Our new waste contract with Veolia starts on 1 April – marking a significant milestone in delivering a cleaner Croydon. This contract offers value for money and an improved service for our residents – which will help to restore pride in our borough. There will be a new night-time waste and cleansing service, and enhanced street cleaning and waste collection service for flats above shops. Alternate weekly bin collections for household waste and recycling will continue as normal. Find out more.
Our blitz clean in South Norwood came to an end last week – and I would like to thank our residents and businesses who took part. Our blitz teams cleared fly-tipping, removed graffiti and fixed paving, all part of our Cleaner Croydon campaign.
With the warmer weather that’s arrived, we have started a new season of grass cutting. Our teams will be cutting grass every six weeks along the highways, open spaces and in parks, until 1 October. This follows £1.5million of investment we have made in new equipment and additional resources from contractors. We will be bringing more updates throughout the year, as we work to restore pride in our borough.
Podcast studio launch
We are proud to have one of the youngest populations in London and I’m committed to making sure Croydon’s young people have opportunities to develop skills for the future. It was great to see this in action at the All Heads Recognised (AHR) Podcast Studio launch. This studio was funded by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and is part of Croydon’s South Norwood Regeneration Programme. Young people will be trained up in media, communication and technical skills and can discuss topics about themselves and their community. I was delighted to speak in a podcast and look forward to hearing more of the podcasts.
It was also great to meet staff and students during a visit to Bensham Manor School, in Thornton Heath. I enjoyed being quizzed by pupils during a Q&A – we might have some future politicians at Bensham Manor!
HAF Programme Easter events
This week sees the official start of Spring and I welcome the return of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme over the Easter holidays. I have seen firsthand the profound impact the HAF Programme has on our community. Beyond nutritious meals, it offers essential support over the holidays for eligible families. Find out more.
Have a good weekend.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon