Mar 21, 2013 |20 Minutes Later by ashley_inkz1 on Keek.com

A MORE secure future is being promised for two of the borough's cultural institutions as the council moves to take control of Fairfield and the London Mozart Players (LMP).

The decision to turn the two into separate council-controlled charities is expected to be approved at Monday's meeting of the cabinet.

The message coming from Councillor Tim Pollard, cabinet member with responsibility for culture, is that the move will ensure best value for money from the council's investments in the two organisations but it does not mean the council interfering in the day-to-day running of either.

Cllr Pollard said: "The council does not have the expertise to run Fairfield or the LMP; that is not what we do.

"But, given that we are investing capital and revenue money, we do need a mechanism in place to ensure that if the boards go bonkers we can say; 'hang on a minute you can't do that'."

The council is committed to investing £27 million in renovating and refurbishing the 50-year-old Fairfield complex with the aim of restoring it to the ranks of Britain's leading cultural and entertainment centres.

It is also making a grant of around a £1 million available, to help with Fairfield's running costs.

A further £90,000 goes to the LMP to support its work, which includes educational programmes in schools.

Cllr Pollard added: "Both the LMP and Fairfield are synonymous with Croydon and we are proud of their heritage and committed to their future.

"We think this proposal is the best way of supporting Fairfield and the LMP through challenging economic times, while ensuring value for money already committed to Fairfield's refurbishment programme and effective accountability of public funds."

Simon Thomsett, chief executive of Fairfield, said: "I believe this is a vote of confidence in what we have managed to do and it gives us some sort of financial security. If the council did not have this confidence the easy thing would have been to close us down and sell off the land."

Simon Funnell, managing director of the LMP, added: "We are delighted. The council has always been supportive and now, when times are very difficult, we are very pleased that the council is continuing to support us."

Rachel Millard looks at a divisive issue, still in balance...

Officers from the ruling authority Sutton Council had recommended plans for the Viridor incinerator off Beddington Lane be approved – in the face of widespread opposition from residents.

But councillors could not be split when voting for and against the plan and, with development control committee chair John Leach refusing to exercise his casting vote, the decision has been deferred.

It had been hoped that, barring blocks from the council, the Mayor of London or the Environment Agency, the facility should be up and running by 2017. It would allow Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston to fulfill a 25-year contract with Viridor who would process waste otherwise destined for landfill.

Opponents of the scheme have promised to keep fighting to the bitter end.

Shasha Khan, founder of the Stop the South London Incinerator, said: "We will also lobby the Mayor of London.

"Our fight is not over until the first brick of the 95-metre chimney is laid."

The four boroughs' South London Waste Partnership claims the facility would save the taxpayer £8 million per year.

Partnership director Frank Smith declined to discuss details of the costs, citing commercial confidentiality.

Mr Smith and others say the contract also promotes recycling by setting a declining minimum amount of waste guaranteed each year.

He would not say how much was guaranteed each year, claiming it would compromise Viridor's competitiveness.

But he said the partnership had made sure to commit "no more than was necessary" and aimed to achieve "the best level of recycling".

One of the other sticking points of the incinerator is that once built, it will need to be fed, regardless of locals' recycling habits.

Viridor accepts it needs 275,000 tonnes of waste each year to run the plant.

It plans to make up the amount with commercial and industrial waste from its 'catchment area' of south London and Surrey, expecting this to rise by 2020 to 582,000 tonnes, of which 495,000 would be suitable for the facility.

Viridor spokesman Victor Perez-Mares added: "This projection takes into account that on average business waste grows one per cent every year and that recycling and composting of this business waste reaches 70 per cent by 2020.

Keeping the incinerator running at near-full capacity is considered important, partly so it can generate all the heat and electricity billed among its benefits.

Using steam from the burning waste, the facility will generate up to 26 megawatts of electricity, fed into the supply grid via a sub-station at Latham's Way.

Another four megawatts will be used by the site.

Viridor declined to say how much money would be made selling on the electricity, citing confidentiality "due to contractual agreements with the SLWP".

Mr Perez-Mares added the site will be ready to provide heat to outside homes or other buildings as soon as it is up and running.

"A dedicated room is provided to house the necessary heat exchangers and pumps to move heat through pipes to users off-site," he said.

A Sutton Council spokesman said a third-party organisation would actually deliver the heat. Viridor was talking to developers of the forthcoming Felnex residential development in Hackbridge, he added.

"Our commitment to such schemes is already demonstrated in operating facilities such as our Derriford Clinical Waste incinerator," added Mr Perez-Mares, "which provides heat to the hospital nearby."

Possible electricity and heat aside, residents have been thrown various sweeteners to lessen the visual impact of the building.

Viridor has to set up a community fund for "community projects".

It must make an initial payment of £250,000, 25 annual payments of £25,000, and a lump sum of £100,000 in 2024.

"In general terms, the community fund is required to address the well-being of the community in the face of the adverse impacts," said a report by Sutton Council officers to its planning committee.

That report added that the development could help address high youth unemployment in the area by providing apprenticeships.

The total number of those set out in the legal agreement is three, across the "operational life" of the facility.

The proposed Section 106 agreement asks Viridor to run workshops for local businesses "with the aim" of increasing local supply during contstruction.

Those living in the shadow of the incinerator can expect less-concentrated nitrogen dioxide than at first feared, however, after Viridor raised the chimney of the incinerator from 85 to 95 metres.

It will also reduce the concentration, Mr Perez-Mares explained, by treating oxides with the chemical urea, around 900 tonnes of it each year.

Residents remain a hard sell, however.

"Does this sound like a responsible approach in the 21st century?" said a spokesman for the Hackbridge and Beddington Corner Neighbourhood Development Group. " The solution to pollution is not dilution."

I WENT to watch Millwall and Blackburn on Tuesday night and that was an unbelievably nervous, edgy-type game which could have gone either way.

Unfortunately for Millwall it went to Blackburn, but Millwall were the better team in the first half.

As I walked into the ground at The Den, I got totally and utterly abused by the Millwall fans just for walking along.

Obviously there is a fair bit of dislike between Millwall and Palace, but as far as I'm concerned I've got to get my lads prepared to go into that sort of atmosphere.

I was quite impressed with Blackburn's resolve though, especially after losing 4-0 last weekend at Watford. The goal that won it was extraordinary, the centre-half won the ball and he made an unbelievable run that ended up with a penalty.

Was it a penalty? I thought the referee was the bravest man, or the silliest man, because he gave it and there was almost a riot at The Den.

Blackburn will probably feel like they're safe now from going down, but Millwall's game in hand is against us, and they've had a great cup run, a bit like Palace last season.

Blackburn paid £8m for Jordan Rhodes and they've only just got themselves safe.

I'd hate to have their wage bill. Are they a Premier League team or are they trying to get back there? It's very, very difficult especially if they haven't been set up right, and I don't think they have been after relegation last year.

Some of their players on the bench will be on astronomical wages, but Jordan has had a tough ask really, because he goes in there and he is an out-and-out finisher.

I don't think I've seen anyone so calm taking a penalty in that situation. He held a stone cold nerve to finish it, so he knows where the goal is.

His father is a goalkeeper, an ex-goalkeeper, so he's probably been practicing over the years against him.

It's not easy when you've paid a huge fee for him. He's a top talent though.

I heard Danny Shittu was sent off at the end for protesting too much over the penalty decision, but it doesn't surprise me because of the feeling around the ground.

Was it a penalty? I thought the guy went down softly so I wasn't sure. I was Danny's manager once and he is a passionate guy, and I can imagine how the Millwall fans love him so much that he wanted to have a go at the referee.

Being that far away in the stand, it did look rather soft.

It will be a battle, it will be a fight, but can we show what we can do and be resilient?

FORMER Palace midfielder Simon Osborn says boss Ian Holloway will "not give up" on getting Palace promotion to the Premier League.

Osborn, who played more than 70 games for the Eagles between 1990 and 1994, played alongside Holloway for Queens Park Rangers in his career and knows exactly what the Bristol-born man is like.

"Palace have got a good man there – you've got to remember he came in at a difficult time when Dougie left," the joint manager of Margate said.

"I played with Ian at Queens Park Rangers and he's an enthusiastic football guy who knows what he wants and he'll certainly be working the players as hard as he can.

"He will not give up one minute of trying to push Palace into the play-offs.

"He's a good manager, a man-manager, and as a player he was fantastic and helped me out when I first went to QPR in the Premier League.

"I'm hoping he can keep pushing Palace into the play-offs because he deserves it."

After such a successful campaign, Osborn says this is not the time to lose form while trying to nail down a play-off position, but if the Eagles were to miss out, the ex-professional says it will make the team even stronger for another go next season.

"I think Ian would be gutted in the position they're in if he couldn't keep them in the play-offs," he said.

"After everyone has worked so hard this season, this is not the time you want to drop out of those play-offs, so I'm sure they'll keep fighting like we know Palace do.

"They will be disappointed if they don't go up with two-thirds of the season gone, especially with the recent form.

"If they don't go up, the squad will be stronger from it for next year and strengthened in certain areas.

"The fans will be looking for another striker perhaps because without Glenn Murray they'll be thinking where are the goals going to come from."

With a potential play-off final against either arch-rivals Brighton or Dougie Freedman's Bolton Wanderers a big possibility, it could be a tasty end to the season.

And Osborn believes the club's owners will be wise in player recruitment over the summer after the sale of Wilfried Zaha.

"Palace are a club that have gone and changed the philosophy behind them, with the chairman and their people coming in and stabilising it," he said.

"There were administration issues over the years so I'm sure they've settled that down, but I'm sure they'll be sending scouts out to find players who will fit into the Palace way.

"A Palace versus Brighton play-off final would be a dream for some supporters, whereas Dougie has gone on and done well at Bolton, and a lot of people thought it was a strange decision to leave Palace at the time he did."

Watch the full interview on video on our website at www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/sport.

RUNNERS from across the borough took part in the London Marathon on Sunday to raise money for good causes.

And one Croydon participant stood out from the crowd – he completed the marathon dressed as a bright green inhaler to raise money for Asthma UK.

Michael Forteath, from South Croydon, suffers from asthma, as does his nine-year-old daughter Abbie. This was the third time he'd run the London marathon, and he raised £1,000 in the process.

He was also able to break a world record, for fastest asthma pump at the London Marathon.

One Croydon family took on the marathon together – brothers Richard and Michael Thorn ran with Michael's daughter Zara Thorn, 18, and Richard's fiancée, Lucy Uwins, 25.

Richard, 27, ran for Action for Children, completing the 26.2 miles in four hours and 53 minutes.

Lucy wasn't far behind, with a time of five hours and 31 minutes for Cancer Research UK.

Meanwhile Zara ran for mental health charity Mind in six hours and 17 minutes, and Michael finished ten minutes after his daughter – no mean feat considering he was carrying a large wooden wheel behind him the whole way, as he was raising money for the Rotary Wheel Appeal.

Grandfather Ray Thorn was there to support his family.

He said: "It was a great day. We were watching from the grandstand seats on The Mall and it was so exciting to see them.

"They all enjoyed it so much."

Nirmal Kalsi Singh, 59, of Dalmally Road, Addiscombe, and Eleanor Ridley, 21, of Grovelands Road, Purley, both ran for Phab.

The project, based in Wandle Road, encourages people of all abilities to get together on equal terms via youth groups and clubs and through specialist holidays.

Nirmal said: "This is the sixth year in a row I've run the London Marathon and it's my second time running for Phab.

"Although this year was hard because of the heat I was really pleased to clock up a personal best time of four hours, 38 minutes. I really enjoy running the marathon and knowing that I'm supporting a local charity at the same time makes it all the more enjoyable."

Medical student and first-time marathon runner Eleanor said: "It was great to be part of the Phab team for the day and seeing supporters along the route made such a difference to my run."

Purley resident Caroline Evans had to overcome disappointment before the 2012 marathon when shin splits stopped her from running.

After overcoming her injury, Caroline, 32, trained hard and completed this year's marathon in four hours and 40 minutes.

She managed to raise more than £500 for Wellchild, a charity which helps sick children and their families to manage the consequence of serious illnesses.

She told the Advertiser: "I'm grateful for everything that's been donated.

"It's a great charity doing brilliant work."

Kevin Hann, 46, from New Addington, took on the challenge in aid of the Starlight Children's Foundation, which grants wishes for seriously ill children.

He previously told the Advertiser how, on another occasion, he had run 23 miles of a marathon with a twisted ankle.

An estimated 36,000 people took part in Sunday's Virgin London Marathon.

Singer Katherine Jenkins, former England cricket skipper Andrew Strauss, McFly drummer Harry Judd and former shadow chancellor Ed Balls were among the famous runners taking part.

IN THE last week, the fury building among parents over Roke Primary and the Government's intention to turn it into an academy has reached breaking point.

Former head Caroline Phillips has resigned after a period of ill-health, while the heavily opposed potential sponsor, Harris Federation, put up a job advert for the principal position – several hours before the official consultation into the plans closed.

This has all led to an outcry from parents that the process of Roke, in Kenley, being taken over by Harris is already a done deal, despite fierce opposition from the Save Roke campaign, which has received support from governors, local councillors, and Croydon South MP Richard Ottaway.

The story began last summer, when Roke received a 'notice-to-improve' by Ofsted for their 'inadequate' leadership and management.

Malcolm Farquharson, the school's chair of governors, gave a chilling account of how, in September last year, officials from the Department of Education (DfE) came to the school and told the governors in no uncertain terms that unless they co-operated with the Government's move to turn Roke into an academy, they would be fired and replaced.

"I have lodged a complaint with the department about the whole process," he said.

"First we were told we would be fired and replaced by an Interim Executive Board (IEB), and then told this never happened. We have also consistently appealed to the Government to have Riddlesdown [Collegiate, school in Purley] as our academy sponsor rather than Harris."

The DfE denied the charge in a statement:: "It is not true to say that the governors were told they will be sacked. We want to see sustainable improvements at Roke Primary.

"Where under-performance is not being tackled effectively, the Secretary of State [Michael Gove] does have powers to intervene to make sure standards improve."

Both Roke and Riddlesdown were told they did not have the ability to "turn around a failing school" by the DfE, who appointed Harris Federation to take over the primary.

Becky Carrier, a lead member of the Save Roke campaign, has said this reasoning makes no sense when Riddlesdown has worked since last summer to support Roke, and achieved considerable improvements.

Despite marches, protests, petitions and legal advice, the Save Roke campaign has failed to impact on the Government's plans.

After several months of stagnation, a maelstrom of rumours were whipped up again last week after parents were told that the head, Caroline Phillips, would not be returning to the school because of ill-health.

It transpired the next day that she had resigned and would be replaced by an executive head, Christine Barry, in the interim.

Then, to Save Roke's outrage, a job advert for principal at the school appeared through Harris on their website and in the Times Education Supplement.

Mr Farquharson said the governors had met with Croydon Council – who are still responsible for the school – on April 10 to tell them about the head's resignation.

He said: "Harris was there too because it is part of the consultation. They suggested they put the advert up because we were short of time and resources. We thought this was a good idea. I know it looks insensitive."

A Croydon Council spokesman said he could not remember if there had been a discussion as to whether Harris should wait until after the public consultation to release the job advert. A spokesman for Harris, led by the Carpetright magnate and Tory donor Lord Harris, meanwhile said: "The advert prominently says the academy is 'a proposal' and subject to the outcomes of a consultation and the Secretary of State signing a funding agreement.

"The reason for advertising the post now rather than after the consultation is that head teachers need to give notice by the May 31 if they wish to take up the post in September and we needed to allow time for a fair and thorough selection process.

"Given that the head teacher of Roke has resigned, if no recruitment process takes place now, the school would be without a head teacher in September."

As a final nail in the coffin for Save Roke, campaigners discovered Atwood Primary in Sanderstead, which has been rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted, is now in consultation with Riddlesdown over the secondary becoming an academy sponsor for the primary.

Again, Ms Carrier dismissed the DfE's arguments that Riddlesdown could take on an 'outstanding' school but did not have the experience or ability to turn a failing school around.

"They've been helping us all the way through this, Harris have done nothing," she said.

MP Richard Ottaway has been a fierce critic of the process.

He said: "It seems to me to be a bit premature to advertise the job of head teacher on the day the consultation exercise had closed.

"It is not surprising that some of the parents are calling the Harris takeover a fait accompli.

"Now the decision as to who will sponsor Roke is in the gift of the DfE. I will continue to make representations to urge fair and rigorous consideration of the consultation feedback."

Gordon Smith, principal at Riddlesdown Collegiate, said: "We are proud of the work we have done with Roke to improve their governance, leadership and teaching. We wish them the best of luck as they enter a new phase in their development."

NORBURY Park Lawn Tennis Club will be officially awarded Clubmark status by the Lawn Tennis Association on Sunday, coinciding with the first Open Day of the summer season.

The Clubmark award is recognition that Norbury Park is delivering a quality tennis development programme and operating in line with best practice.

The club is going from strength to strength after the major refurbishment of its courts and floodlights last year.

Under the direction of head coach Ben Jones, the latest tennis programme has proved a hit. A rise in junior participation at the club has resulted in the creation of a new junior team that has been entered into the Aegon National Tennis League.

Links with local schools have enabled the coaching team to identify some very promising young talent. The LTA have very recently given Norbury Park Juniors eight Wimbledon tickets.

Not only will the youngsters enjoy watching the world's best tennis players at close range, but they will have the opportunity to meet them too.

At the official re-opening of the new courts last September, Tom Harlow, the LTA Development Officer, said: "British Tennis needs more coaches like Ben and his team who can deliver coaching to any age or ability".

This endorsement was quickly followed up by the Coach of the Month award which Ben received in October last year.

The introduction of the new fitness routine, Cardio Tennis, has been a popular choice amongst members.