This week we have heard Emertons, the Ironmongers by the station will probably be closing soon, the landlords increasing yearly rent by 50% and council increasing a permit by approx 1000%, which will be applied to any business in Croydon who dare to put anything on the pavement. Is it necessity or simple greed, bullying those business’s by forcing their hand if they want to stay in business. Don’t take our word, go and have a chat with them, understand how ‘policy’ affects real people and not some statistic.
Change is inevitable, cannot be stopped and is continuous, but when it is greed that is beginning to force change with haste but define it’s shape – with the detrimental effect on the community being outweighed by cash.
Have you noticed communication explaining how our communities are going to improve in another year of austerity, is deafening from the council, with us all being aware and a complete understanding of the council’s policy and attitude towards:
- Encouraging new business’s to consider South Norwood as a new location,
- How they are helping existing business to continue trading
- Progress of clean up and how fly tipping lis being tackled and it’s condemnation enforced.
- Their aims in tackling the housing shortage whilst ensuring all property meets current statutory standards and has all the necessary permissions, and how unscrupulous landlords are forced to comply and what enforcements are being used to enforce.
- Their positive approach to increasing the shortfall of homes by negotiating with landlords about capping rent and encouraging long tenure contracts. and negotiations with owners of empty properties within the borough.
You haven’t heard, no neither has SNTB; South Norwood has 6 councillors, elected to represent South Norwood’s community and it’s needs, but over the last 3 years the silence has been deafening. Has community focus been taken over by the party line – Labour haven’t represented the working classes for years but now it’s only aim appears to be to stay in power by any means necessary.
You hear the occasional positive – free rent for a year for potential business’ but then it is uncovered how the council have just increased the charge for business’ who have products on the pavement, £150 per annum approx but now increased in line with greed and exploitation to £1,500 approx – stand and deliver or just close down.
We appreciate Council’s are being squeezed, services being cut with the owners being put more and more on community volunteering and then using the excuse that there is no need to employ someone as the community do it.
Yes it’s good to be involved in your community but not at the expense of people’s jobs, just as charity is pushed on the good nature of the public so Governments don’t have to pay anything and can take the VAT off as additional tax. Always question the answers as all is not what is seems.
The reasoning behind the new charge to shops is to create more revenue for the council, but surely it’s common sense that rather than pushing independent traders further towards packing up, start enforcing building / planning infringements, fining fly tippers, or is it that Croydon Council has no teeth, simply barking at those who will tug their fur lock but doing nothing about those whose actions are detrimental, including ignoring letters with a two fingered salute.
I could be completely wrong and everything I have questioned is actually happening but for some reason our elected representatives cannot communicate this; the logical implication from council’s silence is that they could be potentially creating new revenue streams by developing contacts with new property developers ready and waiting to take over empty shops with no fear from enforcement notices if corners cut; misguided or exploitative the results are the same.
SNTB are encouraging the community to question everything, transparency and truth are the order of the day; if all is good then there is no need not to inform people. Rather than getting bogged down in meetings just take a look around, is our area developing forward or regressing? What exactly is being done and the timescales for it.
What’s he building in there?
What’s he building in there?
What the hell is he building
In there?
He has subscriptions to those
Magazines He never
waves when he goes by
He’s hiding something from
the rest of us He’s all
to himself I think I know
why He took down the
tire swing from the Peppertree
He has no children of his
Own you see He has no dog
and he has no friends and
his lawn is dying and
what about all those packages
he sends. What’s he building in there?
with that hook light
on the stairs. What’s he building
in there I’ll tell you one thing
he’s not building a playhouse for
the children what’s he building
in there?
Now what’s that sound
from under the door?
He’s pounding nails into a
hardwood floor and I
swear to god I heard someone
moaning low and I keep
seeing the blue light of a
T.V. show
He has a router
and a table saw and you
won’t believe what Mr. Sticha saw
There’s poison underneath the sink
of course But there’s also
enough formaldehyde to choke
a horse What’s he building
in there. What the hell is he
building in there? I heard he
has an ex-wife in some place
called Mayors Income, Tennessee
and he used to have a
consulting business in Indonesia
but what is he building in there?
What the hell is he building in there?
He has no friends
but he gets a lot of mail
I’ll bet he spent a little
time in jail
I heard he was up on the
roof last night
signaling with a flashlight
and what’s that tune he’s
always whistling
What’s he building in there?
What’s he building in there?
We have a right to know
Tom Waits
I’m appalled to hear that Emertons is likely to close. Ironmongers and hardware shops are disappearing fast from all shopping areas, forcing all of us to go to Home Care or B&Q instead, or shop online. This makes me wonder why any council would follow this line – unless there was something in it for them. If council tax isn’t bringing in enough funds, raise it, for the richest groups only.
Delighted Emertons is closing, the bastards stock rodent glue traps for sale in their windows. I tried to get them to see the cruelty of this, as did the RSPCA on my behalf, no good. The manager was appalling when emertons musceld in on Croydon Council’s green credentials, he thought there was something in it for him when we were given vouchers of longlife lightbulbs. Stuff him. No-one reads this anyway.