Perry has stabilised council finances in state of perpetual crisis

Posted on February 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

Poor value for money: Croydon’s £87,000 per year lame duck Mayor, Jason Perry, at last night’s council budget meeting maintained that he has Croydon ‘on track’. Few believe him

TV and radio politics pundit ANDREW FISHER, right, sat through three hours of false claims and spin at the Town Hall last night, as Croydon’s £87,000 per year lame duck Mayor still says he has done a decent job

“I have stabilised the finances of this council,” Mayor Jason Perry delusionally claimed at Croydon Council’s budget meeting last night. According to Perry, the finances are “back on a stable footing”.

Perry resisted the urge to echo the “strong and stable” slogan of Theresa May, but there was something reminiscent in the way that, the more the Mayor made claims of stability, the less plausible it seemed. Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Normal service’ on Windrush despite safety workers’ strike

Posted on February 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

Transport for London says it is operating a “normal timetable” on the Windrush line today, despite a one-day strike by staff providing maintenance for signalling, communications and other essential safety features.

‘Normal service’: TfL says the Windrush line is operating today, despite an RMT strike

The Overground line from West Croydon and Norwood Junction that serves Crystal Palace, New Cross, and north into east London, has been hit by industrial action by members of the RMT rail workers’ union employed by outsourcing firm Cleshar CS Ltd.

Cleshar provides track, signalling and telecoms maintenance on the Overground between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Norwood Junction, TfL, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon has worst fly-tipping record in whole of England

Posted on February 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

There was an average of more than 1,000 fly-tips reported every week around the borough last year, according to official figures published today – at a time when the council had no enforcement staff

Croydon has the worst record in the country for fly-tipping. That’s official, from data published today by DEFRA, the environment department.

Rubbish contractors: lack of enforcement since 2023 and poor performance by contractors Veolia leave Croydon streets strewn with rubbish

The announcement is appalling timing for Croydon’s Conservative Mayor Jason Perry, the man that handed a £40million contract to rubbish contractors Veolia two years after sacking them for poor service.

Tonight, Mayor Perry is expected to trot out his “back on track” schtick, before raising Croydon’s Council Tax and awarding himself a tidy pay rise.

According to DEFRA, on Perry’s watch, Croydon had 53,268 fly-tips in 2024-2025. That works out as more than 1,000 fly-tips every week reported around the borough.

The government figures relate to rubbish illegally dumped on public land.

Seven of the worst 10 fly-tip hotspots are London borough councils.

But Croydon’s fly-tipping tally dwarfs even the next worst-affected borough, Camden, where over the same period there were 36,216 cases. Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Norbury, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

£84,000 per year Tory Mayor approves his own pay rise

Posted on February 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: It’s trebles all-round for directors at Croydon’s cash-strapped council, as there’s a second generous pay rise in 12 months for council chiefs, while allowances paid to councillors are also to rise, and amount to £1.6m per year.
Yet long-suffering Croydon residents will now be paying Council Tax bills of more than £2,000 per year.  By STEVEN DOWNES

Jason Perry, Croydon’s £84,000 per year executive Mayor, will tonight award himself a £2,700 pay rise – less than 48 hours after he was given a warning from Westminster following the latest multi-million-pound bail-out for his basketcase, cash-strapped council.

In the red: Jason Perry’s given himself a pay rise. Another one

For the avoidance of any doubt, Katharine Street sources have confirmed that part-time Perry’s pay increase is not performance-related.

Yesterday, Alison McGovern, the local government minister, handed Croydon its latest chunk of “emergency financial support”, this time £119million, just so that Perry and his interim CEO, Elaine Jackson, can make their budget balance.

“Given the support we have agreed to today, it is my clear expectation that your council… will take the action needed to deliver better and more efficient services, as part of your financial recovery,” McGovern wrote in her formal notice to Mayor Perry.

Tonight in the Town Hall Chamber, Perry will preside over the last full council budget meeting of his four-year term in office. Meanwhile, external auditors are poring over the books trying to locate £15million that has gone “missing” from the council’s education budget for SEND families – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – and at the same time special debt-collection measures are being taken to chase an unpaid £20million for the purchase of Brick by Brick’s final properties.

Yet according to Tory Perry, he’s got Croydon’s finances “back on track”. Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Minister Reed challenged to release his Mandelson messages

Posted on February 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

The former DEFRA minister ignored all calls to nationalise the water industry. Now campaigners want to know why, and whether lobbying firm Global Counsel had any role in the matter

TV shocker: Channel 4’s docu-drama Dirty Business has left millions of people angry over water companies

Steve Reed, the MP for Streatham (and Croydon North, when he can be bothered), who is already up to his neck in the Labour Together scandal that has engulfed the Labour Party in disgrace, is now being dragged back into the swamp of sewage that surrounds the water industry.

Reed has been challenged to release all his private messages and correspondence with Peter Mandelson, the co-founder of a lobbying firm which was working for the water industry when the Croydon MP was the minister in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Lambeth Council, South West Water, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Thames Water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sports store Decathlon opts to co-habit with Ikea’s homeware

Posted on February 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

Decathlon is to close its sports and lifestyle store on the Purley Way, as the business downsizes to relocate in a purpose-built standalone unit within Croydon’s Ikea in Valley Retail Park.

Towering success: Ikea is about to welcome a lodger

Ikea Croydon will be the first in the country to host a Decathlon “lodger”, as the business’s owner, Ingka Group, seeks to increase the number of visitors to their stores and eke out more income from their property. It is suggested that this “co-habiting” arrangement will be the first of several with Decathlon and, potentially, other brands.

The new 1,188sqm Decathlon will be about one-fifth of the size of its existing Purley Way floorspace, contained within Ikea’s overall 25,000sqm.

Decathlon on Purley Way opened in 2015. The new, snug Decathlon store will be ready to open “this spring”, Ikea says.

Ikea will “become a one-stop shopping destination for lifestyle needs where customers can be inspired and design and create their dream home spaces at IKEA, alongside discovering new sporting passions and the joy of being active at Decathlon”, the Swedish retailers say, unusually without mentioning meatballs.

Continue reading →

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Ikea, Purley Way, Valley Park | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Community Kitchen’s winning recipe recognised by Lottery

Posted on February 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

The South Norwood Community Kitchen, based at Socco Cheta on Portland Road, has been selected as one of London’s Loved and Wanted venues.

Winning recipe: some volunteers at South Norwood Community Kitchen, who have been boosted by the Lottery fund

The £1.8million Loved and Wanted Fund is supported by the Mayor of London and the National Lottery Community Fund to help organisations “run activities that bring communities together”.

More than 400 projects and venues across the capital applied for a share of the funding, but only 30 – including the always impressive SNCK – were successful.

“This funding means we can welcome even more people to our community space, help people through tough times, and keep South Norwood a place where everyone can feel welcomed,” said one of SNCK’s kitchen volunteers.

According to City Hall, “The fund focuses on helping Londoners from different backgrounds meet, connect and take part in local communities and the city’s life. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, Mayor of London, Restaurants, Sadiq Khan, Socco Cheta Community Hub, South Norwood, South Norwood Community Kitchen, South West London Law Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dozen social media sites ‘disabled’ over Croydon Wars stunt

Posted on February 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

Metropolitan Police says it is increasing number of officers patrolling around schools and town centre, ‘and we will respond firmly to any reports of violence or disorder’

Shutdown: the Met Police says it is acting against social media sites that are inciting Croydon Wars

A senior police officer based in Croydon has issued a statement seeking to offer some kind of reassurance to parents, carers, teaching staff and children themselves over the threat posed by a TikTok inspired mass meeting called “Croydon Wars” this Friday.

Inside Croydon was first to report the online “invitation”, which in some places was being aimed at children as young as 12 years old, to prepare for the gathering, this Friday, February 27. Other meetings were also listed for next week.

The messages circulated included calling on children to “Be violent”.

Children from Years 8 to 11 at a large number of Croydon schools have been urged to bring weapons, including rulers, metal combs and compasses, and to send their videos from the event to the TikTok inciter. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Croydon Council, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry begs for another £119m to balance his busted budget

Posted on February 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, who has hiked Council Tax by 33% since 2023, still needs another £119m government bail-out to make his council budget balance. By STEVEN DOWNES

Jason Perry, Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, has got his begging bowl out again to government, this time for an extra £119million for the next financial year, just to make his latest busted budget balance.

Perry, who in May is seeking re-election for a second four-year term, will have received £317.3million in Exceptional Financial Support from Westminster since 2023, increasing the cash-strapped borough’s debt burden, but while also increasing residents’ Council Tax by 33% in the same period.

Perry’s 2026-2027 budget proposals, including his latest 5% Council Tax hike, are set to be debated in the Town Hall Chamber on Wednesday night.

Tory Perry has failed to deliver a balanced budget during his entire term, although he has been given a “free pass” and not had to issue any further Section 114 notices – admission of effective bankruptcy – since November 2022.

That S114 led to Perry’s first Council Tax increase, a record 15% in April 2023. Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

TV chef’s Jamaican menu is ride on the Windrush line away

Posted on February 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

Upscale kitsch chic: The Good Front Room is open for business in Dalston

Caribbean-style fine dining has returned to London, and is just a short train ride away, as PALOMA LACEY explains

Mentored: Dom Taylor had the help of celebrity chef Michel Roux Jr on C4’s Five Star Kitchen

There is a risk that loyal Croydon residents are overlooking one of the great benefits of having the Windrush line running through Norwood Junction and into the town centre. It offers us all a host of possibilities as a gateway to east London.

What we used to call the Overground takes just 46 minutes from West Croydon to Dalston Junction. Last week I was dining at The Good Front Room, next door to Dalston Tube station. South to east in under an hour – the connection is unbeatable.

The Good Front Room is the long-awaited comeback from chef Dom Taylor. He’s once again trying to bring Caribbean fine dining to London. Let’s hope it’s for good this time, because this man can really cook. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Paloma Lacy, Restaurants, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Junkyard Choir, plus support, The Oval Tavern, Fri Mar 6

Posted on February 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Business, Music, The Oval Tavern | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bookings open for Scherzo Strings music courses: Apr and Jul

Posted on February 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Brakspear brewers set to move in to former pub The Store

Posted on February 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Brakspear, the traditional brewers and country inn operators, are taking charge of a closed pub in Croydon.

Pumped up: Brakspear are about to oversee the re-opening of a pub in South Croydon

Henley-based Brakspear, who trace their company’s history back to 1769, are the freeholders of The Store, on South End, which closed in October last year.

A sign has been pasted to the window of The Store, stating that WH Brakspear and Sons Ltd took possession of the premises earlier this month. No further details of what the company is planning for the pub, or an opening date, have yet been made public, though the venue is now listed among Brakspear’s 125 pubs on the company’s website. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Property, Pubs, Restaurants, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Gertrude Massey’s masterstrokes showed Royalty in best light

Posted on February 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON CHRONICLES: A prize-winner at Croydon School of Art went on to become one of the most sought-after portrait artists in Edwardian London, and taught Evelyn Waugh and the Wizard of Oz’s Scarecrow.
DAVID MORGAN recalls the stellar career of Gertrude Massey

On an April evening in 1886, students of the Croydon School of Art, their friends and families, were gathered in the Croydon Public Hall for their annual prize giving ceremony,

The School of Art opened in 1868, above the Public Hall on the corner of George Street and Wellesley Road (where Norfolk House stands today), and it quickly gained a reputation for developing skilful artists. The prize-giving was an opportunity to recognise that year’s creative talents.

The air of anticipation and expectation was palpable. This was not only about who might receive recognition for their artistic prowess, but also about seeing the celebrity who was there to hand out the prizes.

Celebrity artist: Gertrude Massey, née Seth, was often commissioned by Queen Victoria and the Royal family

Lady de Grey was a prominent aristocrat, a close friend of Oscar Wilde and a keen supporter of the arts. Wilde would later dedicate his play, A Woman of No Importance, to socialite Lady de Grey. It was, perhaps, a typically Wildean, double-edged gesture.

Gertrude Seth was among those to collect a prize that night from Lady de Grey, and she would go on to forge a brilliant artistic career, becoming one of the greatest painters of miniatures in the country.

Seth received an honourable mention for her painting in monochrome and oils, and won a first prize for her still-life painting. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Croydon School of Art, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon Bach Choir Magnificats, St Matthew’s, Mar 21

Posted on February 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Croydon Bach Choir, Music, South Croydon | Tagged | Leave a comment

Indoor Boot Sale, St Paul’s Church Hall, South Croydon, Mar 7

Posted on February 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

 

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Church and religions, Community associations, South Croydon | Tagged | Leave a comment

Women are boxing clever to punch through the glass ceiling

Posted on February 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

It’s Victorian London, 1869. At the Angel Amphitheatre, four women are preparing for the battle of their lives.

Polly Stokes has always been a fighter, ever since she was abandoned on a doorstep in Blackburn.

Irish-born Mattie Blackwell lives on the streets, every day is a struggle to survive.

Violet Hunter protests to gain the vote, fights to become a doctor, but no man will agree to either.

Anna Lamb has it all, husband, house, children, servants… but in reality, she has nothing.

Descending into the shadowy world of women’s boxing has given these four the opportunity to break away from the lives that have been pre-ordained for them by society. Held in by corsets, held back by men, the violent release they find in the boxing ring brings them a freedom they have never known.

But at the final bell, there can only be one Ladies’ Boxing Champion of the World.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Coulsdon, Theatre, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charity Quiz Night, St Peter’s Hall, South Croydon, Feb 28

Posted on February 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Purley Food Hub, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book now for Pizza and Red Wine Night at The Builder’s Arms

Posted on February 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, South London Wine School | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Schools and parents on alert for next week’s ‘Croydon Wars’

Posted on February 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

Police and community groups are preparing for a week of “Croydon Wars”, after children aged as young as 12 have been encouraged on social media to take weapons with them to a series of “Red v Blue” fights between schools.

According to one online post, “It don’t look like play fighting. It looks more like war fighting.”

Croydon Wars: messaging similar to this, which appeared in Hackney, has appeared on social media for Croydon

Croydon police used a dispersal order last month to avoid a mass gathering of schoolchildren outside Centrale, following the disruption that had been caused by a previous “blind date” meet-up set up by TikTok influencer called BusyTV that took place in Sutton, which attracted crowds of more than 200 children after school.

Videos from that event showed police tussling with a large crowd of schoolchildren outside the St Nicholas shopping centre in High Street.

The Croydon Wars do not appear to be as benign.

The social media messages are targeted at children from Years 8 to 11, and appear very similar to some that appeared last week in Hackney. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Croydon Council, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Campaign ‘delight’ as developers’ Glamorgan appeal is refused

Posted on February 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

Addiscombe residents are celebrating the Planning Inspector’s decision to refuse an appeal brought by developers who want to demolish the Glamorgan pub on Cherry Orchard Road.

Long-neglected, much-damaged: locals accuse the owners of allowing squatters to move in to The Glamorgan, to make it more difficult to restore as a pub

The appeal was brought by Butlers Walsall Ltd after the council’s planning committee rejected their latest redevelopment proposals, which included the demolition of the Glam and building a seven-storey block of flats on the site.

The Glamorgan was a viable business and a lively pub when it closed in 2016, only for it to be bought by property developers. The historic, Victorian heritage building has since been allowed to become derelict.

Hopes that a community-led pub company might buy the building when the council designated it as an Asset of Community Value floundered when the owners “didn’t meaningfully engage with the local community and set an unrealistically high price of over £2million”, according to the Save The Glamorgan Campaign. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, East Croydon, Planning, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bromley man charged with Valley Park murder of Lorik Abazi

Posted on February 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

Murder victim: Lorik Abazi was 22 when killed in Valley Retail Park on Sunday

A man has appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court charged with the murder of Lorik Abazi in the mass affray at Valley Retail Park in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Ellis Anim-Annor, 28, of Belgravia Gardens, Bromley, is one of 10 people the police have arrested this week in relation to the incident.

Two other men also needed hospital treatment for stab wounds following the incident..

Abazi was 22. In a statement earlier this week, his family described him as a “caring, smart young man”. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, Nick Blackburn, Policing, Valley Park | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour refuse to respond to Cummings’s budget challenge

Posted on February 19, 2026 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, on a sham challenge issued to rival political parties by a borrowing-dependent Conservative administration that is trying to con the public that they have ‘fixed the finances’

As Tory Mayor Jason Perry prepares to deliver what could very well be his final Town Hall budget, having hiked Council Tax by 33% since 2023 and asked for a total of £250million in “exceptional financial support” for the cash-strapped council, opposition parties are accusing him of “performative political gaslighting”.

According to one Katharine Street source: “In the four years that he has been Mayor, Perry has never yet managed to deliver a balanced budget.

“He is saying that he and Jason Cummings have been working all year on this year’s budget.

“Yet they have kept the council finance details under wraps until just a fortnight ago.” Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Claire Bonham, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Murder trial hears how Mitchell was shot at point-blank range

Posted on February 19, 2026 by insidecroydon

An Old Bailey jury yesterday heard how father-of-three Leroy Mitchell was shot in the head at point-blank range in an “act of petty revenge”.

Mitchell was 35 when he was killed at a silent disco in Birdhurst Road, South Croydon, in the early hours of October 2, 2021.

Despite a £20,000 reward offered for information that might lead to a conviction, arrests in connection with the shooting were not made until last summer.

Cimarron Dume-Gooden, 32, from Thornton Heath, was charged in June last year with murder and perverting the course of justice. In August, he and Alpacino Veii, 29, of Hassocks Road, Streatham, both pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Mitchell and perverting the course of justice.

Veii was arrested in May 2025 and charged with murder and possession of cannabis. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Policing, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What it’s really like trying to get to work from New Addington

Posted on February 18, 2026 by insidecroydon

Track works: for whatever reason the trams are not running, again, to and from New Addington, causing huge delays and gridlock on the roads

Getting to or from New Addington by public transport has become a nightmare journey in the past week, due to the latest tram closures coinciding with road works. Reporter GIANELLA A BASILE has to make the trip into central Croydon every day

Bus stopped: even the buses are on diversion around New Addington and Shirley

It’s grey outside when I open the curtains to get ready to go into work. By the time I’m walking to the tram stop, the rain has eased off to a few droplets every so often. It isn’t enough to pull my hood up, but enough to be a reminder that February weather is awful to travel in when you don’t own a car. Or possess a driving licence.

I can see the bus stop ahead of me, and the queue’s looking long. This is a regular feature of working life in New Addington: this week there’s more tram works, or repairs, or whatever reason has been given for the trams not to be running again.

I join the back of the queue. It’s cold, as well as wet. I realise I’ve been waiting for 15minutes by the time I reach for my phone, my hands already feeling numb from the cold.

It’s fine. I’ve still got time to get in to work. My feet ache from standing for hours yesterday, but there’s nowhere to sit. So I shift my weight from one foot to the other. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, East Croydon, Gianella A Basile, New Addington, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments