Reviving our town centre is a key priority for me and I was delighted to open the new Wellesley Road toucan crossing this week, linking East Croydon with North End. It will make  it safer for our residents crossing the busy highway and replaces the old underpass, which was unpleasant and attracted antisocial behaviour.

The new crossing spans five traffic lanes, a bus lane, a live tramway and a central reserve. It was a complex engineering project and a great example of the Council working with our partners to deliver on budget and on schedule – just in time for Christmas shopping. This is one of 10 projects in motion as part of my Growth Plan for Croydon and to improve the look, feel and accessibility of the town centre.

Safer Croydon

We are working with Croydon Police and other partners for a safer borough and we are seeing positive results. Robbery is down 16%, shoplifting down 18.7%, knife crime down 19.5%, and knife-related robbery down 26.8%. This week the government committed £495,000 of funding to combat knife crime, awarded as part of its Winter of Action. We welcome this funding, which means we can build on initiatives like the Town Centre Taskforce and our zero-tolerance approach. Find out more.

Celebrating diversity

Wednesday (3 December) was International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was marked outside Croydon Town Hall. The Civic Mayor, Councillor Richard Chatterjee, was joined by Cabinet Members, local charities, residents and colleagues from our Staff Disability Network, to celebrate and champion equal opportunities for all.

Listening to residents

I was back at Brigstock Road Community Hub in Thornton Heath this week to listen to residents on issues including housing, waste and anti-social behaviour. This was my second visit and, in the New Year, I’ll be taking on-the-road casework surgeries across the borough to speak with residents directly, hear concerns and make sure people can access the right support. I always value these conversations and look forward to meeting more residents in the New Year.

Thai Boxing centre

The Thai Boxing Community Centre in Drayton Road – home to SN Combat Academy – is already making a real impact since opening in January. Deputy Mayor Cllr Hale and I met with Sam Nankani, recognised as one of the UK’s best and accredited Muay Thai Master, and saw the difference his work is making on the Tamworth Estate.

Sam has been in Croydon for over 16 years, producing champions and soon returning as an England coach. His academy now has its first ever training ring, funded with support from Croydon Voluntary Action, Centrale & Whitgift, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

This building was until recently a Council asset, and its reuse shows how we can reduce debt whilst creating real community benefit. Sam provides opportunities for young people and adults in a safe, structured and inspiring environment – a real asset for Croydon.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I was delighted to attend the Christmas Tree Festival concert at St Matthew’s Church. It is always wonderful to see people of all ages come together as we head into the festive season. A few days later I returned to St Matthew’s for the Croydon Dementia Action Alliance Christmas party. My thanks to Age UK and all our partners for organising a warm and uplifting event, full of music, dancing and Christmas cheer. It was a wonderful reminder of the community spirit that defines our borough.

This week was also the Residents Christmas Party, where the winners of Croydon’s Housing Heroes Awards were announced. The awards celebrate residents who give their time to make their neighbourhoods better – congratulations to all the winners!

Finally, I look forward to seeing many people visiting A Very Croydon Christmas, which starts this evening and runs throughout the weekend. It promises to be a great weekend – do get involved.

Have a great weekend.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon