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EXCLUSIVE: 'How we found body down Warlingham well'

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A TEENAGER and his friend have described how they found a body floating in a well in Warlingham. Jack Duncan, 17, and Rory Mulholland, 21, made the grisly discovery while working in the garden of a cottage in Audley Drive at around 1.50pm yesterday (Friday). Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently being questioned by the police. Jack, who lives in New Addington, and his friend Rory had been asked to do some gardening at the house on Thursday and returned the following day to clear up. "There were some brambles on top of the well and while I was using a rake to clear them I noticed there was something covering the top of the well," said Jack. "It was like a paving slab. Rory lifted it off and we saw a blue thing in water, like something was covered in tarpaulin. "I got some gutter piping and I was poking it and spinning it around, which was unravelling where it had been wrapped up. "I didn't think it was a body, I didn't know what it was. "Then I saw the shape of two legs, and then a backside, and I realised it was a body. "It was definitely a man. You could tell by the size of his thighs, he had builder's legs. It was definitely an adult. It still had skin and hair, so couldn't have been there for very long. "I was shocked because I had been working right next to it. I'd even sat on the well to have a cigarette with the body beneath me." Jack then called the police. "At first they said it was probably just a rolled up carpet but I knew it wasn't," he explained. "So they came and looked down there. They used the pole I was using, realised it was a body and closed off the scene." Rory and Jack had been asked to do some gardening at the house by a friend. He explained that when they arrived at the house on Thursday, a group of Polish men appeared to be moving out. "They looked like they were in a hurry but I didn't think anything of it," said Jack. "They had suitcases and big bags full of all their stuff. They were taking it away in a van and coming back for more. "When we came back on the Friday, no one was left." Rory said: "After we pulled up the slab we saw a blue shape. I tried to move it with the rake but it wasn't long enough so we got the pipe. "I didn't know what it was at first but then I saw it had bodily features. "I didn't believe what I was seeing. I was shaky and I felt a bit sick." Nicky Duncan, Jack's mother, said her son had been disturbed by what he found. "He might no say it, but I know it's really got to him," she said. "After he had a bath last night he told me every time he looked into the water all he could think of was the body." A specialist recovery unit is currently trying to remove the body from the well. Police have said the cause of death is not known, and have not officially confirmed the gender or age of the victim. Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the police incident room on 020 8721 4961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

EXCLUSIVE: 'How we found body down Warlingham well'


'Hidden gem' Croydon set for 'flurry of foreign investors'

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CROYDON is London's "hidden gem" and is set for an influx of foreign investors.

This was the view expressed by London's deputy mayor for business, Kit Malthouse, who said the borough could expect a boom over the next two decades.

He was speaking at the Develop Croydon conference held at Fairfield Halls, where Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher also gave an upbeat message, insisting the £1 billion redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre was the start of a positive era .

He predicted: "Over the next five years I am confident that Croydon will experience a level of regeneration that hasn't been seen since the 1960s."

Mr Malthouse's championing of Croydon came as he claimed central London was becoming saturated with office and homes developments and investors, particularly those from overseas, would be looking elsewhere outside the centre to spend money.

He said this was where Croydon would play its part by acting as a valve, releasing pressure on the centre of the capital.

He said the borough stepped up to the mark in providing key elements which would attract investment from areas such as China, the Gulf and North America, countries with which the Mayor's office was establishing close links.

But in making a decision to move, investors would need to ensure areas met key criteria and Mr Malthouse said Croydon did that.

He maintained investors wanted to see a good transport network and with its 14-minute train journey time connections with central London, Croydon passed the test.

The Westfield/Hammerson development of the Whitgift would satisfy the criteria for major capital investment.

Investors would also want to move to an area of residential growth and with the council's policy of building 2,000 homes a year for the next five years and 27,000 over the next 20 years, Croydon would become a place where people wanted to and could live.

In addition, Mr Malthouse said, the council, working with the Mayor of London, was putting money into making town centre and areas on the fringe like London Road, Old Town and South End "animated, fresh, clean and tidy", another essential if firms were to move into the town.

Mr Malthouse said: "When people realise what is happening in Croydon, compared with the pressures on investment in central London, much of the investment money will spill over."

He added: "Croydon will be a brilliant, brilliant place to do business and is a hidden gem for international and domestic investment.

"My message to domestic companies thinking of investing in Croydon is get in quick because over the course of the next three to five years the foreign investors will be coming here more and more."

'Hidden gem' Croydon set for 'flurry of foreign investors'

Food bank has helped 1,000 people this year in 'affluent' Purley

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A FOOD bank has served more than 1,000 people this year in one of the most affluent areas of the borough. The Purley Food Hub, which was set up in January this year to help those affected by Government welfare changes, reached its 1,000th person last week. Those in need of the emergency food parcels are referred to the group by more than 40 charities, local agencies and professionals around Croydon. Helen Harris, the hub's chairman, told the Advertiser: "We realised there was a need for a food bank early this year after talking to schools and agencies in the area. "It was slow and steady until April when the big benefit changes came in and since then we have had a lot more people come through the door. "People have been surprised at the level of need. They don't think of Purley or Kenley having poor areas but there are real pockets of poverty." Mrs Harris said she had seen people walk more than four miles to get to the food bank because they could not afford the bus, as well as an elderly woman who only had one packet of soup in her cupboard. "The thing is, it can happen to anyone," Mrs Harris said. "It takes around three weeks for benefits to come through and in that time people can be desperate. It's not uncommon that you can have a job and a house one minute and lose your job and have your house repossessed in the next." The food bank organiser said she had seen many parents come through the door unable to feed their children properly and was setting up a new system for school holidays. She said: "We realised that families whose children have free school meals in term time really struggle when it's the holidays. "We asked schools to select families they thought really needed help and gave our food parcels to them in the October half term." The group, which was set up by Purley and Kenley Churches Together, runs monthly stalls outside Waitrose in Coulsdon and Sanderstead as well as the Sainsbury's Local and Tesco in Purley where shoppers can donate tinned and dried food. "We have been utterly amazed by the generosity of everyone," Mrs Harris said. "We rely entirely on donations." The group has more than 100 volunteers and is looking for a warehouse between 50 and 75 square metres in Purley to accommodate food for the increased demand. At the end of September, the hub gave out enough food to feed 68 adults and children in one distribution session alone. Anyone interested in helping the Purley Food Hub should e-mail purleyfoodhub@gmail.com or call 07546 635295.

Food bank has helped 1,000 people this year in 'affluent' Purley

Croydon-born Susanna Reid earns highest score of the series on Strictly Come Dancing

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BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid performed a near-perfect dance on tonight's episode of Strictly. The Croydon-born host scored 39 out of 40 from the judges, after a stirring, passionate pasa doble alongside her professional partner Kevin Clifton. Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli all gave the Crystal Palace fan a perfect 10, while even notoriously tough-to-please judge Craig Revel-Horwood was moved to award Susanna 9 out of 10. The former Croham Hurst and Croydon High pupil's 39 was the highest score of the series so far, though her feat was matched tonight by Coronation Street actress Natalie Guemede. Such has been Susanna's Strictly success that some are even suggesting it might rub off on her beloved Palace. Selhurst Park mascot Pete the Eagle tweeted: "Wow! @susannareid100 just got the highest score of the series in Strictly! That must make her the bookies favourite...for the Palace job!"

Croydon-born Susanna Reid earns highest score of the series on Strictly Come Dancing

Specialist officers remove body from Warlingham well

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A BODY found in a well in the garden of a house in Warlingham has been removed ahead of a post mortem. Police were called to a cottage in Audley Drive at around 1.50pm on Friday by workmen. Earlier today the men who found the body, a teenager and his friend from New Addington, told the Advertiser it had been wrapped in a blue tarpaulin sheet. Specialist officers, including police divers, managed to lift the body from the well earlier this afternoon (Saturday). A post mortem is scheduled to take place at East Surrey Hospital mortuary at 2pm on Sunday. Police say they do not have any further details about the identity of the body. Jack Duncan, 17, and Rory Mulholland, 21, who found the body, said they believe the victim to be an adult male. The investigation is being led by the Homicide and Major Crime Command, led by Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons. "This is an unusual case and I would appeal for anybody who has concerns about a missing person, or who believes they may know something about this individual or incident, to call my officers," he said. "Although I cannot elaborate further at this time, I have reason to believe that this body was placed into the well and we are treating the incident as a murder." On Friday night seven men, aged between 21 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at this time. Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Specialist officers remove body from Warlingham well

VIDEO: Rough Copy and Hannah Barrett's latest X Factor peformances

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CROYDON'S two remaining X Factor finalists performed hits from 'the Great British songbook' in Saturday night's latest live show. Greggs bakery worker Hannah Barrett - who has narrowly avoided elimination after ending up in the bottom two from the public vote in two of the past three weeks - was first up, with this take on Rolling Stones' classic Satisfaction. Later in the show, trio Rough Copy went out of their R&B comfort zone, by performing a version of Coldplay song Viva La Vida. Both acts will find out whether they've made it through to next week in the results show on Sunday night.

VIDEO: Rough Copy and Hannah Barrett's latest X Factor peformances

Bookies odds on Crystal Palace job fluctuate as speculation intensifies

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THE bookies odds on the identity of the next Palace manager have fluctuated wildly after a flurry of bets on Sunday night. Dan Petrescu has been backed into as short as 1/16 with some firms - the shortest price any candidate has been in the near month-long search for a new boss. At around 7pm, as Petrescu's odds shortened, Tony Pulis and Iain Dowie - the other two men said to the be in the frame for the Palace job - but saw their odds go out to 20/1. But, within 30 minutes, Dowie was back into as short as 9/2, while Pulis had come into 8/1. The bookmakers odds are traditionally a strong indicator in these sorts of situations, as huge bets placed on certain candidates will shorten the odds and, in some cases, imply a degree of knowledge on the part of the person placing the bet. But, during the Eagles manager search, the odds have proved to be something of a red herring. Chris Coleman, Aitor Karanka, and Rene Meulensteen have all been favourite at some point, but all ended up deciding to take other jobs or, in Coleman's case, remain in his present role with Wales.

Bookies odds on Crystal Palace job fluctuate as speculation intensifies

Hannah Barrett and Rough Copy both make X Factor final six

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BOTH Croydon acts have made it through safely to the final six acts of this year's X Factor. Hannah Barrett and Rough Copy's safe progression now means Croydon has a one in three chance of a winner in the talent contest. Hannah, 17, was the first name to be read out as being safe and looked stunned as Nicole Scherzinger embraced her. Gary Barlow's popular boyband Rough Copy let out a triumphant roar as they were put through - and are still yet to find themselves in the bottom two. Hannah Barrett performed a version of Rolling Stones classic (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction on last night's show while Rough Copy took on Coldplay's Viva la Vida. Sam Callahan was eliminated in a showdown with another Louis Walsh act Luke Friend.

Hannah Barrett and Rough Copy both make X Factor final six


Seven men arrested after body found in Warlingham well are released on bail

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SEVEN men arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was discovered in a well in Warlingham on Friday night have been released on bail A murder probe was launched by the met police after the discovery outside an address in Audley Drive, Warlingham. Specialist officers, including police divers, were also called to the scene and removed the body from the well. A post-mortem was due to be carried out today but no other details about the identity of the body have been released. The investigation is being carried out the Homicide and Major Crime Command, led by Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons. "This is an unusual case and I would appeal for anybody who has concerns about a missing person, or who believes they may know something about this individual or incident, to call my officers," he said. "Although I cannot elaborate further at this time, I have reason to believe that this body was placed into the well and we are treating the incident as a murder." The seven men have been released on bail until late December while the investigation continues. Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Seven men arrested after body found in Warlingham well are released on bail

Report reveals low child vaccination rates in Croydon

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HEALTH services should adopt alternative vaccination services to GP surgeries or schools in order to address low levels of immunisation among children, a report has said. Croydon falls below the average for London and England in a number of areas, including MMR and boosters. Poorly reported data collected by GP practices is part of the problem said a report due to be put before the council's Health, Social Care and Housing Scrutiny sub-committee on Tuesday. In recent years London as a whole has delivered significantly poorer vaccine uptake than the remainder of the country, due in part to pressure on health centres by rising birth rates and the capital's high population mobility. Like a number of other boroughs, Croydon has not achieved the target of 95 per cent immunisation. Since April 2009 the borough has been consistently lower than both London and England averages for primary vaccinations for one-year-olds. It is also lower for boosters (PCV and flu/meningitis) at two years of age and for the first MMR vaccine. Only 83.7 per cent of children aged two received an MMR vaccine in the first quarter of 2013/14. This was not mirrored by an equivalent number of measles, mumps and rubella cases in Croydon, so may have been due to inaccuracy in the way the data is recorded, rather than poor immunisation uptake, the report added. It said health services would move toward an automated system for uploading data would address difficulties in collecting information on immunisation from GP practices. The report added: "Croydon would also benefit from having an alternative vaccination service that complemented the existing GP practice and community health service delivered immunisations and target specific communities known for low uptake."

Report reveals low child vaccination rates in Croydon

Dan Petrescu wants Crystal Palace job, confirms agent

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DAN Petrescu wants to manage Crystal Palace, according to his agent. The former Chelsea star has been locked in talks with Eagles co-chairman Steve Parish since Friday and it is thought he may have to take a pay cut to take charge at Selhurst Park. Petrescu's agent Victor Bacali has reportedly told the Daily Mirror: "It's very important for Dan to take over at Palace. He wants that to happen and I think it will." Parish had initially hoped to announce something on Saturday but it now seems more likely to be this week. Palace will want to have someone new in charge ahead of Saturday's trip to Hull City but have previously stated they would have no problem with caretaker Keith Millen continuing his role if necessary.

Dan Petrescu wants Crystal Palace job, confirms agent

Evidence of assault injuries on Warlingham well body

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ANALYSIS of the body discovered in a Warlingham well has found injuries consistent with an assault, police have said. The man was found in a well in the garden of a house in a cottage in Audley Drive on Friday afternoon. A post mortem into his cause of death, carried out at East Surrey Hospital mortuary yesterday (Sunday) has proved inconclusive. Further tests will now be carried out. However, the examination did reveal injuries to the body consistent with an assault. A murder investigation is underway. Officers have also established the body is that of a white male, although he has yet to be identified. Police were called after gardeners discovered the body in a well outside the house. Specialist officers, including Metropolitan Police divers, attended the scene and recovered the body. The investigation is being led by the Homicide and Major Crime Command, led by Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons. He said: "The post mortem examination has revealed this person, who we now know is a white male, suffered injuries before being placed into the well. We are treating the incident as a murder." Officers arrested seven men, aged between 21 and 27, on suspicion of murder - they were interviewed and subsequently released on bail until a date in late December. Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Evidence of assault injuries on Warlingham well body

Crystal Palace winger: Yannick Bolasie and I can cause problems for teams

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JEROME Thomas is hoping he and Yannick Bolasie can get a run of games together in the Palace starting XI to help the team start finding the back of the net. "Yannick's a great talent and I try to give him advice being a winger myself and going through what I've been through," Thomas told Advertiser Sport recently. "He needs to find the balance of being creative and doing tricks on the ball and giving it easy with the end product. "I think he's still trying to find that balance, but with Yala attacking down the right and myself attacking down the left, I think that's going to be a problem for a lot of teams. Indeed, Thomas has played at the highest level for ten years, with spells at Charlton, Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. And he has been trying to give advice to those who hadn't tasted top flight football before the start of this season. "When players ask me about the Premier League and the Championship players ask me about the experience at this level, there are two things I tell them," said Thomas. "One, I tell them you need confidence, and two, you can't make mistakes. In the Championship you'll get away with it, but here you'll get punished, it's that simple. "You can't give the ball away cheaply and you can't give the opposition time on the ball. "You think you're dropping off and doing the right thing, but then the right-back passes it forward and it ends up in the top corner." Thomas has vowed to "lead by example", no matter what position in the league the Eagles find themselves in. And he says the players can't achieve survival without the supporters either. "I understand the frustration from the fans and I am not one to shy away from these occasions," said the winger. "We want to show the fans appreciation because we're going to need them. We can't do this without them. "It is frustrating. No one wants to lose games of football and we don't go out there to lose. "All I can say is, if I am chosen to play in the team, I'm going to try and lead by example and lift the crowd, "That's what I want to do, regardless if we're in the relegation zone or not."

Crystal Palace winger: Yannick Bolasie and I can cause problems for teams

Acerbic art critic Brian Sewell says culture is 'wasted' on Croydon

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CONTROVERSIAL art critic Brian Sewell has dismissed Croydon as having "no real cultural tradition" and says artwork, such as the Riesco Collection, is wasted on the town. The comments were made during an interview with BBC Radio 4's 'You and Yours' programme on Friday. Sewell, who has been described as "Britain's most famous and controversial art critic," picked out Croydon and Warrington as two of the UK's least cultured ahead of the sale of the Chinese ceramics at an auction in Hong Kong this Sunday. The Evening Standard columnist told presenter Peter White: "If you live in a place like Croydon where there is no real cultural tradition it does seem slightly dotty to have a real serious collection of Chinese ceramics. "Nobody is likely to go and look at them so they might as well be put to good use." Sewell believes that London's Victoria and Albert museum should have made an offer for the collection. The controversial sale has come under a lot of criticism, with Croydon Council resigning from the Museum's Association after coming under fire, while the British Museum are said to be considering recalling any items on loan to Croydon.

Acerbic art critic Brian Sewell says culture is 'wasted' on Croydon

Winter is here! Cold winds and snow likely to hit Croydon this week

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ARCTIC winds have started to hit the UK, heralding near-freezing conditions which are expected to last for at least a fortnight according to the latest forecast from the Met Office. A "yellow" severe weather warning of ice has already been issued by the Met Office for today for the North and West coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland, which will head south as the day progresses, by Tuesday extending as far down as Derbyshire. Rain is expected across the south of England by tonight, with much colder, brighter and showery weather behind the rain. And as we head into the weekend, Croydon will become cloudier with a greater risk of showers, and snow possible on high ground. It will be cold with overnight frosts. Heading into next week, the weather is likely to stay unsettled with the possibility of wintry showers increasingly falling as rain. However by the end of the month, temperatures may return to near normal.

Winter is here! Cold winds and snow likely to hit Croydon this week


Burnley manager Sean Dyche heavily backed for Crystal Palace job

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IT'S pretty obvious by now that the bookies odds aren't exactly the most reliable indicator of who's going to be the next Palace manager. And, as if to illustrate this point, another twist this morning has seen a fourth name apparently enter the race for the Eagles role. Burnley boss Sean Dyche, who has led his side to the top of the Championship, has been backed in from a 100/1 outsider to the 3/1 second favourite – above previous fancies Iain Dowie and Tony Pulis in the betting. Dan Petrescu remained the favourite as of Monday lunchtime though, having been 1/16 last night, his odds have come in to around 8/11 with most firms. Dowie is 61 third favourite with SkyBet, while if you believe the odds (admittedly, a hard thing to do bearing in mind the past three weeks) the chances of Pulis taking the job are diminishing, as the former Stoke manager is best price 16/1. If you fancy a long-shot, the likes of Chris Hughton (50/1) Alan Pardew (50/1) and Mick McCarthy (66/1) could net you a tidy profit. Since Ian Holloway's exit nearly a month ago, the likes of Aitor Karanka, Rene Meulensteen, and Chris Coleman have all been given the bookies favourite tag, only to drop out of the running. Former Real Madrid player Karanka took the Middlesborough job, Meulensteen accepted a role as Martin Jol's assistant at Fulham, and Coleman elected to extend his contract as Wales manager. Eagles co-owner Steve Parish said at the weekend that he hoped to appoint a new boss today but, as yet, there is no concrete sign of this happening.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche heavily backed for Crystal Palace job

No publicity for £73.5m IT deal because public 'not interested'

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A TECHNOLOGY megadeal which will cost £73.5 million and see council staff provided with new smartphones and computer tablets is good value for money, a town hall finance chief has said. But Sara Bashford, cabinet member for corporate services, said the council chose not to announce the deal because it did not think the public would be interested. Capita will be paid around £8.5 million a year to completely overhaul the council's tech kit. Staff will see their existing BlackBerry phones replaced with Android or Windows-based smartphones and computers will be upgraded. Tablets will be bought for council officers who work in the community. The deal will save £40 million and result in quicker and greener services, the council said. It replaces an £83 million contract with Capgemini. Cllr Bashford said: "Technology changes all the time and one of the things we have to do is ensure whoever is providing the IT can keep up to date and maintain our staff's ability to work in the field, in the office, while providing the best value for money. This contract will do that." Capita was selected on a criteria of 60 per cent quality and 40 per cent price, but Cllr Bashford admitted the cost appears high. "It's a huge amount of money," she said. "When I looked at it I thought 'My goodness'. It's probably our biggest single contract, but it is the most important one because if that collapses how does the council function?" She added: "Could it have been any cheaper? No." Despite being its most expensive contract, the council did not announce the deal through its press office, even though its PR department is quick to publicise far more mundane and less costly expenses. Cllr Bashford said: "This is very much an internal contract. It's not really of very much interest to the general public, apart from the value. "The residents of Croydon know we have to have IT. If someone really wanted to know [how much it cost] they could ask and we would tell them. "I just don't think that this is particularly interesting to most people."

No publicity for £73.5m IT deal because public 'not interested'

Croydon Council will not sign up to London Living Wage

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THE council will not sign up to a scheme which supports paying employees a "living wage" because it does not want to commit itself to increases it cannot afford, a senior councillor has said. The London Living Wage is to increase by 25p to £8.55 per hour, Mayor Boris Johnson announced earlier this month. Some 200 employers have backed the scheme, which is not binding, since it was launched in 2005. Five councils have signed up, with a further five in the process of being accredited, but Sara Bashford, cabinet member for corporate services, says Croydon will not be joining them. "What I don't want to do is commit the council to a guaranteed increase if we can't afford it," she said. Labour said the Tory-led council had got its priorities "all wrong". Mr Johnson said the new wage, calculated by the Greater London Authority, would give people "a decent standard of living". Croydon said only seven of its employees are paid less than the recently announced increase. Cllr Bashford said those staff would receive pay rises, but added: "I wouldn't want to guarantee that every time the Mayor increases the living wage that we have to as well, because we don't know what our budgets will be. "The London Living Wage is the Mayor's idea. It's not done with the consultation of boroughs and it's not done with the expectation that everyone will follow it. "Up until now we have always been able to meet it. I'm just not willing to commit us to something in the future when we don't know what it would be." Simon Hall, Labour's spokesman for finance, said the response betrayed the council's priorities. "Not only should the council be paying its staff a living wage but they should also be applying it to its contractors," he said. "This comes at a time when the council has spent a large amount of money on a new headquarters and has significant cash balances. "To say they don't want to commit to meeting future increases to basic standards of pay shows a lack of commitment to the staff that the council employs. "If you value your staff you should be prepared to pay them a living wage." Hounslow, Lambeth, Camden, Islington and Lewisham are part of the scheme while Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Southwark and Tower Hamlets are in the process of signing up.

Croydon Council will not sign up to London Living Wage

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan wins damages and apology from OK! magazine

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A MAGAZINE has apologised to former Palace chairman Simon Jordan and agreed to pay him a five-figure sum in damages. The High Court heard Ok! Magazine ran an article on Mr Jordan's relationship with notorious self-confessed celebrity kiss and teller" Alicia Douvall which, according to court documents, "featured a character assassination" of Jordan causing him "severe distress and embarrassment". The magazine will publish a full apology in its next edition as well as paying undisclosed damages, thought to be five figures, and Jordan's legal costs. Representing Jordan, solicitor Chris Hutchings told the High Court: "The allegations were deeply intrusive and their publication displayed a complete disregard for the claimant's private life. Had the defendant bothered to contact the claimant prior to publication he would have informed it that he denied the allegations. Regrettably, it did not do so and instead published its story in any event without carrying the claimant's firm denials. "

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan wins damages and apology from OK! magazine

Croydon's alternative nightclub Black Sheep Bar closes

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ALTERNATIVE nightclub Black Sheep Bar has closed. The popular High Street venue was known for its alternative club nights and live music for older teenagers and 20-somethings. Paul Bossick had managed the club with his dad Howard since 1997. In recent years the club had survived the tough financial climate which had seen a number of other town centre venues close. It won the best late night venue title at the council's Best Bar None awards in 2010. In March 2012, the Bossicks opened a second nightclub - Bad Apple - aimed at older clientele. Stephanie Darkes, who has done PR for the club, is among those to have reacted with disappointment at news of its closure. She tweeted: "Really sad to hear of the closure of the @blacksheepbaruk I learnt a lot there, met amazing friends & had some great times. "It will always have a special place in my heart. It is a sad day for Croydon." Thornton Heath dubstep and grime DJ Plastician tweeted: "Wow. Really gutted to hear Black Sheep in Croydon is closed. The only venue that's really survived since I started going out myself. "I've sat in on council meetings before about what needs to be done for Croydon's nightlife. Waste of time. "As far as music venues / bars in Croydon - this is the nail in the coffin! To think this town created a global movement...Sad times." Labour councillor Carole Bonner said: "Really sad that another venue for live music has closed. "Just adds to the cultural desert that Croydon has become."Twitter reacts to closure

Croydon's alternative nightclub Black Sheep Bar closes

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