Croydon’s bankruptcy could leave dozens of residents without access to locally funded services including the borough’s Citizens Advice Bureau, the chair of the authority’s scrutiny committee has warned.
Rowenna Davis said a £2 million community fund will end next February as part of the council’s response to bankruptcy. The community fund is seen as non-essential which means that there is a possibility there will be no money for domestic violence charities and the local Citizens Advice Bureau due to the Section 114 order which the council was forced to implement last month in response to a £1.6bn debt
Davis is in an unusual position as a Labour councillor who chairs a key committee in a Tory-controlled council; her position was agreed between the parties after the May elections and following the collapse of the previous leadership. Davies herself was only elected to the council in those elections; a former journalist she said that being part of the Scrutiny committee was “journalism with practical action attached.”
The Section 114 order allows the local authority to “cease all non-essential expenditure and reduce operational and service delivery costs immediately,” according to the medium-term financial strategy report.
What is Scrutiny?
The Scrutiny committee is a group of councillors from across party lines that hold power to account, they have the power to investigate and can make recommendations. The mayor must respond to them publicly, but he can say no to the recommendations made.
The following sub-committees are accountable to the overall Scrutiny committee:
- Children and Young People
- Health and Social Care
- Streets Environment and Homes
- Homes sub-committee
Davis, who represents Waddon ward on the council told Eastlondonlines: “The problem with the Section 114 [order] is that it shrinks choice and democracy.” She said that the “scope for democracy and community engagement is capped,” as the mayor can say that the national government is watching every move the council makes.
Since becoming chair of Scrutiny earlier this year, Davis has had to contend with disappearing services and the challenge of holding the council to account over the upcoming budget.
The May elections were closely fought with Labour and Conservatives having 34 seats each. During his election campaign, Conservative Mayor Jason Perry promised that the chair of the council scrutiny would be from the opposition, to accurately reflect the balance of power in the council, but also to reform practice.
Lewisham-born Davis, 37, has had a substantial political career before coming to prominence in Croydon. She was a school activist, organising protests against the quality of school dinners provided by Serco and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford.
After university she trained as a journalist and worked for the Guardian but after a stint teaching, forged a path in politics. In 2011, she was elected as councillor in the ward of Peckham in Southwark and published her first book- Tangled Up In Blue, which tracked the emergence of “Blue Labour”- a movement within the Labour Party that seeks to promote active citizenship and traditional community values.
In the 2015 General Election, she stood as the Labour parliamentary candidate in the Southampton Itchen constituency which attracted comment, given her lack of connections to the area, but Davis lost to the Conservative candidate. Having failed to be elected as Labour’s candidate for Croydon and Sutton in the 2020 London Assembly election, in May this year she was elected to represent Waddon, holding the seat that had been left by expelled Labour politician, Andrew Pelling.
She said: “I only joined in May, but I’m aware that Scrutiny used to be chaired by the ruling party- which is a bit like marking your own homework. The current mayor, fair play to him, changed that. Now we can shine a light on authority and make recommendations based on what’s best for the community.”
Davis looks closer to home for the factors that led to Croydon’s bankruptcy declaration in what was then a Labour-controlled authority: “We have to be honest that there were serious failings by the previous administration, a poor culture festered between both members and officers. There have also been austerity cuts for 12 years, Covid-19 brought stagnation and that inflationary mini-budget by Liz Truss has raised debt even further.”
She added: “There has now been a clear out of the previous leadership and the way to fix this is working via cross-party for the betterment of the borough.”
Davis, though is adamant that increased community engagement and impact will shape Scrutiny’s legacy: “We met with over 70 different tenants and asked what problems they have with housing repairs provider, Axis and what they would potentially do after Axis. On this basis, we were able to make recommendations.”
Axis is Croydon housing repairs contractor that had previously come under fire for below-par service amid locals’ complaints of black mould, leaks and other housing issues.
Since her election in May as councillor to the southern ward of Waddon, Davis has earmarked graffiti, flytipping and safety as issues: “There are real pockets of poverty in Waddon and the south, this is a brilliant place to live but many residents say it has declined.”
“My mission for council estates like the one in Duppas Hill Terrace is to rebuild pride in where people live and restore trust in politics by listening and acting.”
Residents of Croydon seeking to contribute to public discussion can contact Scrutiny here. The calendar for all council meetings including Scrutiny and its sub-committees can be found here.
