Mayor’s foreword
In announcing the business plan, the mayor stated: "In recent years, trust in our council has been hit as the full extent of the financial mismanagement under the previous administration has come to light. The two reports in the public interest highlighted deep governance failures and the two Section 114 notices, effectively declaring the council bankrupt, left it unable to balance its own books and reliant on £150 million of government support to stay afloat. The process of ‘Opening the Books’ has further highlighted inherent weaknesses in income projections and budget setting processes.
At the same time, rather than listening to and serving the people of Croydon, the council lost sight of its core purpose, preferring to play monopoly with council taxpayers’ money, resulting in bailing out its own failing housing company whilst increasing debt to over £1.6 billion. Residents deserve and expect better and over the coming years that is what I will deliver.
This Croydon Mayoral Business Plan sets a new direction, building on the hopes and aspirations of our residents and businesses. The plan will transform the council into one that delivers sound and sustainable local government services, and in so doing will transform our borough into one that Croydonians can once again be proud to call home."
Read the Mayor's full statement and business plan (PDF, 1.6MB).