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Croydon’s Cultural Relief Fund has benefited almost 40 creative organizations so they can continue their work despite the impact of Covid-19.

Croydon Council launched the £135,000 Cultural Relief Fund in April in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering support for groups who were not eligible for other schemes, or could not deliver projects without this critical funding.

The funding was allocated to 38 organisations over three rounds, and it has provided help with programming and emergency funding to cover administrative costs.

Grants ranged from £1,500 to £7,500, with world-class Croydon-based theatre organisations such as Talawa Theatre Company and award-winning Savvy Theatre Company able to move productions online and share their stories with a wider audience. This autumn, Talawa will launch Tales from the Front Line, which uses interviews from Black key and frontline workers to explore the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on the most affected communities.

SAVVY’s Mixed Bean Season has been delivered online since the start of lockdown, creating an ambitious, inclusive summer programme of productions after their theatre space at Fairfield Halls temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

As a direct result of the Croydon Cultural Relief Fund, Birdgang – a leading UK creative company – managed to keep their base at Stanley Halls. They were commissioned by BBC Arts and Arts Council England to produce a dance film under lockdown conditions at the Halls. The piece, Flying Home, has been available on BBC iPlayer since Wednesday 8 July and brings cutting-edge choreography to the nation’s screens as part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative.

Kendra Horsburgh, Managing Director of Birdgang Ltd, said: “Thanks to the Culture Relief Funding we are able to keep our home at Stanley Halls and continue being able to create output and house our 58 artists for training, and/or just moral support and mentorship during this time. Although we have not been physically there, we were able to shoot our BBC commission film there – under Covid-19 conditions of course.”

Councillor Oliver Lewis, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport

“We cherish Croydon’s vibrant cultural community, which is why the council is working to ensure the sector can continue to thrive. Many of these businesses could easily have fallen through the cracks, as they were ineligible for many of the larger government support schemes available at the time.

“By stepping up and offering this funding, we have been able ensure that our borough’s independent artists and freelancers are not forgotten.”

Croydon’s Cultural Relief Fund included council funding diverted from the Cultural Partnership and Youth Arts Funds, both of which are now suspended, and Greater London Authority (GLA) funding, awarded to Croydon as part of its Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) grant.

A complete list of organisations that have received council funding can be found on our website at: www.croydon.gov.uk/community/advice/tsfunding/funding/croydon-culture-relief-fund

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This week, more temporary measures to encourage walking and cycling on Croydon residential streets and improve the local environment are due to come into force.

From next Monday, Croydon Council will use planters and signs to transform three more local streets into spaces where people can enjoy socially-distanced exercise and travel while maintaining access for residents, visitors, cyclists and pedestrians. The measures will involve temporarily turning the streets into cul-de-sacs for through vehicles with signs on alternative routes available.

This latest initiative is part of the council’s Streetspace scheme, which is funded by Transport for London and encourages more people to exercise by walking and cycling and cuts pollution levels as the borough’s Covid-19 recovery continues.

The new schemes being introduced from Monday 3 August are in Upper Norwood – Sylvan Hill, Stambourne Way and Fox Hill – bringing the borough’s total so far to 16.

Ahead of these changes, the council has informed around 1,500 residents, community groups, local representatives and emergency services, as well as installed formal road signs. The council has also informed Google so these measures show up on the latest version of drivers’ satellite navigation systems.

The initiative, put in place under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order, will be reviewed in the autumn.

The closure points – and alternative access routes – for each of the affected new streets are:

• Sylvan Hill: closure around halfway along Sylvan Hill. Local access will be maintained via both Church Road and Auckland Road ends of Sylvan Hill.
• Stambourne Way: closure at the junction of Stambourne Way and Auckland Road. Local access will be maintained via the Church Road end of Stambourne Way.
• Fox Hill: closure at the junction between Fox Hill and Braybrooke Gardens. Local access will maintained via the Church Road end of Fox Hill.

Similar schemes already put in place by the council to encourage socially-distanced active travel during Covid-19 include closures on Lancaster Road, Warminster Road and Woodvale Avenue to cut rat-running and keep local access in South Norwood; and a bus gate at the junction of Auckland Road and Cypress Road allowing the number 410 and cyclists continued access while barring cars.

For more information, visit the council website.

“In lockdown we saw a dramatic drop in traffic and pollution levels across Croydon, and these low-traffic schemes are about seizing the initiative to make our residential streets safer and more attractive to walkers, cyclists and residents alike.

“We have come up with these temporary measures because they make more of our roads attractive spaces for people to walk and cycle in, give everyone a safer and healthier local environment and they continue to allow traffic to get from A to B. If these latest schemes prove successful, we will consult the public to ask if they should become permanent.”

Councillor Stuart King, cabinet lead for transport and the environment

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Keep Croydon Safe campaign launched on July 29 (Wednesday), urged Croydon residents to know how to get tested for coronavirus to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Launched as part of a new London-wide drive to address low awareness of Covid-19 testing and contact tracing across the capital, Croydon Council is urging people in the borough to get aware of how to access the NHS Test and Trace service if they are showing Covid-19 symptoms.

The borough’s Keep Croydon Safe call comes as part of the Keep London Safe campaign, which is led by London Councils in partnership with all 33 London councils, and supported by Public Health England, the NHS, the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority (GLA).

The campaign comes after a YouGov poll for the GLA in June showed 46% of Londoners do not know how to get a Covid-19 test and 35% know little or nothing about NHS Test and Trace.

If you or anyone you know is showing symptoms – such as a fever, a continuous cough, or loss of smell or taste – you should immediately self-isolate for seven days and get a coronavirus test by calling 119 or visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus

The short and painless test involves taking a cotton bud sample from your mouth and nose, and you usually get results within 48 hours. Members of your household also need to self-isolate at home for 14 days from when your symptoms first showed.

If the test result is negative, your household can come out of self-isolation. If the result is positive, you and your household must complete the self-isolation – and you should receive a text or email from the NHS asking for details of the people you have been in close, recent contact with – and places you have visited – to protect those most at risk. No-one contacted will be told your identity.

“Coronavirus has not gone away, and here in Croydon keeping our residents safe from this remains a top council priority.

“A key part of limiting this infection risk is for everyone to do the right thing by continuing good hygiene and social distancing measures to protect themselves, their families and friends. This includes regularly washing hands, keeping apart when out and about and wearing a mask on public transport and in shops, which is now the law.

“But many people in Croydon are still unclear about what they need to do around testing, which is why I am proud to back this vital Keep Croydon Safe drive and the wider London campaign so everyone gets a mask and, if they show Covid-19 symptoms, stay at home and get tested straightaway by calling 119 or visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus. The long-term recovery of Croydon and every other borough in London depends on it.”

Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council

To get involved and share the messages on social media, use the hashtags #keepcroydonsafe and #keeplondonsafe

For more information, visit the NHS website.

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The grant of up to £10,000 to help with the financial impact of Covid-19 to the number of small and medium-sized businesses that can qualify has widened by the Croydon Council.

To date the council’s discretionary grants scheme has given over 250 Croydon small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) a total of £943,000 to help with their Covid-19 costs under a first round of applications aimed at those who had lost 40% in income.

This week the council has opened a second round of applications for more Croydon businesses to benefit from a share of £1,964,250 – with wider criteria so dozens more businesses that have lost 20% income since Covid-19 can also qualify.

Businesses with a rateable value of more than £51,000 can receive grants of up to £10,000; those with a rateable value of less than £51,000 can receive up to £5,000 if they have property costs of more than £1,000, or up to £2,500 if their property costs are under £1,000.

To be eligible, businesses must have been trading on 11 March and not received other government funding excluding the Self-Employed Grant or the Job Retention Scheme. The scheme ends on 28 August. Find out more via the council website.

One of the Croydon businesses that benefitted under the first round was Leapfrog Day Nursery in Sydenham Road, which received grant funding of £5,000. This enabled them to purchase equipment, such as steam cleaners, to help them welcome children back safely, and new educational resources about hygiene.

Owner Amina Bryant said: “The funding has really helped us to be able to continue doing what we love; caring for Croydon’s children and keeping them safe.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Croydon Council has distributed around £49m in government grants to more than 3,500 businesses.

“Whether it’s help with business rates, boosting recruitment or encouraging investment, supporting local companies is a key part of what we do – especially since Covid-19.

“That’s why we launched our discretionary fund that has already helped over 250 local SMEs, but we know there are still more eligible businesses out there. So if your business has not yet received any government Covid-19 money, you could be eligible for up to £10,000 from our fund.”

Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, cabinet member for economy and jobs

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The fees required for sports clubs, personal trainers, and businesses to run exercise sessions in parks are temporarily waived by Croydon Council, in light of Covid-19 government restrictions.

With groups limited to no more than five participants due to social distancing, the council is backing physical activity providers to resume their businesses in a safe and secure way.

Anybody wishing to use one of Croydon’s parks to run exercise sessions must still obtain a park user agreement. Park user agreements are issued to sports and physical activity clubs, personal trainers and businesses, permitting the use of park space to run organised activities which allows the council to regulate use and maintain safety.

Full information about the park user agreement and how to apply for one is on the council website.

Any sport and fitness providers looking to obtain a park user agreement will need to provide the details of the park in which activities will be held; proposed dates and times of sessions; include relevant documents (such as qualifications, first aid certificate); give proof of insurance; and complete risk assessments for activities.

They must also provide a Covid-19 risk assessment/ method statement which details an understanding of the government guidance:

• Number of participants (maximum ratios of one coach/instructor in cluster groups of no more than five participants).
• Maintain social distancing at all times including instructors and participants in cluster groups; clear separation of space between other cluster groups and park users.
• Changeover time between back-to-back sport & fitness sessions.
• Registers for Track & Trace purposes.
• Hand sanitising, equipment cleaning and equipment sharing protocol.

“With classes limited to no more than five participants, we know that our sport and fitness providers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. By temporarily waiving this fee we are showing our support for this industry, whilst our thorough park user agreement will ensure that safety remains everybody’s top priority.”

Councillor Oliver Lewis, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport

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Croydon Council has for government approval to renew the borough’s landlord licensing scheme that makes sure privately-let properties meet key housing standards.

Over 48,500 properties are covered by the council’s current borough-wide scheme – launched in October 2015 to ensure private landlords meet a range of housing, environmental and safety standards.

It requires all private landlords to hold a Croydon property licence and to meet certain requirements, including landlord inspections every six months, safety measures such as fire alarms, and giving tenants a proper tenancy agreement.

Under the scheme the council has resolved thousands of incidents with landlords without needing further action, inspected over 13,000 properties, served over 1,000 enforcement notices, issued 75 prohibition orders, and fined or prosecuted over 40 landlords. Successful court cases include action against a couple who let a home without working smoke alarms to a family whose son later died after a fire.

Ahead of the current five-year scheme expiring on 30 September, Croydon Council carried out formal public consultation between December and March on three options for a renewed scheme. The option now submitted to government would see the scheme cover the whole borough, targeting antisocial behaviour in six wards in the south and poor housing conditions in 22 wards mainly in the north and centre of the borough.

Under legislation introduced since Croydon’s existing scheme came into force, final government permission is now needed for any new licensing scheme if it covers more than 20% of the private rented sector or 20% of the geographical area of a borough.

The standard cost for a five-year licence would remain at £750, with discounts available including a £350 fee for current licence holders. Under the existing scheme, over 80% of applicants paid a reduced fee. Under the proposed scheme, licences would continue to last five years. If there were concerns with a landlord, they would be issued a single-year licence and have twice-yearly inspections and an annual licence review.

The new scheme would include an improved support service for landlords and tenants, including a tenants’ welcome pack and template documents so it is easier to do inspections and safety checks.

“Our landlord licensing scheme has made a positive difference to the lives of thousands of private tenants across the borough, and the proposals we’ve now submitted to government are about building on this crucial work for another five years.

“The importance of having a decent, safe and secure home has become even clearer since the pandemic lockdown, and it underlines why we need the government to approve our scheme so we can continue to raise living standards in Croydon.”

Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and Gateway services

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Access Croydon council staff pre-booked appointments will now be offered to residents needing face-to-face support from Monday 27 July.

While the vast majority of resident queries will still be dealt with virtually and online to limit the ongoing Covid-19 infection risk, the council is starting to hold a limited number of pre-booked appointments for those who need them.

Since Access Croydon closed in March for lockdown, the council has continued to give advice and support for local residents by phone, email and by directing them to the council website.

Due to Covid-19 the council remains unable to take drop-in visits. Socially-distanced face-to-face help for people with emergencies is available, which has been the case since the beginning of lockdown.

If you have a query, in the first instance call 020 8726 6000 or visit the council website.

Apart from staff helping residents who have been given pre-booked appointments, Access Croydon will remain closed to the public because of Covid-19, with all other queries dealt with by phone or online.

Residents can access most council services, from help with benefits to applying for a parking permit, online via the council website without needing an appointment in person.

If you have an appointment please arrive on time, talk to staff through the intercom before entering, wear a face covering, use hand sanitiser provided and bring no one else unless necessary.

To limit infection risk, the public phones, computers, toilets (except the disabled toilet) and baby change, and the children’s play area remain closed.

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Local businesses are starting to grow in our communities. From food businesses to dry goods, many people are gaining interest in this sector. 

As a member of the community, we need to help these local businesses by patronizing them.

In order for the community to patronize and promote local businesses, here are some tips that you can do to scale up your local business:

1. Give an extra reason to shop with you

This can be as simple as giving customers a small discount or a small free gift with their purchase, or as far-reaching as donating part of the proceeds of the day’s sales to a worthy local cause. Give customers a reason to feel extra good that they shopped with you, especially if you can demonstrate how their purchase supports their own community. 

2. Give local media something to report

Creativity is your best asset in deciding how to make your place of business a top destination, worthy of mentions in the local news. Live music? A treasure hunt? The best store window in town? Reach out to reporters if you’re doing something extra special to build up publicity.

Also, you can reach out to local news publications or news and events websites in your area for you to get featured. 

This way, your business will be promoted to gain attention in your community.

Promote your local business today!

3. Give a reason to come back year-round

Turn a shopping moment into a teaching moment. Print up some flyers and pass them out to customers to teach them how local purchasing increases local wealth, health, and security. Take a minute or two to talk with customers who express interest. Sometimes, all it takes is a little education and kindness to shift habits. 

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