Restoring pride in our borough is a priority for residents and businesses and it’s right at the top of my agenda. First, we need to get the basics right – which means the council doing all it can to ensure that our streets are clean, safe and welcoming. I’ve listened to residents, businesses and community groups’ concerns about safety and at Cabinet next week I expect to begin the process of reintroducing a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the town centre, with potentially other areas to follow. A PSPO gives the police additional powers to tackle antisocial behaviour on our streets and in public places. This kind of closer partnership working between the council, the police and our community is exactly what we need to to keep our streets cleaner and safer.
Cracking down on crime and cleaning up our streets is an important first step, but Croydon needs investment and our town centre regeneration plans need to be put back on track. I’ve said before I want Croydon to be at the front of the queue for all external funding and that’s why we’ll be bidding for £19m from the Government’s Levelling up Fund to kickstart our town centre regeneration. We continue to work with The Croydon Partnership to put new energy into plans for Croydon’s future and we hope to be able to share exciting news about the former Allders site shortly.
Also at next week’s cabinet, I’ll progress my pledge to get Purley Pool and Leisure Centre open, looking at how we can put the funding the council gets from developers to good use by investing in this much-loved local leisure centre. It’s not just about fixing the pool – I want us to look at how we can make this a really great facility for everyone locally, and protect its future for generations to come.
Finally, I want to congratulate Danielle Denton, who was elected as Councillor for South Croydon ward at yesterday’s by-election. I know she will do an excellent job representing her constituents and I look forward to working with her over the coming years.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
