CroydontalkDelivered FREE by volunteers at no cost to the taxpayer

March 2015

LocaL MP Gavin BarweLL taLks aBout his vision for croydon

PLus heLP us convince the royaL MaiL to see sense over ParceL coLLection office

and a new a&e for croydon university hosPitaL?

standinG uP for hard-Pressed raiL coMMuters

COmmEnt2015 will be a great year for our town. There are already a number of cranes up around the town centre - Berkeley Homes are close to finishing their Saffron Square scheme on Wellesley Road; Taberner House is coming down to be replaced by a residential development; Redrow are building their Galaxy House scheme on Cherry Orchard Road; and Stanhope Schroders have started work on the Gateway site next to East Croydon station, which has lain vacant for nigh on 40 years. And in June or July, Westfield and Hammersons plans to redevelop the Whitgift Centre should clear their final legal hurdle (see page 3). Once theres certainty Westfield are coming, were likely to see proposals coming forward from lots of other investors. Theres plenty of other good news in the pipeline too. Work should also get under way on the regeneration of Central Parade in New Addington. Our local MPs are helping Croydon Council negotiate a growth deal with the Government to provide funding for the infrastructure we need to cope with Croydons growing population. And as our economy continues to grow, unemployment continues to fall.

This edition of Croydon Life covers a number of these stories in more detail and we also profile Croydon MP Gavin Barwell, who has played a key role in a number of these changes. Enjoy - and we hope 2015 is as good for you and your family as it promises to be for our town.

IN THIS ISSUE Page

Croydon Westfield should be given the all clear later this year 3

Tax-free childcare 4

The jobs miracle 5

Profile: Croydons voice at Westminster 6-7

Croydon schools to get big funding boost 8

A new A&E at Croydon University Hospital? 9

Southern Railway must do better 10

Boris investigates cost of moving East and West Croydon stations into Zone 4 11

Help us convince Royal Mail to see sense 12

2

3One of the most frequent questions we get asked here at Croydon Talk is, Are Westfield really coming to Croydon and if so when? After all the false dawns weve had with plans to turn around Croydons fortunes (remember the plan to extend the Whitgift Centre to St Georges Walk anyone?), a degree of scepticism is justified, but this time there are grounds for thinking its actually going to happen.

First, the scheme already has full planning permission. It has the support of Croydon Council, the Mayor of London and the Government.

Second, Westfield and their partners Hammerson have already invested heavily in Croydon. They own the Centrale shopping centre and they recently bought the head lease for the Whitgift Centre from Royal London Asset Management. They wouldnt have spent all this money if they werent confident of success.

There is one remaining legal hurdle to the scheme going ahead. As things stand, Westfield and Hammeron dont own all of the site. Croydon Council has made a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to force the other owners to sell to them so that the scheme can go ahead. The public inquiry to determine whether the CPO will be granted started earlier this month and we should hear the result this summer.

Local MP Gavin Barwell tells us he is confident we will get the result we are all hoping for:

Westfield and Hammerson will bring top brands like John Lewis to the town and put an end to the current extortionate parking prices, restoring Croydon to being one of the top retail destinations in the country. Their scheme will create thousands of jobs and, by helping to change Croydons reputation for the better, it will also act as a catalyst to encourage others to invest here. The current owners of the Whitgift Centre arent in a financial position to do this and they shouldnt be allowed to block a scheme that is so clearly in our towns interests. Im confident that the inquiry will reach the same conclusion and things will soon be underway.

Fingers crossed!

CROYDON WESTFIELD SHOULD BE GIVEN THE ALL CLEAR LATER THIS YEAR

4this September, the Coalition Government is introducing tax-free childcare to help working parents cope with the cost of living.

To qualify, parents will have to be in work earning just over 50 a week and not more than 150,000 per year. Theyll be able to open an online account, which they then pay into to cover the cost of childcare with a registered provider. For every 80p they or someone else (e.g. a grandparent or an employer) pays in, the Government will pay 20p up to a maximum of 2,000 per year for each child up to the age of 12 (or up to the age of 17 in the case of children with disabilities, who still need care during their teenage years).

Unlike existing Government schemes like Employer-Supported Childcare, this scheme doesnt rely on employers deciding to offer it. Any family can use it provided they meet the eligibility rules, including:

TAX-FREE

parents who are self-employed; parents on paid sick leave; and parents on paid or unpaid statutory

maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

You can pay money into your childcare account as and when you like. This gives you the flexibility to pay in more in some months and less at other times, building up a balance to use at times when you need more childcare than usual - for example, over the summer holidays. And if your circumstances change, youll be able to withdraw the money you have built up (although if you do, the Government will withdraw its corresponding contribution).

Our local MP Gavin Barwell was involved in passing the legislation to set up this scheme. He tells Croydon Life, As the father of three young boys, I know how expensive it is to bring up a family. Many parents have to work to pay the bills, but childcare can be so expensive it often takes up a big-slice of what they earn. Im delighted to have played a part in introducing this scheme which should help thousands of Croydon families.

childcare

5the JoBs MiracLeThe last few years have seen an unprecedented fall in unemployment in Croydon. Back in February 2012, there were over 11,000 people in the borough receiving Job Seekers Living Allowance. Today, less than three years later there are fewer than 5,000. And as the chart to the right shows, if anything the rate at which unemployment is falling is speeding up. Whats behind this jobs miracle?

Well, first and foremost its the fact that the UK economy as a whole is doing well. Figures recently published by the independent Office for National Statistics show that our economy grew more strongly than any other major advanced economy in 2014 - faster than France or Germany, faster than Japan, faster than the United States of America. When the Coalition Government started cutting government spending to deal with the deficit it had inherited, opposition politicians said it would lead to a million more people on the dole. In fact, the reverse has happened - the economy has grown strongly, creating nearly two million more jobs.

But here in Croydon, unemployment has been falling even faster than across the country as a whole. Three years ago, unemployment in Croydon was higher than the national average; today it is lower.

And with the Westfield/Hammerson redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre, which will create thousands more jobs, about to get underway (see page 3), we could achieve the dream of full employment - a job for everyone who needs one. But local businesses tell us that will only happen if we stick with the current policies that are working rather than going back to higher government spending paid for by higher government borrowing and higher taxes.

US President Obama says, Great Britain and the United States are two economies that are standing out at a time when a lot of other countries are having problems, so we must be doing something right

Feb 2012

3,000

2,000

1,000

Dec 2014

Unemployment in Croydon Central

Unemployment in Croydon has fallen by more than half in the last three years

Youve been our mP for nearly five years now. What do you think youve achieved?

I think Croydons heading in the right direction at last, having been in decline for a number of years. Thats not just down to me, but Ive worked with others to bring retail developers Westfield and Hammerson to the town, to raise standards in our schools and to get extra funding for our local NHS and more police officers on our streets.

On a personal level, I got the law changed to help tackle the stigma that is sadly still attached to mental illness. I also helped introduce Lillians Law - named after Lillian Groves a young girl from New Addington who was tragically killed outside her home by a driver who had taken illegal drugs - to tackle the problem of drug driving.

So I hope Ive made a difference but theres so much more to do to make Croydon the place it could be.

So what will be your priorities if you get re-elected in may?

I think Croydon can be one of the best places in the country to live, but theres a lot that needs to change before we achieve that! If I was to pick three things: getting the Westfield/Hammerson redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre underway as soon as possible, securing funding for the new, larger A&E Department that we desperately need and improving the rail service from Croydon to central London both in terms of reliability and overcrowding.

6

Some of our readers say all politicians are the same so theres no point voting. What do you say to that?

People had to fight to get the vote, so I think its important to use it. And whilst I can understand people being frustrated with the way many politicians behave, were not all the same.

For starters, unlike many MPs Im from the place I represent - Ive lived in Croydon since I was a few months old and Im very passionate about trying to improve it.

And my values are very different from Ed Milibands or Nigel Farages. I believe people who work hard should be rewarded; Ed Miliband believes people who dont work should be able to get more in benefits than the average family earns. I believe the people of this country should

croydon talk meets the MP for croydon central, Gavin Barwell

PROFILE: CROYDONS

decide our future relationship with the EU, Ed Milibands determined to stop us having a referendum.

And though I agree with Nigel Farage that we need to get back control of our borders, I dont like the way he tries to blame immigrants for all of our problems. Many of the people who come to this country work extremely hard. We should put a stop to those who come here for a free ride, but we should welcome people who come here to graft to build a better life for their families and in doing so make a contribution to this country.

Whats the best thing about your job? The wonderful people you get to meet. Croydon has a reputation problem and even many of the people who live here fear that its best days are behind it, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is full of people with talent and passion - Ben Haenow who won X Factor last year is a good example. If we can harness that talent and passion, we have a great future ahead of us.

7

Want to learn more about why Gavin is so passionate about representing his home town in Parliament? Scan this code to watch a short video on your smartphone

And the worst thing?

Its frustrating when you cant get officialdom to see sense about something, but the toughest thing is always being in the public eye - even when youre having a beer with some friends, at the park with the kids or taking your wife out for a romantic dinner. That takes some getting used to.

tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Shirley. When I was 11, I got a scholarship to Trinity School, meaning I could go there without my parents having to pay any fees. I got a fantastic all-round education there, which is why I am so passionate about education - I want all young people in Croydon to have a great start in life like I did.

But I got more from Trinity than just a great education - I also made life-long friends there. Along with my family, theyre the most important people in my life. If youre not careful, being an MP can go to your head. My friends have known me for over 30 years. They dont treat me any differently now I have this important job. I know I can rely on them to make sure I dont forget who I am and where I came from.

PROFILE: CROYDONS VOICE AT WESTMINSTER

One of the most common issues that readers contact us about here at Croydon Talk is education. We have some amazing schools in the borough and some that are in dire need of improvement. And with our population growing, there are also new schools opening every year.

In April, all our schools will be receiving some good news. The Government is changing the system it uses to allocate the education budget across the country. For the first time in a decade, funding will be allocated on the basis of the

current characteristics of pupils and schools, not historic patterns of spending. With Croydon changing rapidly, the old formula underestimated the level of need in our schools so were one of the big winners from the change.

Croydon schools will see a six per cent increase in per pupil funding (the exact figure will vary a bit from school to school), the ninth highest increase of any council in the country. All told, our schools will be over 12 million better off. Thats great news for our children and young people.

And the Coalition Government has made it clear that this is just the first step towards a national funding formula, which will ensure that the system is completely fair. We should get a further above-inflation increase when this formula is introduced.

Local MP Gavin Barwell has been working hard behind the scenes to convince the Government to move to a fairer system and is delighted that theyve listened. He tells Croydon Talk, For years, Croydon schools havent had their fair share of government funding. Its great to see this Government begin to put that right. The extra money should make a big difference to our schools.

8

our schooLs wiLL Be over 12 MiLLion Better off, thanks to Gavins intervention

Croydon schools to get a big funding boost

Local MP Gavin Barwell has secured millions of pounds worth of extra funding for Croydons schools

Accident & Emergency Departments have been in the news a fair bit recently. The NHS may be one of the few budgets that the Government has protected from cuts, but money is still tight and with the cold weather leading to an increase in admissions some A&Es are struggling to meet the Governments target of seeing 95 per cent of patients within four hours.

In the week ending 4th January, Croydon University Hospitals A&E saw just 80 per cent of patients within four hours and on 6th January it had to declare an internal major incident because of the pressure the De-partment was under, though this was cancelled later that day. Thanks to the dedication of the staff, performance has improved significantly since then with 92 per cent of patients being seen within four hours in the week ending 25th January.

We talked to local MP Gavin Barwell about what he is doing to sup-port our local hospital. He says that the NHS in Croydon will shortly be getting a big above-inflation increase in funding:

Historically, the NHS in Croydon hasnt received its fair share of the national budget from either Labour or Conservative Govern-ments. Working with other MPs, Ive managed to convince the Government to change the way it allocates the NHS budget around the country. As a result, our Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the GP-led body that commissions NHS services in Croydon, will be getting a 6.9% increase in its funding in April, well above the rate of inflation. This is the 17th largest increase of the 211 CCGs in the country (the largest being Merton CCG at 8.0%; over half of CCGs are getting less than 3%). This increase wont make the system completely fair, but it is a big step in the right direction.

Gavins also trying to get funding for a new, modern A&E Department at Croydon University Hospital. The existing Department was built in the 1980s to treat about 70,000 patients a year, but its currently treating around 120,000 patients a year.

Staff are doing an incredible job in far from ideal conditions. I hope Ill soon have good news that well be getting the new, modern Department they and my constituents deserve.

9

Gavin has Been at the forefront of convincinG the GovernMent to Give croydon More nhs Money

A NEW A&E FOR CROYDON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL?

It will come as no surprise to anyone who commutes to London that the latest data shows the rail service provided by Southern is deteriorating.

Theres been a sharp drop since Network Rail started working on the track approaching London Bridge last summer, but things have been gradually getting worse for three years now. When we caught up with local MP Gavin Barwell to interview him (see pages 6-7), we took the opportunity to ask him who he thought was responsible for the chaos and what could be done about it.

He told us that he had received hundreds of complaints in the last few weeks, both about delays in and out of London Bridge, dangerous overcrowding on the concourse there and overcrowding on services to and from Victoria as commuters seek to find another way to work. On 2nd February, Gavin met with Southern, Network Rail, the Office of the Rail Regulator and Rail Minister Claire Perry to take up these concerns.

Southern admitted that their current level of service is poor and that customers patience with their service is wearing thin. They claimed - and this was not disputed by Network Rail or the Office of the Rail Regulator - that the work going on at London Bridge to increase capacity on the Thameslink line is partially responsible. But they didnt deny that they need to do better too.

10

Theyve published a performance improvement plan, which you can read at http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/performance-results/performance-improvement-plan/. It says that by May they will have:

introduced new trains on Brighton to Bedford services;

purchased some additional units so that they can lengthen some trains;

upgraded 38 key junctions; made some changes to the timetable

to improve reliability; recruited 41 more drivers; and switched to doing more maintenance

at night.

Gavin says, Commuters pay a fortune for their travelcards. They deserve better than the shoddy service they are getting at the moment.

southern raiLway Must do Better

hELPInG hARD-PRESSED

Croydon commuters deserve better than the current service theyre getting from Southern

two of Croydons mPs, Labours Steve Reed and Conservative Gavin Barwell, are backing a campaign to move East and West Croydon stations from zone 5 to zone 4.

The switch would cut fares for Croydon residents who commute to central London, with savings of up to 336 a year for an annual Travelcard.

Gavin recently met with London Mayor Boris Johnson and our representative on the London Assembly, Steve OConnell, to discuss the idea. There is a precedent with Stratford station recently having been rezoned to help secure the Olympic legacy, but any change would have to have a strong financial case as it requires the agreement of both the Government and the train operating companies.

In essence, the argument would have to be that the redevelopment of Croydon is going to lead to many more people coming here and the extra income from these journeys would offset the cost of lower fares as a result of the stations being in zone 4 not zone 5.

Boris has now written to Gavin offering to look into the idea. Croydon Talk has seen a copy of the letter in which he says:

I .. accept that there are some analogies between Stratford and the regeneration of Croydon and its hinterland .. to create a new pole for jobs and prosperity in south London. The continuing growth in Londons population and the increasing congestion on the radial network make this look like the right thing to do. As agreed at the meeting, TfL will investigate the potential cost of rezoning East and West Croydon stations and I will write to you .. to confirm the outcome of TfLs work.

Well include an update in the next issue, but it sounds promising.

11

Boris investiGates cost of MovinG east and west croydon stations into Zone 4

RAIL COmmutERS

Local MP Gavin Barwell with Boris and GLA Member Steve OConnell

Gavin is workinG on a cross-Party Basis to try to BrinG down the cost of coMMutinG and Make the exPerience Better

Promoted by Ian Parker on behalf of Gavin Barwell both of 36 Brighton Road, Purley CR8 2LG. Printed by Vale Press Limited, 6 Willersey Business Park, Willersey, WR12 7RR

Dear Royal MailPlease can we have our town centre collection office back?

12

Royal Mails Parcel Collection Office used to be in their Sorting Office next to East Croydon station, easily accessible by public transport and particularly convenient for those commuting up to London each day.

They decided to dispose of this building after getting planning permission to turn it into flats with a small supermarket on the ground floor. So far, so good: the building is an eyesore and could certainly do with being redeveloped.

However despite protests from local councillors and Gavin Barwell MP, they moved the Parcel Collection Office to the Wandle Park Trading Estate on Factory Lane. It is difficult to think of a less appropriate location - its virtually inaccessible for anyone who doesnt own a car and its not even that easy to park there. Weve had lots of complaints from readers who have missed an important delivery and have then had to pay for a taxi to go and get it.

So weve decided to team up with Gavin Barwell to do something about it. Were launching a petition to try to get Royal Mail to see sense. Were all in favour of them redeveloping the building next to East Croydon station, but they need to find a town centre location for the Parcel Collection Office. You can sign our petition on Gavins website at www.gavinbarwell.com/parcelcollectionoffice or fill in the slip below and return it to Parcel Collection Office campaign, 36 Brighton Road CR8 2LG

We call on Royal Mail to move their Parcel Collection Office to a town centre location.

Name:

Address:

Signature:

Royal Mails new Collection Office: on an industrial estate inaccessible by public transport