Mayor Perry’s ‘Motorists’ Charter’ to deliver more accidents, higher car insurance and even put children’s safety at risk

Posted on July 2, 2026 by insidecroydon

20s plenty: Mayor Jason Perry seems to be in a terrible rush to remove a measure that is proven for reducing collisions and for reducing car insurance premiums

Just what might be coming round the corner in council business now that Jason Perry is back in the Town Hall? Probably a BMW being driven at close to 40mph, reports PAUL LUSHION, our environment correspondent

Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, has used his re-election for a second term as an excuse to declare war against cyclists, pedestrians and even young children walking to school.

The man whose big mouth has already cost the cash-strapped council around £10million over his money-spinning Low Traffic Neighbourhoods has now pledged to make Croydon’s roads more dangerous for all road users, including motorists. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Cycling, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Schools, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Burnham’s challenge is to rebalance Britain yet cherish London

Posted on July 2, 2026 by insidecroydon

What would a ‘No10 in the North’ under a Prime Minister Burnham mean for London? Is it possible to devolve power, and spread wealth, across the country without undermining the economic engine of the nation? ANDREW FISHER sifts through some of the first indications of what Burnham might bring to the job – can he be Our Friend In The North?

As one door opens…: Andy Burnham wants to divide his time as PM between the regions

The North-South divide is one of the most enduring stories of English life.

The folklore of Dick Whittington, a servant boy fleeing the north to come to London to seek his fortune where the streets are paved with gold is perhaps the oldest such tale, but there are many modern versions.

Phrases such as “it’s grim up north” tell of the sense that the capital’s hinterlands are neglected hellscapes, while London and the south-east are a land of milk and honey.

Data dispels such myths. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s analysis of government data shows 26% of people in London living in poverty, compared to 23% in the north-west of England and 21% in the north-east (19% in south-east England live in poverty). London currently has the highest rate of unemployment of all the country’s regions and nations at 6.6%, compared to 5.1% averaged across England. Continue reading →

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Poetry emotion: We’re doing it for the craic and for the Cronx

Posted on July 2, 2026 by insidecroydon

The 2026 Croydonites Fringe began last night. Here, JOHNNY DOBBYN, pictured right, goes behind the scenes to explain the work that goes on to bring the festival’s shows to the stage

Fancy being a theatrical, musical or literary performer – and then finding yourself doubling up as a theatrical, musical or literary promoter? That’s what accidentally happened to me and my poetry colleague, The Civilised Savage, thanks to Inside Croydon.

I hate musicals, especially those of the “Hey! Let’s put on a show!” kind that seemed to feature Judy Garland or Mickey Rooney, or Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, in the 1930s and 1940s. The whole “Let’s put on a show!” schtick has always struck me as faintly preposterous.

Until now. Continue reading →

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Emergency services on call after worker falls from site lift

Posted on July 1, 2026 by insidecroydon

Emergency services: the Fire Brigade, ambulance and police were on hand at East Croydon just before 1pm today to deal with an emergency at the former City Link House

PHOTOSTORY EXCLUSIVE
Pictures by DAVID WHITE

East Croydon was lit up with blue lights at lunchtime today, responding to reports that a site worker had fallen off an inner lift on a building site on Addiscombe Road, opposite landmark No1 Croydon.

“We’re getting him out,”, according to a police officer at the scene. Continue reading →

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Perry’s council facing High Court threat over Access Croydon

Posted on July 1, 2026 by insidecroydon

No Access Croydon: the public access area of Fisher’s Folly was closed to the public in March 2025. Homeless people were directed to Central Library to book appointments for face-to-face meetings with council staff

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council is being dragged into the High Court next week to face claims that it is failing to meet its statutory responsibilities on housing as a consequence of making its offices open only on an appointment basis. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Failed Mayor Jason Perry’s omnishambles council will be back in the High Court next week, this time to face claims that its cost-cutting move to shut itself off inside its Fisher’s Folly office building from the people it is supposed to serve breaks the law in respect of its statutory responsibilities for homeless people. Continue reading →

Posted in Bernard Weatherill House, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Croydon bakers firm Coughlan’s closes blaming Labour NI hike

Posted on July 1, 2026 by insidecroydon

Croydon history: the always-busy, ever-dependable Coughlans in the Allders Arcade. Both are now just fond memories of a bygone town centre

175 jobs to go across south London, Surrey and Sussex as family-run bakery based in Thornton Heath goes into voluntary liquidation

Coughlan’s bakers, their daily bread a staple of Croydon’s high streets for almost 90 years, has ceased trading.

The shock announcement was made on social media late yesterday by Sean Coughlan, the third generation to run the Thornton Heath-based family business. Around 175 jobs are likely to be lost across the company’s 31 stores across south London, in Surrey and Sussex.

Coughlan’s survived a World War, several financial disasters and, mostly, the covid lockdown (though no thanks to Croydon Council’s shambolically slow distribution of emergency grants).

But according to Coughlan, what they could not survive was Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ employers’ National Insurance increase, a rise in business rates and the latest heatwaves in May and June. Continue reading →

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Demolition works get underway for Selhurst £200m main stand

Posted on June 30, 2026 by insidecroydon

It has finally started: bulldozers moved in last week, in the biggest sign yet that the £150m-plus project is really, finally, under way

Almost nine years since the proposal was first aired to build a modern main stand and increase home capacity for Crystal Palace games to 34,000, physical, visible works have begun in and around Selhurst Park on a project that may now end up costing close to £200million.

Bulldozers were sent in last week to begin the demolition of the six houses on Wooderson Close, with a video of the work posted by the club as its latest “update” on the long-awaited development – only the second official update from Palace in two years. Continue reading →

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Google and Gatwick among employers attending MPs’ jobs fair

Posted on June 30, 2026 by insidecroydon

MPs Sarah Jones and Natasha Irons are jointly hosting a jobs fair for young people in the borough.

Intended for those aged 16 and over, the fair brings together major industry players including Google, EY Foundation, the NHS, Transport for London and others.

It will be an opportunity to speak directly to employers who will be hosting stalls throughout the event.

Tech giant Google will be delivering training on digital skills, while  charity Croydon Commitments will be running mock interviews.

The Department of Work and Pensions will be offering a workshop on careers in the Civil Service. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Business, Croydon Commitment, Croydon East, Croydon West, Gatwick Airport, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three things that change for you when you inherit £500,000

Posted on June 30, 2026 by insidecroydon

SPONSORED CONTENT

Receiving a large inheritance is a major life event that brings a mix of complex emotions and sudden financial responsibilities.

For many people in the UK, a windfall of this size completely shifts their long-term security and opens up new possibilities.

It also introduces unexpected challenges that need careful thought and clear planning. Continue reading →

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Family Film Club screenings at David Lean Cinema in July

Posted on June 30, 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 →

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From cabaret to the World Cup, from Sea Cadets to LTN refunds

Posted on June 29, 2026 by insidecroydon

PODCAST: The Croydon Insider returns with a new panel of readers to discuss the latest Croydon news, in a Croydonites Fringe special that picks some of the must-see shows at the festival from July 1 to 5.

There’s even a live performance by one of the acts.

We also hear from Capt Mark Windsor RN Retd about what adult volunteers can get from helping teenaged members of the Croydon Sea Cadets.

Plus we talk about the weather, about how Croydon Council is on a go-slow over refunds of its unlawful LTN fines – and most important, how you can claim your refund. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Comedy, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Croydon Insider, Croydonites Festival, Elaine Jackson, Inside Croydon, Johnny Dobbyn, Music, Poetry, Sea Cadets, Stanley Halls, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Westow Hill stab victim had criminal record for GBH and drugs

Posted on June 29, 2026 by insidecroydon

Kamahl Cameron-Williams, the 31-year-old stabbed to death on Westow Hill in Crystal Palace last week, was a convicted criminal who was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in September 2018 for grievous bodily harm – GBH – and for possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Drug dealer: Kamahl Cameron, as he appeared in a police hand-out following his convictions in 2018

The sentence arose from a gang’s attack on Beckenham High Street earlier that year which left their victim with a punctured lung, and which the police at the time described as “lucky not to have been fatal”.

Then known as  Kamahl Cameron, and giving an address on Colby Road in Gipsy Hill, he was described as being part of a gang of “three thugs”.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent to prison for three years for GBH and an additional three years and nine months for possession with intent to supply cocaine. Continue reading →

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New Addington’s first World Cup player about to face England

Posted on June 29, 2026 by insidecroydon

On Palace’s youth books from the age of 11, the former Good Shepherd primary pupil is now a World Cup player – but for DR Congo. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s biggest international test yet could come this week against former club-mates

International duty: Aaron Wan-Bissaka playing in the colours of DR Congo

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, born in Croydon and brought up in New Addington, could be about to play the biggest game of his career: against England.

The former Crystal Palace youth player, now playing his club football at West Ham, is thought to have become the first player from New Addington to appear at a World Cup finals earlier this month, when he played in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 1-1 draw with Portugal in Houston.

Wan-Bissaka, 28, has played all but five minutes of DR Congo’s matches in Group K – including in the 1-0 defeat to Colombia, with the only goal of the game being scored by current Palace star Daniel Munoz.

And Wan-Bissaka was part of the Congo team which pulled off the 3-1 win over Uzbekistan on Sunday – their first ever win at the World Cup finals – which propelled them up the World Cup’s “Losers’ League” of teams that had finished in third place in their groups.

That result pits DR Congo against England in the “Round of 32” in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Wan-Bissaka plays at right-back or wing-back for club and country, a position where injuries and selection controversies have created what many see as a weakness for Thomas Tuchel’s England at the World Cup. Wan-Bissaka played for England at under-20 and under-21 level, and might have been in the mix for selection for the country of his birth had he not opted to switch to Congo 12 months ago. Continue reading →

Posted in Crystal Palace FC, Football, New Addington North, New Addington South, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Meridian High scoops national award for ‘making a difference’

Posted on June 29, 2026 by insidecroydon

Meridian reaches a high: Year 7 and 8 pupils celebrating winning a National Teaching Awards bronze for ‘Making a Difference’

Meridian High School in New Addington has won a bronze award for “Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year” in the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards recognise whole school communities that “radically transform the life chances of their pupils and enrich their wider local communities”.

The judges recognised the Fairchildes Avenue school’s curriculum as “knowledge-rich, carefully sequenced and ambitious for every child”. Continue reading →

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The weather warnings from history: thunderbolts and lightning

Posted on June 28, 2026 by insidecroydon

Swooning in the shade: dealing with extreme heat has been a problem for many centuries, including at Wimbledon in the long hot summer of 1976

CROYDON CHRONICLES: A timely trawl through the Minster archive has discovered reports of extreme weather episodes going back more than 400 years. By DAVID MORGAN

“Rycharde Esteinge, a young man, being killed suddenlye with a stroke of thunder and lightning on the neck and under the right ear. Nothinge but blackness seen. Was buried the 29th, and smelt of brimstone exceedingle.”

Extremes of weather, with deadly consequences, of course are nothing new. The above grim record is from the Parish Church register in April 1607.

Newspaper reports have mentioned extreme conditions ever since they began to be printed in the 17th Century. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Minster, David Morgan, Environment, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gardening bargains, MHA The Wilderness, Shirley, Mon-Fri

Posted on June 28, 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 →

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South Norwood Community Festival, free entry, Sun July 5

Posted on June 28, 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 →

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Sutton defends its Ofsted failure by claiming ‘no child was hurt’

Posted on June 27, 2026 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: LibDem council deliberately delayed publication of damning report to avoid its failures of SEND children appearing before the local elections. DAVE BURTON reports how councillors and officials have broken confidentiality rules and tried to pass the buck

In denial: LibDem councillor Gemma Munday has tried to pass the buck for Sutton’s failed Ofsted/CQC report

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have finally, after several months’ delay, published its local area SEND Report into Sutton Council and the South West London Integrated Care Board.

It’s a fail.

The report, issued to Jonathan Williams, Sutton’s director of children’s services, begins: “Children and young people with SEND have variable experiences in Sutton. Furthermore, some children have considerably poor experiences.” SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofsted found “widespread and systemic failings” in the service, which was putting children at “risk of harm”. The council and the care board have been ordered to submit a “priority action plan” to address the multiple failures. Continue reading →

Posted in Bobby Dean, Dave Burton, Education, Gemma Munday, Jonathan Williams, SEND, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘We couldn’t be prouder’: college teacher clinches silver prize

Posted on June 27, 2026 by insidecroydon

Andrew Mallen, a performing arts teacher at Coulsdon Sixth Form College, has been named a Silver Winner in the 2026 Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Award-winner: Andrew Mallen, of Coulsdon Sixth Form College

The award recognises the outstanding impact Mallen has made on pupils’ lives, inside and outside the classroom. He is now in contention for a Gold Teaching Award, with the results to be announced later this year.

“I genuinely wasn’t expecting this,” Mallen said.

“Teaching performing arts is about helping young people discover their confidence, find their voice and realise what they’re capable of achieving. I’m incredibly honoured to receive this recognition.”

Coulsdon Sixth Form College says that the award “celebrates Andrew’s unwavering commitment” to helping all his pupils achieve their potential. Continue reading →

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Croydonites Fringe Festival, various venues, from July 1 to 5

Posted on June 27, 2026 by insidecroydon

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

Continue reading →

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Norbury Brook River Revive clean-up, Thornton Heath, July 4

Posted on June 27, 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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Bishop’s Wine Bar set to bid final farewell to Whitgift Centre

Posted on June 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

The pernicious effects of the ‘development blight’ inflicted on Croydon’s town centre by Westfield continue to be keenly felt. JOHNNY DOBBYN paid possibly his last visit to the wine bar which will be pulling down the shutters for a final time next week

Nick nacks: almost everything to be found inside Bishop’s Wine Bar is up for sale

Next Wednesday, the glasses will be collected for the last time at Bishop’s Wine Bar in the Whitgift Centre. After 44 years, one of Croydon’s most enduring establishments will close its doors, not because customers stopped coming, nor because its owners wished to retire.

But because Westfield has thrown them out.

On any weekday lunchtime in the late 1980s, if you couldn’t find a colleague from the Home Office, the Property Services Agency, the council or one of the many busy offices that were once to be found in the town centre, there was a good chance they were in Bishop’s.

Named after its location in Bishop’s Court, Bishop’s was the daily haunt of office workers taking their lunchtime break while the pissed-at-your-desk culture was still strong.

But lunchtime drinking is a thing of the past, and the drinkers – and, more importantly, the big businesses that once employed them – are long gone.

Bishop’s itself will close next week because the current owners, Angela Ferrara and her father, Tony, received what Angela describes as a “stark letter” from their landlord on New Year’s Eve last year invoking a break clause requiring the bar to close within six months. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Pubs, Restaurants, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charity lost £2m last year over closure of Old Palace School

Posted on June 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

End of an era: Old Palace girls’ school moved out of its Old Town site last summer. But the Whitgift Foundation continues to fund some of its former pupils

The Whitgift Foundation’s ‘Impact Report’ for last year shows its two boys’ fee-paying schools among the country’s top 10% of independents, as the costs of closing its girls’ school will continue until 2028.
By STEVEN DOWNES

The closure of Old Palace girls’ fee-paying school last July is costing the Whitgift Foundation at least £2.5million, a report from the land-owning charity has revealed, while the impact of Westfield’s stalled town centre redevelopment continues to drain the organisation’s coffers.

Old Palace School is the most significant casualty of the blight on the town centre inflicted by Westfield, since the developers were invited to regenerate Croydon’s shopping district in what was promised to be a £1.4billion scheme as long ago as 2012. When those promises came to nothing, the Whitgift Foundation found itself unable to continue to subsidise pupils at Old Palace.

As was first reported by Inside Croydon, the Whitgift Foundation determined that “the sustainability of the school beyond the short-term [is] impossible”. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, CPO, Education, Fiona Fletcher Smith, Old Palace, Roisha Hughes, Schools, Serenity special school, Trinity School, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

In this heatwave, we need to turn up the heat on our politicians

Posted on June 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: We know many of the measures we as a society, as a nation and as a borough, need to take to deal with the kind of heatwave that we have endured this week. PETER UNDERWOOD says it is long past time that we started to take action

Croydon wasn’t designed for this weather.

Time for action: the Mayor of London has this week published another report on what needs to be done in the climate emergency

This week started with flash floods and lightning strikes as heat-driven storms swept across the south of England, leaving a trail of house fires and transport disruptions.

The week is ending with sweltering heat and school closures as temperatures hit levels deemed to be a serious threat to life.  These record June temperatures follow record temperatures for May just a few weeks ago. Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Crisis Commission, Environment, Health, London-wide issues, Peter Underwood, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayday A&E rated ‘Requires improvement’ for fourth time

Posted on June 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

A snap inspection earlier this year by the CQC found Croydon’s largest hospital’s emergency department still failing to meet legal requirements for patient privacy and dignity, while ‘corridor care remains a concern’

Mayday!: the emergency services at Croydon University Hospital have been rated as ‘Requires improvement’ since at least 2019

Urgent and emergency services at Croydon’s largest hospital have failed their latest inspection and have been rated “Requires improvement”.

This is at least the fourth inspection report from the Care Quality Commission – CQC – where this area of work at what some call Croydon University Hospital has been rated “Requires improvement”. CQC inspectors in 2019, 2022 and 2025 drew similar conclusions, citing capacity pressures and staff shortages. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon NHS Trust, Health, Mayday Hospital | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment