I’ve taken some important decisions this week that move forward key pledges that I made when I became Mayor – from fixing our finances, to progress in bringing a pool back to Purley and regenerating our High Street, raising standards in our council homes, and helping all children and young people to reach their full potential.
When I was elected, I promised that I would listen to residents on all these issues, and I am determined to keep driving forward change in these areas. In line with their feedback, my number one priority remains getting the council’s finances sorted, so that we can fund the services that matter most to local people now and in the future.
The transformation of our housing service continues at pace and ensuring we continue to listen to our residents and shape a service that meets their needs is a key priority for me. Tenants and leaseholders are benefiting from a more direct relationship and this week I met with Yaw Boateng, Chair, and Deputy Chair Les Parry, of Croydon Tenants and Leaseholders Panel as part of this ongoing resident led partnership of improvement.
The budget proposals we are putting forward will help to do exactly that and I will shortly be sharing details of how residents can give their views on these. At cabinet this week, where these decisions were made, our Improvement and Assurance Panel recognised strong progress is being made in getting Croydon back on track. I want to assure everyone in Croydon that we will keep moving forward in the right direction.
I was delighted to join the Navratri celebrations organised by the Asian Resource Centre and the Durga Puja at Krishna Avanti Primary School, organised by Croydon Bengali Association. These were such vibrant and colourful celebrations and demonstrated the rich cultural contribution of the Hindu and Bengali communities here in Croydon.
I attended a health and wellbeing event organised by Confirmed Anomalies CIC in Praise House which highlighted the struggle of people directly affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) and sickle cell disease. The event included talks and stalls that signposted people with MS and sickle cell disease to services and information on how to access health, employment, and other opportunities.
You can find more information on Confirmed Anomalies CIC and their upcoming events on their Facebook page.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
