By Gavin Mackintosh-
Croydon Council bosses are on the spot ITV broadcast has presented a documentary that features social housing tenants in Croydon as victims of racism has been broadcast.
Katherine Kerswell(pictured) is on the spot in relation to allegations of racism towards tenants from Croydon Council.
Ms Katherine Kerswell is currently the Chief Executive of Croydon Council, with Ms Jacqueline Harris-Baker, the Executive Director of Resources and Monitoring Officer.
A lot will rest on the shoulder of the above two players in Crowdon Council to explain the serious allegations of racism in the council, revealed on the ITV News story yesterday.
Harris-Baker will be in both a difficult and privileged position in the latest saga, being a woman of ethnicity who is also working under more powerful people who may want to cover up any investigation on this matter.
News At Ten’s report last night featured a whistleblower working in the housing department of an unspecified London council who maintained that racism and prejudice towards tenants is rife.
A council whistleblower told ITV News that racism and prejudice towards tenants is rife within the social housing department she works in.
‘Helen’ – not her real name – works in senior management at a London council. came forward to ITV News because she was so concerned about the racist attitudes and language she witnesses on a daily basis.
The whistleblower told the broadcaster that managers in her housing department make racially-motivated judgements about tenants, and are dismissive of their complaints, often blaming them for the problem.
The revelation has cast a very dark cloud on Croydon Council’s already badly battered image over the past year, in the face of scandals, bankruptcy and negligence at the troubled council.
Croydon Council’s leaders are yet to address these latest serious allegations of racism within their housing department and repairs contractors, exposed by the whistleblower.
Complaints From Previous Tenants
Previous tenants have in the past complined of racism from this council- one being 45 year old Simone John who developed post traumatic stress, after her teenage son was stabbed twice in four months, a period before which she had been pleading with the council to move her and her family because of threats to his life she knew about.
Multiple emails she sent to officials in the council were ignored, and although MP Sarah Brown invited her for a meeting, she wasn’t followed up until damage was done. Croydon Council admitted in her case that they failed her , and could have done better.
John told The Eye Of Media.Com: ”allegations of racism against Croydon Council doesn’t surprise me because the way I was neglected led me with no other conclusion but to suspect an element of racism.
”I contacted The Eye Of Media a few years back, not because I wanted my story out there, but I was desperate, and needed help.I still do because they are still refusing to address my written complaint and questions, long after the 28 day deadline lapsed
These people literally waited for my son to get stabbed twice before they would take any notice of me
”There are a few other people I know who have suffered utter neglect from Croydon Council, but they don’t want their prive story broadcast.
Ms John is on strong medication battling a combination of serious anxiety and post traumatic stress. Over the past year, she sent sent srong random messages to five media publications, including The Eye Of Media.Com and the BBC, complaining bitterly about her ill treatment by Croydon Council.
Ignore
The latest allegations of racism in Croydon Council against tenants is not one the council can ignore, even if they had ignored the tenantscalls for assistance
Calls to repair his damaged ceiling have constantly been ignored, despite Leroy McNally contacted Croydon Council countless times to fix his dripping ceiling, but he received little response, but his calls were repeatedly ignored, leaving him to place four buckets in strategic positions to store the water from the leaking.
“I got a feeling, when I used to ring up before, I’d say ‘my name’s Leroy, Leroy McNally’, and I got a feeling that puts them on the off-foot because straight away they’re ‘Leroy – black person, we don’t want to deal with this person’. I got a feeling it’s something like that.
“Eventually I started saying, ‘My name is Mr McNally’ – I wouldn’t say Leroy – and I got a better response.”
Some other tenants described treatments towards them deemed to have been wholly characteristic of racism towards them.
Croydon Council is yet to respond to the allegations, and CEO Katherine Kerswell’s office has been asked by this publication to examine the claims.
Potential Defence
The council can defend the allegations if they can identify other white tenants who have equally been ignored repeatedly when they called for similar help.
Such defence is the best Croydon Council bosses can produce, whilst having to conceed grosse negligence to its tenants, but at least escaping the racism charge in that scenario.
The allegations are serious enough to call for heads to roll, and would most likely lead to an independent inquiry on this matter.
Croydon Council is one of the most notorious councils in the Uk, repeatedly exposed in the media for its poor standards.
Croydon Council staff have gone through many transitions of recycling old names within the same broad pot with new individuals often linked somehow to the wider circle of people who have found favour for various positions, without nevessarily doing a good job.
Croydon Council has seen several of its top officials resign in the past year due to corruption probes of one kind or another.
Leader of Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, has been under constant pressure to get the debt ridden council back in order
Ms Katherine Kerswell is currently the Chief Executive of Croydon Council, with Ms Jacqueline Harris-Baker, the Executive Director of Resources and Monitoring Officer.
Harris-Baker will be in both a difficult and privileged position in the latest saga, being a woman of ethnicity, working under more powerful people who may want to cover up any investigation on this matter.
As a black woman, she would be expected to rigorously pursue an invistigation in relation to the whistleblower’s claims, but can be constrained by her superior who has power over her.
A joint investigation between Ms Kerswell and Harris Baker may be necessary, there is no official word on how the Council will react to the damning allegations of racism by a whistleblower, and from the experience of abandoned tenants.
Insiders at Croydon Council told The Eye Of Media.Com that Kerswell’s office will be expected to investigate the serious claims and present a report when completed
Dr. Katherine Kerswell has questions to answer Image:gov.uk
Kerswell and Harris-Baker, as top players in Croydon Council, will have serious roles to play in fixing the persistent failings of Croydon Council, and not have a bunch of inept officials on big pay for duties they don’t fulfil.
Difficult Position: Jacqueline Harris-Baker Image:Inside Croydon
The allegation may also call for Croydon MP, Sarah Brown to determine what happens, if the council do not on their own initiative thoroughly investigate the credible allegations.