have donated to our JustGiving page, not least the incredibly generous Addington fire crews who have donated the wages they earned while working to save the lives of passengers. Finally, I’d ask that, if you are able to make a donation, please do, by clicking here.
