It has been an exciting week for pupils getting ready to start secondary school, as they found out which school they will be attending next year. I am pleased that 91% of applicants received one of their top three choices, with 71% getting their first choice. This is above the London average of 70.5%.

I am also delighted that every eligible pupil who applied on time has been offered a place in one of our borough’s excellent schools. I wish them all the very best for the future. Read more.

Pride in Place

There is good news for New Addington North, where Julia Weller, a well‑known local resident and community champion, has been appointed Independent Chair of the new neighbourhood board. Julia is currently the Chief Executive of the Family Centre on Fieldway and brings a huge amount of local experience to the role.

She will be working with residents to decide how the £20m Pride in Place funding should be spent over the next ten years. This is an exciting opportunity for the community, and I know Julia will do an excellent job leading this work. More details here.

Connect to Work

Today I was pleased to launch the Connect to Work programme at London South Bank University’s Croydon campus – a landmark £18 million supported employment programme supporting residents across South London to overcome barriers and move into sustainable work. As the accountable body for the South London Partnership, Croydon is proud to play a leading role in ensuring residents receive personalised support, in-work training and continued help to maintain and progress in employment.

Parkguard on our housing estates

This week I joined our accredited Parkguard community safety officers on patrol across our housing estates – Tamworth and on Tavistock Road. I saw first-hand the results already being achieved, with knives, drugs and paraphernalia seized as we take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, making our estates and streets safer places to live. Find out more.

New Business Association

Later this month Parkguard will also begin patrolling Thornton Heath five days a week. This is good news for businesses I spoke to this week, where we discussed a range of issues, including anti-social behaviour.

I also met the newly formed Thornton Heath Business and Community Association, set up with funding from the Council, during a walk about on the High Street.

This same funding from the Home Office is tackling the long-standing antisocial behaviour hotspot around Thornton Heath’s historic clocktower where brickwork is being modified so it is uncomfortable for people to gather and cause a nuisance.

Zero tolerance on fly-tipping

In response to residents’ complaints about a major fly-tip in Mayfield Road, Thornton Heath, I visited the site myself and was angry to see the scale of waste that had been dumped. Our teams cleared the waste on Council land today and enforcement officers are pursuing those responsible. We take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and the culprits will be prosecuted, because it is unacceptable for criminals to dump rubbish and leave residents to foot the bill.

This forms part of our wider blitz cleans across the borough. This week I carried out a walkabout in Sanderstead and Hamsey Green ahead of the next blitz clean as we continue restoring pride in all our district centres.

Enjoy our parks in the good weather

With the sun shining, it is a perfect time to enjoy our wonderful local parks. Today I visited Addiscombe Rec to open one of four outdoor gyms we are introducing across the borough, alongside one of three dedicated dog exercise areas, giving residents a safe space to let their dogs off the lead. These improvements are opening alongside three new playgrounds across Croydon in the coming weeks helping more residents make the most of our parks and green spaces.

Ghanaian Flag Raising

Today we raised the flag for Ghanaian Independence Day outside our Town Hall, which was, as always, a joyful celebration with a fantastic turnout.

Many residents will also be marking International Women’s Day on Sunday, and I wish everyone taking part a wonderful day.

Have a good weekend.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon