The TPA are coming to Purley on the 30th July for the latest leg of the Town Hall Rich List Roadshow.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance, was launched in 2004 to speak for ordinary taxpayers fed up with government waste, increasing taxation, and a lack of transparency in all levels of government.
Following years of waste at Croydon Council and the de facto bankrupting of the borough, they are coming to Purley on the 30th July for the latest leg of the Town Hall Rich List Roadshow.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance have held several street stalls in Croydon prior to the issuing of a Section 114 notice and Croydon declaring de facto bankruptcy, these have focused on executive pay. Their review of Councillors’ allowances highlighted the premium rates councillors received compared to nearby colleagues, and the town has too often featured on their Blog.. The taxpayers and service recipients of Croydon would all be better off if the council had listened when the TPA all too frequently highlighted our town.
Now, with assistance from the Croydon Constitutionalists, they will be asking local residents whether they thought Croydon’s former Chief Executive Jo Negrini was worth her £613,895, 2020-21 remuneration package.
Locals will have the opportunity to have their say, by using ping pong balls to cast their votes. Croydon Council’s political make-up has changed, but with many tough years ahead this is an opportunity for people to say if they want to retain the council’s remuneration habits of the past.
The street stall will be open Saturday 30 July, 10:30 am – 1pm, outside 911 Brighton Rd, Purley CR8 2BP.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Michael Swadling at [email protected].
The Croydon Constitutionalists are proud to host a Hustings for the 2022 local elections.
With representatives of liberty loving parties and an independent mayoral candidate, these hustings are an opportunity to meet those promoting real change in local government.
Following the issuing of the Section 114 notice and de facto bankruptcy, Croydon is in desperate need for new ideas. Come and meet those who have them.
Join us from 7pm, on 24th February 2022, at Clyde Hall, Clyde Road, Croydon, CR0 6SZ.
Croydon leading the list of local boroughs with executives paid over £100K, according to report.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance have issued their 2021 Town Hall Rich List of council employees in the UK in receipt of over £100,000 in total remuneration. The list covers the financial year 2019-20, and since then we have seen Croydon Council issue a Section 114 notice, declaring de facto bankruptcy. It’s not hard to see why the council ended up in this position when despite years of complaining about a lack of funding, and years of maximum council tax increases, Croydon Council still had 19 people earning over £100,000 a year, with six people whose remuneration exceeded the salary of the Prime Minister.
To put this in context, neighbouring Bromley had just 9 staff whose remuneration exceeded £100,000. Sutton had 10 staff, Merton 9, Tandridge 2, and Reigate & Banstead 6. Whilst our inner London neighbours Lambeth had 18 and Lewisham 15 (both fewer than Croydon), Barnet a similar sized borough made do with just 9 staff on over £100K.
Private sector organisations often benchmark salaries against other similar organisations. Indeed, within the council, schools are required to benchmark themselves on a range of financial measures against others similar schools. We wonder if it has ever benchmarked their own executive salaries, and if it has, what conclusions they drew? We can see why Croydon Council’s external auditors Grant Thornton described the situation at the council as follows: “There has been collective corporate blindness to both the seriousness of the financial position and the urgency with which actions needed to be taken”.
The current council leader, and others in the cabinet were in the cabinet at the time these bumper salaries were being paid out. What were they doing to control council expenses? Of course we now know those councillors were in receipt of the highest average allowance in London.
Many things have changed at Croydon Council but the latest figures still show 16 people being paid over £100,000 and two on more than the nation’s Prime Minister. Deep cuts are being made to front line jobs and services, can we say that is being reflected in the salaries of those at the top?
As council tax bills are landing in people homes, the people of Croydon who will pay for the mismanagement of the council budget have the right to ask, why we are being expected to once again pay more, when the those at the top of the council seem to be so well rewarded.
Croydon Council Pay over £100,000, 2019-20:
Council
Name
Job title
Salary
Sub total
Pension
Total
Croydon
Jo Negrini
Chief executive
£189,165
£189,165
£29,193
£218,358
Croydon
Guy Van Dichele
Executive director (interim) of health, wellbeing & adults
£197,171
£197,171
£11,983
£209,154
Croydon
Shifa Mustafa
Executive director, place
£156,060
£156,060
£24,085
£180,145
Croydon
Jacqueline Harris-Baker
Executive director of resources and monitoring officer
£153,936
£153,936
£23,795
£177,731
Croydon
Robert Henderson
Executive director of children, families & education
£148,886
£148,886
£22,986
£171,872
Croydon
Hazel Simmonds
Executive director of gateway, strategy & engagement
£137,700
£137,700
£21,252
£158,952
Croydon
Undisclosed
£157,500
£157,500
Croydon
Lisa Taylor
Director of finance, investment and risk and interim S151 officer
As Croydon goes bankrupt you don’t need to worry about its councillors going short.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance have published a review of local authority councillor allowances – Councillors’ allowances 2020 – TaxPayers’ Alliance. The report shows people who live just miles apart from each other may be represented by councillors who have similar workloads but are entitled to vastly different allowances. This is true for the residents of Croydon.
In 2018-19 Croydon’s Councillors received a relatively modest basic allowance £11,407 for these ‘unpaid’ roles, although it should be noted this is the second highest rate in London. What’s more alarming is when you average the total cost it comes to £21,784 per councillor. Croydon councillors were the 11th most expensive of 398 councils across the country and the highest costing in London.
In the same time period neighbouring Sutton (£12,135) and Bromley (£12,111) were both much cheaper coming in 168th and 169th in average cost per councillor. Croydon’s comparatively lavish allowances were being paid whilst the council’s external auditors Grant Thornton were, as recently reported, warning about low reserves and poor financial controls. You have to wonder how they could justify these allowances whilst asking taxpayers for ever increasing amounts of money.
Since then the council has issued a Section 114 notice and gone into de facto bankruptcy. After cutting services and making over 400 job cuts Croydon’s councillors have finally shared some of the burden. On the 16th December Croydon’s councillors voted to reduce £300,000 from councillor pay from April 2021. Whilst this is a welcome reduction it will still likely leave Croydon’s councillors in the top 20% best rewarded in the country and top 6 highest rewarded in London. We ask, does this really reflect the damage Croydon Council’s poor administration has wrought on services in the borough? Do the people of Croydon think their councillors who oversaw only the second council bankruptcy this century, deserve to be the in the top fifth for reward?
Drastic financial restructuring is needed at Croydon Council. Services will be cut, regressive council taxes will increase, and likely more employees will lose their roles. We commend Croydon’s Councillors for cutting £300,000 from their allowances, but this must only be a start. Along with dramatic cuts for the citizens and staff, councillors should step up to the plate and aim to come in no higher than the average cost per councillor in London, still high for a bankrupt council but a reasonable sacrifice.
We ask Councillors Hamida Ali, and Jason Perry to work on further reducing allowances in Croydon. Until then whatever else you worry about, as Croydon goes bankrupt, you don’t need to worry about its councillors going short.
TPA Town Hall Rich List reveals massive 6 figure salaries paid to fat cats at Croydon council.
Despite a bumper salary of £212,000 for the Chief Executive we still have an ’Inadequate’ Children’s Services department, a Westfield Shopping centre development going nowhere and ongoing bin collection problems in Croydon.
Croydon Council has been a calamity in recent years, but even more shocking we pay a king’s ransom for senior staff that often hinder rather than help the front line.
“Many locals are outraged that council bosses are receiving six-figure pay packets whilst front line services are in disarray. Council tax rose by four per cent last year and many will wonder where taxpayers’ money has gone. Spending on council fat cats needs to be brought under control immediately.”
Harry Fone the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s Grassroots Campaign Manager.
In Selsdon we will be asking people to sign an open letter to the leaders of all political parties in Croydon, asking them to agree in future that no newly appointed council employee will earn more than the Prime Minister. We have made contracts with those already in post, but surely we can all agree, with all its challenges running Croydon shouldn’t pay more than running Britain.
Members of the Croydon Constitutionalists
and TaxPayers’ Alliance’s staff will be available for interviews and photo ops
on the day.”
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Michael Swadling or email at [email protected].
The
TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) are focusing on Croydon as part of their Town Hall
Rich List Roadshow.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign for lower taxes and against government waste. Focus on value for money in public finances is something we desperately need in Croydon.
So good was the response to the street stall, we held on the 22nd June we plan to hold two more over the summer.
Croydon taxpayers are rightly surprised that 19 staff in
the council are paid over £100,000, especially when compared to the service we
receive.
You might wonder with all these highly paid staff and councillors, if someone might have had the time to provide some scrutiny over the £10,000 of taxpayer money given to an ‘entertainer’ to defecate on stage. Meanwhile Croydon’s Children’s Services Department is still rated Inadequate by Ofsted.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance Town
Hall Rich List Roadshow street stalls will be in Addiscombe on Saturday
13th July and Selsdon on Saturday 7th September, both between 10:30am and 1pm.
If you’re interested in knowing more about tax in Croydon, their national campaigns, or covering the stall, contact the Croydon Constitutionalists or come and see the TaxPayers’ Alliance Roadshow in Addiscombe on the 13th July.
