Bullying concerns at St Helier Hospital raised in CQC report

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

INSIDE SUTTON: Issues around safety and leadership, plus accusations of bullying, see Sutton’s NHS hospital downgraded to ‘Requires improvement’ after latest CQC inspection. CARL SHILTON reports

Under a cloud: the CQC inspectors found a number of troubling issues at St Helier

Staff reported bullying and discrimination from leaders in the surgery services at St Helier, “which could undermine staff morale and safe care”, according to a Care Quality Commission inspection report on Sutton’s large NHS hospital.

Assessed together with Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, which is located on the same Wrythe Lane site, St Helier has been rated “Good” under categories effective, caring and responsive. However, it has again been rated “Requires improvement” for safe and the CQC lowered its rating for well-led from “Good” to “Requires improvement” following the inspection, which was carried out in December.

“Bullying” at St Helier is mentioned nine times in the CQC report, which was published today.

The inspectors also visited Epsom Hospital, which is in the same NHS Trust as St Helier. Overall, the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust remain rated “Good”.

Today, responding to the CQC report, one St Helier medic told Inside Sutton: “I’m not surprised that bullying gets a prominent mention, simply because of the immense pressure we’re constantly working under… We’re short of everything here. Staff, space… everything. And we’re also short of patience.” Continue reading →

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Croydonites pull back the curtains on five days of Fringe

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

The Croydonites Fringe is back!

From July 1 to 5, 21 works will take place across Croydon town centre and South Norwood featuring artists from Croydon, London, the rest of Britain and beyond.

Less than a month before the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, for some of the acts, Croydon will be their last performance before heading to Scotland.

Co-presented with Stanley Arts, the Croydonites Fringe showcases performance, cabaret, comedy, music, dance, spoken word, theatre and shows for babies and children – there’s a huge range to suit the most discerning tastes!

Croydonites Fringe will be back in Studio 55 (Unit 55 of Centrale Shopping Centre), in their spiritual home The Front Room, at The Oval Tavern and Stanley Halls. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon’s most complained-about streets: the fly-tipping curse

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

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‘Zero tolerance’: this was Croydon town centre yesterday

Every borough has its trouble spots, and Croydon is no exception. While many neighbourhoods remain clean, safe and well-maintained, some streets consistently attract complaints from residents about issues ranging from fly-tipping and littering to anti-social behaviour and noise disturbances. Continue reading →

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Residents secure community asset status for Kenley Hotel

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

While one Victorian era pub building in Croydon faces continuing uncertainty, a residents’ campaign in Kenley has been successful in achieving Asset of Community Value status for what could become a community hub

‘An example of beutiful Victorian architecture’: The Kenley Hotel, closed for almost a year, with locals fearing for its fate

The Kenley Hotel, a grand Victorian pub building on the Godstone Road which served pints to RAF heroes and heroines during the Battle of Britain and which has a bar reputedly made for the doomed Titanic, has been given a reprieve from developers’ bulldozers, for now at least.

Croydon Council has granted an application from the local residents’ association to have the Kenley Hotel made an Asset of Community Value, or ACV.

Now “all” that KENDRA, the Kenley and District Residents’ Association, has to do is raise the money to buy the property. Continue reading →

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Purley pair make BAFTA games design finals for second time

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Bread on the Run: detail from the award-nominated game design by Purley teens Liana Ekanayake Ralalage and Noor Ali

Four teenagers from Croydon and Sutton have made it into the finals of BAFTA’s prestigious annual Young Game Designers competition – including one duo from Purley who have made the finals for the second time in three years.

First held in 2010, BAFTA Young Game Designers supports children and young people passionate about games by providing them with hands-on experience and creating accessible pathways into industry careers. Continue reading →

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Town centre hotel is handed to new management company

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Countrywide Hotels has taken over the management of Hampton by Hilton London Croydon, the 120-room hotel on Dingwall Road.

Under new management: the Hampton by Hilton Hotel on Dingwall road

The company announced: “Countrywide Hotels will oversee all management and operations of the hotel on behalf of Axcel Group Ltd from June 8, bringing its hands-on management approach and operational expertise to one of south London’s leading branded hotels.”

The hotel at 29-30 Dingwall Road, close to East Croydon Station, opened in 2011, having been built on the site of two mid-sized, red-brick office blocks – Buckland House and Mercantile House. They were replaced by the current 11-storey structure that houses the hotel, an office floor and a banqueting suite. Continue reading →

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Fare evasion on trams is three times worse than on buses

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Transport for London reckons it is losing £190m per year in unpaid fares – and the Wimbledon to Beckenham tram network is the worst of all the capital’s services for fare dodgers

Fare evasion on Croydon’s trams is twice as bad as the rate across all of Transport for London’s services.

Open system: tram passengers are trusted to tap-in before their journeys. Not all of them bother

And there are almost three times as many fare dodgers on the trams as there are on London’s buses.

That’s according to figures published today by TfL, who say that fare evasion is costing them – and law-abiding Londoners – around £190million per year.

“Fare evasion impacts TfL’s ability to invest in and maintain a safe, secure, clean, and reliable service,” the transport authority says.

According to TfL figures, fare evasion for 2025-2026 on Croydon trams averaged at 7.3% – or close to 1-in-14 passengers using the Wimbledon to Beckenham network. In the fourth quarter of the year (the three months to April 2026) the fare evasion rate hit 7.7%.

This compares badly with the overall average fare evasion rate across all TfL services – Tube, buses, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line – where the annual average is 3.5%. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Crime, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Crystal Palace are all set to add Sage to their winning recipe

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Crystal Palace are expected to confirm Pierre Sage as the club’s new head coach within the next 24 to 36 hours.

New Lens: Pierre Sage enjoyed a meteoric year in the French league

A deal has been “agreed in principle” with the 47-year-old Frenchman on a contract until the summer of 2029, with the option of a further year.

Sage will arrive at Selhurst Park tagged as “second choice” to replace Oliver Glasner, who left the club last month after delivering the FA Cup in 2025 and winning the UEFA Conference League in May.

But Sage has enjoyed a similarly meteoric year since joining Lens in June 2025, taking them to second place in Ligue 1 – six points behind all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain – and winning the Coupe de France for the first time in the club’s history in his first year in charge at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Continue reading →

Posted in Adan Wharton, Crystal Palace FC, Eberechi Eze, Football, Oliver Glasner, Pierre Sage, Sport, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon Community Energy: Join our board of directors

Posted on June 10, 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

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£1.45m Addiscombe landmark building withdrawn from auction

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Seen better days: the builder’s hoardings around Grade II Leslie Arms came down last year, but its future remains uncertain

Financial figures published for the sale of Grade II-listed Leslie Arms were altered ahead of the auction date, with a two-bedroom flat shown now to be paying just £800 per month in rent. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Criminal conviction: Anwar Ansari has been in trouble with the law over the past couple of years

Anwar Ansari, the multi-millionaire property developer, has refused to comment after the Grade II-listed Leslie Arms pub building was withdrawn from auction at the 11th-hour.

The landmark heritage building on the corner of Cherry Orchard Road and Lower Addiscombe Road has been in the ownership of Ansari-linked companies for more than 25 years.

It was placed for auction with estate agents Savills last month with a guide price of £1.45million.

But yesterday, with the big-money auction less than 24 hours away, Savills’ website was amended for Lot 106 to note: “Withdrawn prior”.

Today, Savills told Inside Croydon, “We are unable to disclose why the lot was withdrawn.”

Questions had been raised about the commercial valuation placed on the building, and the accommodation and tenancy schedule provided in the estate agents’ sales particulars. These showed the current owners receiving rent from tenants in four flats on the upper floors of the building, as well as £65,000 per year for use of the ground floor and cellar areasasofficespace. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Leslie Arms, Planning, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Sea Cadets recreate HMS Belfast crew for The Big Help Out

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

All aboard: Sea Cadets and museum volunteers gather on deck at HMS Belfast last Saturday

Eighty Sea Cadets from across the capital stepped aboard HMS Belfast on Saturday, June 6 – the 82nd anniversary of D-Day – to learn from volunteer crew and reimagine their place in the ship’s story.

The Sea Cadets were taking part in the Big Help Out,a day of hands-on learning with the volunteers who keep the ship’s stories alive.

Light cruiser HMS Belfast saw action off the coast of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944, the largest land-sea operation in history, in which Allied forces began the offensive against the Nazis. The Belfast has been moored in the Pool of London, close to Tower Bridge, as a landmark tourist attraction since 1971.

On Saturday, across two sessions, cadets explored the historic warship alongside Imperial War Museums guides, discovering what life was like for sailors at sea and the strong sense of community that defined the original crew. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Community associations, History, London-wide issues, Old Coulsdon, Sea Cadets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Massive blaze at Bermondsey incinerator under investigation

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Incinerator blaze: smoke billows out from the Bermondsey blaze yesterday evening

While the Environment Agency reckons all is safe and sound at the Viridor incinerator in Beddington, a massive blaze broke out close to another waste incineration plant in south London around the evening rush hour yesterday.

Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the incinerator on Landmann Way in Bermondsey, not far from The Den football stadium.

It took more than six hours for the fire to be brought under control, with London Fire Brigade crews on-site overnight to ensure safety.

Massive plumes of smoke were visible across central London from just before 6pm, with Sky News transmitting live images of the fire from their fixed-position television cameras at Westminster, more than three miles from the fire.

People living nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, London Fire Brigade, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

100 free pizzas today at Pizza Hut Norbury and South Croydon

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Pizza Hut in Norbury and South Croydon are both giving away 100 pizzas to the first 100 customers to visit their takeaways at lunchtime today.

Both Pizza Huts are under new management, and to mark the occasion, they are offering a free medium margherita pizza to the first 100 customers who walk in and place an order for collection between noon and 3pm today, Tuesday June 9.

“To secure the pizza, they just have to turn up – that’s all,” Pizza Hut say.

The South Croydon and Norbury locations are part of a wider takeover of 16 stores in Greater London, bringing the total number of stores now operated by ZAF Holdings to 42. Continue reading →

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We need new election system which makes all votes matter

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: One month on from Croydon’s local elections, PETER UNDERWOOD, pictured right, takes another look at our electoral system

There is a growing consensus that FPTP, the first-past-the-post system we use for Westminster and local council elections, needs to be replaced.

No one with any credibility would claim it makes sense to carry on using it in our multi-party system.

The FPTP system produces distorted and undemocratic results, and last month’s elections have given us plenty of examples. In Milton Keynes, the Liberal Democrats came fourth in vote share but became the biggest party. In Birmingham, Greens got the most votes, but Reform got the most councillors.

Here in Croydon, the Conservatives got more votes than Labour but ended up with fewer councillors, and both parties got far more council seats than their vote share deserved.

I’ve written before on why Croydon needs more and better democracy and the latest results make that even clearer. Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Peter Underwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Free legal advice and webinars on adult social care this month

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Free advice: twice a week through June, Martin Searle Solicitors’ team is offering free half-hour advice sessions about social care

‘We urgently need a significant investment in social care staff, services and support for unpaid carers to ensure that the current social care system does not collapse’

Martin Searle Solicitors, with offices in central Croydon, is running its Social Care Funding Matters campaign through June, including offering free advice sessions.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons throughout June, the Court of Protection and Community Care law team at Martin Searle Solicitors will provide free 30-minute telephone advice appointments to individuals about how to access social care funding and the services they are entitled to under the Care Act. Continue reading →

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Croydon College’s esports legends are top of the league again

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Final countdown: Croydon College’s esports team won the national title in 2025 and has qualified for the 2026 final later this month

Croydon College is celebrating a major achievement as its elite esports team has made the national finals of the British students League of Legends tournament.

Croydon College’s team has twice won the national title, including last year, so they go into the 2026 final as defending champions. Continue reading →

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Report calls urban sprawl ‘forgotten disaster of last 50 years’

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Urban sprawl: figures from the Office for National Statistics show that one-third of households in Croydon do not own a car or van. Fewer than half of Croydon households – 43%, own a vehicle

A report from CPRE London published today says successive governments over the past half-century have actively enabled urban sprawl into the countryside.

Urban sprawl means building low-density housing outside of towns, on green fields, and far from shops, schools and surgeries. Developments are “car-dependent”, with little or no bus service. At the same time, more space in town centres is allocated for car parks. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Parking, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chestnut Gardens Open Day, Foxley Lane, Sat June 20

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

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

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Roll up! Roll up! Enjoy Croydon’s summer fayre, 1920s style

Posted on June 7, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON CHRONICLES: With summer fairs being planned and organised across the borough, this week DAVID MORGAN looks back more than 100 years at the stalls and events staged for the church fête of 1921 

The bunting’s up. The marquee is being hauled into place. The competition cake is in the oven. The annual summer season of fairs and fayres, of carnivals and festivals, is well underway, as the advertising pages of Inside Croydon demonstrate.

A delve into the Croydon Minster archive has provided a glimpse into what was organised a little more than 100 years ago, for the then Parish Church’s 1921 summer fête.

The lists of the stalls and entertainments give a picture of life in the 1920s, together with a rich source of names for those studying 20th Century genealogy. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon Bach Choir sing Bernstein and Rutter, Sat June 27

Posted on June 7, 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

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Songbird Showcase Night, The Oval Tavern, Sat July 18, 8pm

Posted on June 7, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
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Perry’s council failed to respond to incinerator consultation

Posted on June 6, 2026 by insidecroydon

While LibDem leader Ed Davey has called for a review of the Environment Agency’s decision to allow permit-busting polluters Viridor to burn even more rubbish at Beddington, Croydon Labour MPs stay silent.
By STEVEN DOWNES

Going for the burn: the Viridor incinerator at Beddington could be burning waste for another 20 years

Croydon Council under Tory Mayor Jason Perry failed to respond to the Environment Agency’s two consultations over an increase in the volume of waste to be burned at the polluting Viridor incinerator on Beddington Lane.

Inside Croydon was the first to report that the Environment Agency had agreed to allow to increase “the processing capacity of the energy recovery facility to 382,286 tonnes per annum, an increase of 34,864 tonnes”.

Croydon is one of four councils who form the South London Waste Partnership, which has a £1billion, 25-year contract with Viridor to burn rubbish at Beddington. Under usual weather conditions, the downwind areas worst affected by the incinerator’s noxious emissions are Selhurst, Broad Green and Waddon wards in Croydon. Continue reading →

Posted in Bobby Dean, Broad Green, Business, Carshalton and Wallington, Croydon Council, Dave Tchil, Environment, Kingston, Luke Taylor MP, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Merton, Nick Mattey, Refuse collection, Sadiq Khan, Sutton and Cheam, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Labour-Tory marriage of convenience is failing Croydon

Posted on June 6, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With the Green Party deliberately excluded from the planning committee by a Labour-Tory pact at the Town Hall, new councillor PAUL AINSCOUGH, pictured left, says that the borough’s two largest parties are still not listening to the public

Croydon’s system of executive mayoralty ought to make scrutiny more important, not less.

When substantial power is concentrated in the Mayor’s office, the distribution of committee roles carries more weight. It is one of the few visible ways of showing that oversight will not be confined to the established parties.

If the Conservatives and Labour have decided that the Green and Independent group of councillors at the Town Hall should hold no committee chair or vice-chair positions nor any role on the planning committee, the implication is that electoral change will be recognised in representation, but not in the allocation of institutional responsibility. That is unlikely to improve public confidence.

The electoral numbers do not support such an approach. After the 2026 local elections, Labour holds 30 seats, the Conservatives 28 and the Greens eight, with Liberal Democrats and Reform UK also represented. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Paul Ainscough, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Signal works to disrupt Thameslink for two weekends in June

Posted on June 6, 2026 by insidecroydon

For the next two weekends, there will be no train service through central London on the Thameslink line between St Pancras and Finsbury Park and Blackfriars and London Bridge, as Network Rail works to upgrade the signalling system.

Signals works: there will be no Thameslink trains operating through central London for the next two weekends

The works are part of what Network Rail calls “major measures” to improve reliability on one of the busiest parts of the rail network used by Thameslink. Network Rail engineers are installing a back-up train detection system between London Blackfriars and Farringdon to prevent delays.

Network Rail is also replacing the 20MW electrical substation between City Thameslink and Blackfriars station. “This is the largest on the 750V third-rail network and is placed under heavy load with the volume of trains passing through,” according to Network Rail. Continue reading →

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Croydon Primary Showcase concert, Fairfield Halls, July 6

Posted on June 6, 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

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