This year marks the 100-year anniversary of Selsdon, with planning permission given for the first houses in March 1925. An exhibition is being held at Selsdon Library to celebrate this milestone and I was delighted to open this today. Selsdon is one of the areas to benefit from improvements we are making across our district centres, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), to boost our high streets and public areas. It was great to see the results of this work.

Cleaner Croydon

Our teams have been working to clear fly-tipping and remove graffiti in Thornton Heath, all part of our Cleaner Croydon campaign. We will continue to work with our residents, businesses and volunteers to make improvements to our neighbourhoods and to restore pride in Croydon.

Creative Croydon

Croydon is one of London’s Creative Enterprise Zones and has thriving digital and creative industries, which I am committed to supporting as part of the regeneration of our borough. Croydon is proud to be home to The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, which produces world-class talent – like Adele and Raye – reinforcing Croydon’s reputation as a centre for creative excellence. I was delighted to meet Louise Cooper, the Chief Operating Officer, this week to discuss how we can work together to deliver more opportunities for Croydon’s students, keeping culture at the heart of our borough.

I was also interviewed for a Start-Up Croydon Podcast, where I gave updates on the town centre regeneration and investment in our playgrounds and district centres. Start-Up Croydon opened a Creative Digital Lab on Purley Way, where local businesses can access industry-standard production facilities and a recording studio on their doorstep. Croydon helped to secure funding for the lab and it was great to hear about how it is benefitting the creative business community.

VE Day celebrations

This year is a significant milestone as the nation celebrates the 80th anniversary of VE Day. We want to support our communities in marking the event and have waived the fee for road closures over the bank holiday weekend of 3-5 May. The deadline for applications is fast approaching, so don’t forget to apply on the Council website. Schools and youth organisations can also get involved in the national VE Mail initiative, by signing up to receive a letter from a veteran and writing their own responses. Sign your school up here.

Have a good weekend.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon