With September comes the start of a new school year, so I would like to send my best wishes to everyone returning to their studies this week. Starting a new school or college is an exciting milestone. It can feel a little daunting and we are fortunate to have excellent schools and dedicated teachers across Croydon to help our young people settle and thrive.

As pupils return to the classroom, our Town Centre Taskforce is supporting children and families travelling to and from schools in the town centre. Working with community groups, such as Amina Youth, P4YE and Croydon School Pastors, we have been visiting transport hubs and schools, offering guidance and support and being a friendly point of contact for our borough’s young people.

Croydon’s adult learning

We know how much CALAT means to many residents. For years, it has helped people across Croydon build their confidence, gain qualifications, develop new skills and take positive steps towards work, further study and personal growth. We need to protect the service for years to come whilst adapting to the evolving needs of both learners and employers.

We have commissioned an independent review into the service to make sure CALAT can continue to meet those needs both now and in the future. What will not change is our commitment to the people who rely on CALAT. Courses will continue and we remain focused on protecting and developing the learning opportunities residents value. See our website for more information.

Standing up for Croydon’s Green Belt

I spoke at the London Assembly Housing Committee this week and made it clear that whilst Croydon supports delivering more homes, they must be the right homes in the right places. I challenged proposals in the draft London Plan that would allocate around 5,600 homes to sites within Croydon’s Green Belt. Our greenbelt is sacrosanct, and Croydon is already exceeding its housing delivery targets. Evidence shows future housing needs can be met through brownfield, and previously developed land, rather than permanently losing land that helps prevent overdevelopment and supports biodiversity. I also raised concerns about whether the proposed locations have the infrastructure needed to support thousands of new homes, such as transport links and GP surgeries. You can watch the full meeting here.

Listening to you on how best to support older people

We have now completed the Adult Social Care and Health Strategy Neighbourhood Grant events, which put £240,000 directly into the hands of local communities.

More than 500 residents attended community events across all six areas of the borough and voted on the projects they wanted to receive funding. As a result, 26 community organisations will receive support to deliver a range of initiatives, from carer support and healthy ageing activities to wellbeing programmes and projects that help tackle loneliness and strengthen community connections.

This is a great example of residents directly shaping services and support in their neighbourhoods, ensuring funding goes towards what local people say they need most.

Meeting and supporting residents

It was a real pleasure to welcome members of Croydon’s Hindu community to the Town Hall for a special Raksha Bandhan ceremony. I am also looking forward to attending the Krishna Janmashtami celebrations at Krishna Avanti Primary School this evening. Croydon’s communities and rich cultural heritage are a huge part of what makes our borough such a special place.

Finally, we were deeply saddened to learn that members of a group connected to the South London Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre in Coulsdon are reported missing following the devastating floods and mudslide on the Nepal-Tibet border last week.

I visited the Coulsdon Mandir alongside the Minister of State for the region, Stephen Doughty MP, and Croydon MPs Chris Philp and Sarah Jones, to offer our support to the community during what must be an incredibly distressing time. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones affected.

Anyone concerned about someone in the region can contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at any time on 020 7008 5000.

All good wishes,

Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon