Liberty Festival is coming to town this weekend, as part of This is Croydon, London Borough of Culture. Liberty Festival celebrates Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, curated by registered charity Drunken Chorus who work with local organisations to promote and create contemporary performances. The festival will host a range of events such as theatre, comedy, dance, music, and workshops. This is an exciting and inclusive festival, with free access to all events which you can find here.
ULEZ expansion
The Mayor of London’s unpopular expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scheme, which came into effect this week, hits residents, businesses and visitors to Croydon whilst having no meaningful impact on the environment. I have opposed the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge from the outset, but like all London boroughs we ultimately have no powers to block the expansion. Mayor Khan has used his reserve powers to ride roughshod over local councils and residents.
I remain extremely angry about this decision. I have consistently taken steps to oppose the roll out of Transport for London (TfL) infrastructure and permits. To date I have still not signed any agreement with TfL and initial permits were refused. We were then threatened with legal action in order to allow the works to take place.
The way to improve air quality is through improving infrastructure for public and more sustainable methods of transport. ULEZ is not the answer and I will continue to advocate for its removal.
Mayor’s Question Time
Next Tuesday (5 September), I will be at Norbury Baptist Church for the next Mayor’s Question Time. These events are about delivering on my promise to listen to you, the people of Croydon, and to continue to work with you to make Croydon a place where we are proud to live, work and visit. I look forward to meeting Norbury residents and encourage you to sign up and submit your questions so I can answer as many of your questions as possible at the event.
Keeping young people safe
I am committed to making Croydon a safer place to live, and throughout the summer, our Violence Reduction Unit have been supporting many local organisations dedicated to youth crime reduction. I was delighted to visit one organisation, Gloves not Gunz, at Norbury Park to see the excellent work they have been doing to help young people stay safe by promoting sports and mentoring services. I want to congratulate them on securing more funding to continue their important work for our young people in the borough.
As we return to school next week I want to take the opportunity to thank all of our support organisations for their hard work over the summer, and wish everyone the very best for the new term.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
