Mayor forced to order inquiry into children’s home contract row

Posted on October 16, 2026 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

In-house inquiry: Jason Perry has opted against calling in an external investigator

Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, has been forced to authorise a review into the procurement omnishambles that saw the council cancelling a £8.6million contract for the management of a children’s home within six months of the facility accepting its first residents.

But Mayor Perry is only allowing an in-house investigation into what went wrong – refusing calls for an independent, external inquiry. Any reasonable person might be prompted to ask: what has Perry got to hide?

As Inside Croydon was first to report, charity the St Christopher’s Fellowship is in dispute with Perry’s council over their contract cancellation, which happened a month before Ofsted inspectors gave the home a “Good” rating across all categories. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More hot air from Sutton over council’s unwanted heat network

Posted on October 16, 2026 by insidecroydon

Pollution central: the Environment Agency does little to control the noxious emissions coming from Viridor’s incinerator at Bedddington

Sutton’s Liberal Democrat one-party state will ask councillors at a meeting on Monday to back extending the Sutton Decentralised Energy Network by about half a mile.

SDEN is the council-owned scheme that was supposed to pipe heat from the Beddington incinerator.

Nick Mattey, one of only four councillors in Sutton who are not LibDem incinerator apologists, is urging the public to turn up for the meeting on Monday to witness the latest planning and finance travesty in the costly SDEN saga.

The meeting is due to take place at Sutton Civic Centre on at 7pm on October 19.

The council has already borrowed £3.16million from the Public Works Loan Board, the government lender to councils, to bankroll the network.

Sutton tried to keep that borrowing secret from the public. Once the detail was released after an Information Commissioner ruling, it showed that the loan was granted on the basis that SDEN would be paid for providing the heating for an 80-bed nursing home.

That nursing home has never existed. Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Nick Mattey, SDEN, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

London’s bus and tram fares to rise by 10p from November 1

Posted on October 16, 2026 by insidecroydon

The fares freeze on London’s buses and trams ends this month.

Going up: London’s tram and bus fares are set to rise by 5.7% on November 1

From November 1, the adult bus and tram fare, including the Hopper fare, will increase by 10p from £1.75 to £1.85, Transport for London confirmed in a statement this morning.

Fares for eligible concession card holders will increase by 5p. The daily bus and tram cap will increase by 30p to £5.55.

Tube and rail caps, along with Travelcards, will remain unchanged until March 2027.

The increase equates to a 5.7% rise in fares, almost double the rate of inflation of 3.1%. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In crust we trust: try great new menu at Raggio di Sole pizzas

Posted on October 16, 2026 by insidecroydon

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

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Passengers suffering as tram closures up by 68% in a year

Posted on October 15, 2026 by insidecroydon

While billions of pounds have been spent on Tube extensions or earmarked for the Docklands Light Railway, Croydon’s trams have become the poor relations of the capital’s transport infrastructure. And the strain is beginning to show. By STEVEN DOWNES

Planned closures of the Croydon tram network are up by more than two-thirds this year compared to 2025, according to official figures from Transport for London, as the light-rail system goes into this weekend with no services to New Addington, ahead of a further disruption when the eastern half of the network will be closed for two weeks.

TfL’s poor relation: the tram network has had much less investment than other capital transport schemes

All the works being carried out are undoubtedly necessary to maintain the system and keep it safe for its passengers.

Yet the increasing frequency and duration of the closures to sections of the tramway serve to highlight the increasing fragility of its infrastructure after its first quarter-century.

The frequency that New Addington’s residents are being cut off from Croydon and the other destinations on the tram network has prompted the area’s MP, Natasha Irons, to send a letter of complaint to TfL’s tram management.

But as is being suggested increasingly by frustrated passengers, Irons and another Croydon MP, Sarah Jones, really need to take the matter up with their Labour party colleague who controls the purse strings, London Mayor Lord Khan. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, East Croydon, Inside Croydon Investigates, Sandilands derailment, Sutton Link, TfL, Tramlink, Transport, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Award-winning comic Mark Steel on Keir, Keegan and cancer

Posted on October 15, 2026 by insidecroydon

Award-winning stand-up Mark Steel sits down with our columnist, Andrew Fisher, for a frank, wide-ranging and often hilarious interview, the latest podcast from the Inside Croydon ‘multiverse’.

As our brief extract clip illustrates, the interview switches between the poignant and the profound.

Warning, this podcast contains strong language.

But then, what do you expect when the guest has their own podcast, What the F*** is Going On? Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Inside Croydon, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After five years, council finally acts to clean up country park

Posted on October 15, 2026 by insidecroydon

In need of a clean-up: there’s evidence of sewage being released along the waterways of South Norwood Country Park – which is a nature reserve

Sluggish council has finally acted to clean up local streams that have been turned into ‘sludge’ by sewage pollution

After a five-year campaign by residents and environmentalists, backed by their Labour councillors and MP, Croydon Council has finally confirmed that works to repair a source of sewage pollution flowing into South Norwood Country Park have begun, and are expected to be completed by the end of next week.

The country park is 125-acre wetlands reserve known to be home to many species of bird, and featuring a large lake and several watercourses. Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Foster, Brigitte Graham, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of South Norwood Country Park, Natasha Irons, Wildlife, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free legal advice: What to do if the bailiffs turn up at your door

Posted on October 15, 2026 by insidecroydon

The South West London Law Centres have published new advice on what to do if bailiffs turn up at your door

A notice of enforcement is a letter that tells you bailiffs will visit your home to collect debt payments. When you receive a notice of enforcement, it can be quite frightening. You might even be tempted to ignore it.

Don’t let them in: if enforcement officers turn up at your door, you are within your rights to refuse them entry

But you shouldn’t wait for enforcement agents – bailiffs – to arrive at your home before doing something about it.

If you have been given 14 days’ notice to respond to a bailiff’s letter, there are a few options available to you.

You might be able to extend the notice period from 14 to 28 days with the help of a money advisor. This is available for non-business debt collection, if the request is made before the original 14-day period expires.

You may also be able to take advantage of one of the debt relief programmes that are available. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, South West London Law Centres, SWLLC - Advice columns | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Perry’s CALAT lies exposed as up to 200 jobs are put at risk

Posted on October 14, 2026 by insidecroydon

In four years under Croydon’s Tory Mayor, the borough’s adult education service has gone from paying its own way to operating a £500,000 overspend – after its landlords, the council, doubled its rent to more than £800,000 a year.  ‘It is disgusting how CALAT has been treated by Croydon Council,’ according to one educator. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Croydon’s failed Mayor, Jason Perry, and his cabinet of Tory councillors will tonight push through plans to destroy the widely-admired council-run adult education service that has served the borough for more than 70 years.

The rubber-stamping exercise at the council cabinet meeting in the Town Hall Chamber will see classes provided by CALAT – Croydon Adult Learning and Training – outsourced, probably to a cheap, online provider.

Many of CALAT’S near-200 jobs could be put at risk as a result of the Tory Mayor’s blundering move, which puts £4.5million of grant funding in jeopardy. The Mayor’s “cunning plan” has been opposed by the lecturers’ University and Colleges Union and by Natasha Irons, the MP for Croydon East. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Business, CALAT, Croydon Council, Education, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Purley sheltered housing acquired by Croydon’s oldest charity

Posted on October 14, 2026 by insidecroydon

Croydon Almshouses has bought the St Saviour’s Court sheltered housing on Old Lodge Lane, “marking an important new chapter” for the oldest charity in the borough and its residents.

‘Community’: Croydon Almshouses has taken over a retirement home in Purley

The transfer took effect on October 1, bringing St Saviour’s Court in Purley and Elis David Almshouses in Waddon together under Croydon Almshouses.

Not to be confused with the Whitgift Almshouses in the town centre, Croydon Almshouses trace their history back even further than the eponymous Archbishop, having been founded in 1447 by Elis David (or Elias Davy), a prominent merchant in the City of London, who established a community of care originally centred by Croydon Parish Church.

What was previously known as Elis David Almshouses now has 57 purpose-built flats on Duppas Hill Terrace, “enabling residents impacted by poverty to live with dignity and independence”. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Purley, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Homelessness charity opens art exhibit in Whitgift Centre

Posted on October 14, 2026 by insidecroydon

Everyone a homeless person in Croydon: the 4,000 ceramic discs are a poignant reminder of the scale of the issue. Photos by Chris O’Donovan

An art exhibition featuring unique pieces created by people impacted by homelessness in Croydon has opened in the Whitgift Centre this week.

This first-of-its-kind exhibition aims to share the stories of people in the borough with nowhere safe to live, and to celebrate the local community’s efforts to end homelessness for good. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Charity, Crisis Skylight Centre, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Council could face legal battle over £8.6m children’s home deal

Posted on October 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

Findings of Ofsted inspectors are ‘difficult to reconcile’ with council’s report about care at a children’s home, as Town Hall says that it needs to be ‘clearer’ with service providers. By STEVEN DOWNES

The establishment of a children’s home to save cash-strapped Croydon Council some money could be heading for the law courts in a simmering row over the cancellation of a contract for managing the facility.

The St Christopher’s Fellowship signed an £8.6million, seven-year deal to manage the council-owned home in July 2025. But in August 2026, less than six months after the home became operational, the council served notice on the charity citing “concerns”, with children put “into situations that subsequently resulted in placement breakdowns and/or hospital admissions”.

Yesterday, government agency Ofsted published a report on the home which rated it as “Good” in every category. The inspection took place after the council announced its intention to scrap the contract with St Christopher’s. Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Natalie Vesty, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Children’s home in contract row given a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating

Posted on October 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

Government inspectors who visited the council-owned children’s home contradict the Town Hall’s critical report that prompted the cancellation of an £8.6m, seven-year contract. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

The Croydon children’s home where the council cancelled its management contract with a charity barely six months after it opened has been given a “Good” rating by Ofsted inspectors.

Inside Croydon revealed last month that the council had served notice on contractors the St Christopher’s Fellowship citing “concerns”, with children put “into situations that subsequently resulted in placement breakdowns and/or hospital admissions”. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Everything must go!’: TG Jones joins Whitgift Centre exodus

Posted on October 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

Bargain prices: TG Jones, as WH Smith, was one of the original stores when the Whitgift Centre opened 60 years ago

Our retailing correspondent, MT WALLETTE, on the latest signs of the times in the Whitgift Centre

“Everything must go!” scream the bright yellow signs stuck to the windows of the recently re-styled TG Jones on North End.

Thing is, as far as the Whitgift Centre is concerned, almost everything has already gone.

Westfield’s development blight on Croydon town centre has claimed another victim, as the hollowing out of the Whitgift Centre continues. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Fairfield, Post Office, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Croydon households on flood alert for impact of ‘Godzilla’

Posted on October 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

It may be more than 7,000 miles away, as it steadily gathers up energy over the Pacific Ocean from the heating planet, but “Godzilla” El Niño has prompted weather experts and the government to warn householders across the country to prepare for a winter battering, with widespread flooding being predicted.

Flash floods: heavy rains in June led to patches of flooding on residential roads in the south of the borough where drains had not been cleared for many months

This year’s El Niño, a weather system over the Pacific, is being measured to be potentially more ferocious than anything seen in recent history. Hence the monster Godzilla tag, as its impact is expected to be felt around the globe.

The government is looking to boost resilience to flooding ahead of potential extreme weather this autumn and winter, with a taskforce meeting to assess the preparedness of neighbourhoods across the country.

Experts say there is a higher likelihood of storms and high rainfall in the coming weeks. Models also suggest a higher chance of cold snaps in the second half of the winter. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kenley, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Haunted House Extreme, at Crystal Palace NSC, Oct 30 and 31

Posted on October 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

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

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Park | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Council admits it has no idea who it paid £1.1m in legal fees

Posted on October 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE by JOSHUA STEIN

Croydon Council has admitted that it does not know how it spent £1.082million of public money on legal fees over the past two years.

Croydon’s cash-strapped council has debts totalling £1.7billion.

Out of control: Croydon’s Tory Mayor Jason Perry has failed to ‘fix the finances’

In July 2025, following the latest bail-out request from Croydon for more than £100million in emergency funding, the government sent in a team of Commissioners to oversee the financial management of the council, where spending seemed to be out of control.

Now a council response to a Freedom of Information request made on behalf of Inside Croydon appears to confirm the government’s worst fears.

This website has previously reported how the council’s spending on agency staff had quadrupled between 2022 to 2025, the first years under Conservative Mayor Jason Perry. And as Inside Croydon revealed last year, one “transformation” consultant, brought in to cut costs by cutting other people’s jobs, was being paid £726 PER HOUR.

But it is not only spending on temporary staff which is being made without the most basic of records or checks. Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon Investigates, Joshua Stein, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Factory Lane gas works transformed in £25m development

Posted on October 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

Work has completed on £25million “urban logistics development” on the site of the Croydon Gas Works on Factory Lane.

The art works: visitors to the Factory Lane business park are greeted with the mural by A Collectives

Almost three years later than when originally announced, it is reckoned that “The Works” could provide 150 jobs – at least 100 down on original estimates when planning consent was granted.

The completed development comprises 15 units for small and medium-sized businesses.

The Works has been built on a remediated brownfield site that first housed gas holders in 1895. Demolition work on the gas holders began four years ago.

The scheme was delivered by property developer Chancerygate and global real assets investment manager CBRE Investment Management. Continue reading →

Posted in Broad Green, Business | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Another shutdown of New Addington trams from Oct 17 to 18

Posted on October 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

Another week, another notice of more tram closures.

End of the line: New Addington’s tram service will be closed this weekend, as well as for another fortnight into November

The latest disruption was confirmed by Transport for London this morning: no service on the branch between Sandilands and New Addington this coming weekend, October 17 to 18.

“This is so essential engineering works can be carried out to improve the tramway.

“We are sorry for the disruption this may cause.”

This latest closure will also impact residents on Gravel Hill and Addington Village, as well as weekend visitors to Lloyd Park, the Addington Hills and nature reserves such as Hutchinson’s Bank.

There will be no tram replacement buses for this weekend closure. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Croydon East, East Croydon, Natasha Irons, New Addington North, New Addington South, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Minster’s ornate altar artwork that still retains its mysteries

Posted on October 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON CHRONICLES: A search to find the history of an altar frontal used at Croydon Minster reveals a tale from Shanghai, an ARP warden in World War II, freemasonry, a men’s outfitters shop on Croydon High Street and a nurseryman tending his greenhouse plants. All will be made clear by DAVID MORGAN

Many thousands of people have seen the striking altar frontal in the St Nicholas Chapel of what was Croydon Parish Church, and what today we know as Croydon Minster.

Dedication: Kate Munns is remembered with an ornate frontal at Croydon Minster

An altar frontal, or antependium, from the Latin meaning “to hang before”, is a decorative covering placed on the front of the altar.

This one features an ornately embroidered sailing ship and two croziers with anchors either side. Unbeknown to most visitors and worshippers, under the flap of cloth of this frontal there is a dedication, in smart, mid-century script, giving the name to whom the frontal is dedicated.

“In memory of Kate Emma Munns died 4th May 1942”

But who was Kate Munns, and what did she do to persuade those who knew her to make such a tribute? Continue reading →

Posted in Church and religions, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Arthouse cinema erases Oscar-winning Lean from new logo

Posted on October 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

New look: but the David Lean Cinema’s new logo has erased the image of Sir David Lean

The David Lean Cinema has a new look online – and it has removed the image of the eponymous cinematic knight from its logo.

The volunteer-led cinema’s new website has, they say, been “designed to make it easier for audiences to discover films, book tickets and find out more about the cinema”.

Fair enough, you might think, given that they have been operating with basically the same online booking platform for 12 years, set up soon after they rescued the venue from being a victim of Tory council cuts (when Jason Perry was a mere councillor in the council cabinet that made the decision to close the cinema in 2011). Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cinema, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Greenvale Community Bookshop, open Saturday, 10am-4pm

Posted on October 11, 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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The 2026 Croydonites Festival, from Wed Nov 4 to Sat Nov 21

Posted on October 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

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

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Business, Comedy, Croydonites Festival, Stanley Halls, The Front Room, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon roads under Perry among London’s most dangerous

Posted on October 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Transport correspondent JEREMY CLACKSON on the clear and present danger of a car-obsessed Mayor who has no consideration for road safety for Croydon’s children

Under threat: Mayor Perry wants to roll back a decade of progress with 20mph zones

Croydon is the second most dangerous area in the whole of London for traffic collisions outside schools.

These shocking figures are from official Department for Transport data, and come at a time when Croydon’s car-obsessed Mayor Jason Perry says he wants to make the borough’s roads more dangerous by rolling back 20mph zones.

There’s even suspicions among some Town Hall opposition figures that Poot-poot Perry might look at cancelling some of Croydon’s “school streets” restrictions.

The dangerous road figures were in place before Perry axed the borough’s last remaining lollipop patrols outside six Croydon primary schools last year. Continue reading →

Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Commuting, Croydon Council, Cycling, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Schools, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fashion shows and swap shops in Crystal Palace this week

Posted on October 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Crystal Palace Hub Sustainable Fashion Week – which in fact runs for a fortnight – is entering its second week, with its fashionably creative approach to community and one of the highlights of the festival tonight, with a big fashion show at St John the Evangelist on Sylvan Road.

Featuring an impressive line-up of special guests, the volunteer-run local festival is part of a national initiative, which aims to bring communities together to change fashion from the bottom up. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Community associations, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment