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Croydon Council plans licensing scheme to crack down on rogue landlords
ROGUE landlords who fail to provide decent homes for their tenants are to be the targets of a new council licensing scheme.
The drive to provide better and more secure accommodation for private tenants was a key part of the Labour council's manifesto for May's elections.
And Cabinet member for homes and regeneration Alison Butler, said this week the rapid move towards introducing the licensing regime was part of the council's commitment to meet that pledge.
The proposals are expected to get approval at Monday's Cabinet meeting and will then go out to consultation with landlords, tenants and residents.
But they have come under fire from Councillor Dudley Mead, the shadow Cabinet member for homes and regeneration, who claimed it would not work.
The scheme will require all landlords to be registered with the council, obtaining a licence which is likely to cost about £1,000 for a five-year period.
To gain a licence landlords will have to demonstrate they have met a series of health and safety standards and there will also be stringent checks to find out whether they have any criminal convictions. Landlords renting out properties without a licence could face fines of up to £20,000, while those failing to comply with licence conditions can be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000.
Cllr Butler said private sector tenants in Croydon now exceeded the number of social tenants and it was vital they were protected. The council estimates there are about 30,000 privately rented properties in the borough.
In the last four years the number of complaints received by the council about private rented housing standards have more than doubled from 630 in 2010/11 to 1,371 in 2013/14.
Cllr Butler said: "There is big reluctance by some tenants to report these problems to the council because they are worried about losing their homes."
The council hopes the scheme will make it easier for concerns to be raised and dealt with.
Cllr Butler said: "We will be sending out the message to landlords that if you want to rent out a property in Croydon it has to be of a decent standard and you have to take responsibility for your tenants."
Cllr Butler also maintained there were advantages for landlords because if standards were driven up Croydon would become recognised as a place where private tenants were looked after, making renting here more attractive.
She said: "There may be reluctance from some landlords to join the scheme but during the consultation if constructive suggestions are offered, we will look at them."
Cllr Mead said: "What Labour are doing is trying to make a business out of this.
"All the good, honest and straightforward landlords in the town will pay up but those who are under the radar and running things like beds in sheds are not going to be caught. It won't solve problems."
West Croydon festival aims to boost community pride
FOUR churches are holding a fun day to bring people in West Croydon together.
Organisers of next month's West Croydon Community Festival hope the event will help to rebuild pride in an area still scarred by memories of the riots in 2011.
"The idea is to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together to have some fun," said Katie Martin, of West Croydon Baptist Church.
The church, in Whitehorse Road, has teamed up with three others – Praise House, Christ Church and Church of Pentecost – to organise the festival, which is now in its third year.
The event, at Wilford Road recreation ground, includes face painting, hair braiding, arts and crafts stalls, Zumba, a tug of war and many other activities. Most importantly, says Mrs Martin, its all free.
"So many people are struggling financially at the moment so to be able to put on something free, that we're funding, is good news," she said.
"There are also many who feel isolated and may not know people in the community.
"If they can come to the festival and feel they have connected with someone that would be great.
"If you feel part of a community you will start to take pride in it and to care for it again. It's about putting a bit of love back into the area."
The fun day will be an "open crowd community festival", an idea promoted by Fusion Youth and Community. Marty Woods, a leading figure of the group, is a member of the West Croydon Baptist congregation.
West Croydon Community Festival will take place at between 2pm and 5pm on July 12 and 13. Sunday's festivities begin with an informal church service in the park at 11am followed by a free barbecue.
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Campaigners want decision to cut Purley Hospital opening hours reversed
CAMPAIGNERS are calling for longer opening hours and more services to be reinstated at a local health clinic.
Residents' associations from across the south of the borough want health bosses to reverse recent cuts to the urgent care service attached to Purley War Memorial Hospital in Brighton Road.
Diane Hearne, chair of the Hartley and District Residents' Association, said trips to the urgent care centre in Croydon town centre were difficult for many, adding: "Where else in the south of the borough are people served? The area has an ageing population and we need this resource here."
Opening hours were cut and treatment for minor ailments dropped in May with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) saying the centre was under-used and services sometimes duplicated at a time of severe budget constraints.
Health bosses want minor ailments to be treated more often at pharmacies or at home.
But local residents doubt the data on the use of the centre and say the service was under-publicised, reporting mounting concern since the changes came into force.
Tarsem Flora, chair of the Purley and Woodcote Residents' Association, said: "There is lots and lots of concern about the new opening hours. I hope they will listen to people and they will review."
The centre used to treat minor injuries and ailments and offered access to an X-ray for anyone over two years of age from 8am until 8pm every day of the year.
But in May the daily hours were halved and treatment dropped for the minor ailments – such as conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, headaches and sore throats.
The centre now treats only minor injuries, such as scalds, bruises and cuts, but is available to all ages and is led by GPs rather than nurses. The unit also no longer provides direct access to the hospital's X-ray equipment, which it used to from 9am until 4.30pm Monday to Friday (and 9am to noon at weekends), with health bosses saying the "inconsistency" in the availability caused problems.
Residents' associations plan to write to the CCG urging them restore the opening hours, restore X-ray access, and restore the treatments for minor ailments.
The CCG will review usage after three months and consider adapting the service, with local campaigners urging them to better publicise the service in the meantime.
Dr Fernandes, however, warned that ineffective use of resources could come at the expense of "urgent improvements we need in Croydon, like the fantastic refurbishment of facilities we have seen at Purley Hospital".
He added: "We hope that local people and politicians will support the NHS locally as we face up to the need to use our constrained funding wisely at a time when demand for services is growing.
"In particular, we hope people will support this decision to remove the minor ailments element of the urgent care service at Purley. Surely it is right that people with minor ailments – like coughs, colds and hay-fever – are treated by a pharmacist or treat themselves at home rather than being seen in an expensive urgent care setting?"
As well as the campaign started by residents' associations, local Tory MP candidate Chris Philp has e-mailed 3,000 residents with a link to an online petition and survey.
Charles King, chair of the East Coulsdon Residents' Association and a Labour council candidate this year, welcomed Mr Philp's support but noted: "This is a direct result of the Conservative policy of breaking up the health service."
Similar cuts were made to the unit in New Addington. The CCG says its publicity of the Purley service includes 45,000 leaflets distributed around Croydon, including 10,000 leaflets in the CR8 postcode area.
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Addington High's new head teacher values 'manners and hard work'
ADDINGTON High has a new principal – and he says "good manners" and "traditional values" will be vital in continuing the school's revival.
Martin Giles, vice-principal at Harris Academy in Morden, is due to take over at the New Addington school in September.
The design technology teacher will replace James Malley, acting principal since the departure of Tim Davies in February 2013.
Mr Giles said he was "driven by a very simple belief that every child deserves a first-class education".
He added: "I have high aspirations for all students at Addington High School.
"My professional experience shows that each student is capable of remarkable things when teachers work tirelessly to ensure that they each have every opportunity to develop as an exceptional leader and contributor to society.
"To develop this belief at Addington High School I will be promoting traditional values of good manners, hard work, outstanding behaviour and smart uniform. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the position of principal and am very excited about taking up the position."
Addington High became an academy in June last year, after years of poor results, accusations of bad behaviour from students, and scandals involving teachers.
Last summer, it posted its best-ever GCSE results, with 49 per cent of pupils achieving the benchmark five A* to C grades.
James Cleverly, chair of directors for Ravens Wood Learning Trust, the school's academy sponsor, announced the appointment in a letter to parents.
He said Mr Giles "will bring a commitment to developing high standards in learning and teaching to the school coupled with an attitude of respect for all."
Mr Giles started his teaching career in 1994 at a high school in Glasgow, before moving to London in 1999 to work as head of technology at a "challenging inner-city school" in Camberwell. He spent eight years there as assistant head teacher and two as acting deputy head teacher.
He then moved to what is now Harris Academy Morden, which used to be Bishopsford Art College but was taken over by the Harris Federation after being judged "inadequate" by Ofsted in 2012.
Ofsted spoke highly of the school in March last year, saying the new academy's "drive for improvement" was "relentless".