Chris Philp, the Conservative party donor who has been parachuted in as their next candidate in the ultra-safe parliamentary seat of Croydon South, is inviting you round for a chat and a cuppa next Saturday.

Chris Philp: Previously a candidate in north London, he has an attachment to Orpington, and to police stations. Though there are none left in Croydon South

Philp has written an email to local Tory supporters – though not to his constituents more generally, continuing the policy of his predecessor, expenses expert Tricky Dicky Ottaway.

“I am delighted to be your candidate and will of course be working immediately,” Philp wrote, 18 months ahead of the foregone conclusion of his election as an MP at the next General Election.

“I will be at the Conservative Office at 36 Brighton Road, Purley (just opposite the Tesco car park) from 1pm-3pm on Saturday 7th December,” Philp wrote, suggesting that Croydon South residents should drop in for a chat.

Of course, Philp is not himself a Croydon South resident himself as yet. Ottaway gave a promise when he was selected 20 years ago to buy a home in the constituency. He never did so.

Philp was keen to explain his background in great detail, though. “For the last 13 years I have set up from scratch and run my own businesses. The first one was a distribution business, which I set up when I was 24, and I started off driving the delivery van myself. We eventually created over 250 jobs. The last 13 years have been hard work, but I have learnt a lot along the way.

“The issues that prompted me to run for Parliament include making sure that our economy prospers and jobs are created, ensuring the state education system delivers genuine opportunity for children of all backgrounds, that our borders are properly controlled, our national sovereignty protected and that the NHS works properly,” Philp wrote.

Interestingly, Philp seems alert to the concerns of Coulsdon residents over traffic issues around the Barratt Homes build on Cane Hill, and of congestion on the A23. How he reconciles these concerns with the demands of his Tory colleague, gaffe-prone Gav Barwell, the MP for the Whitgift Foundation, and the relentless drive for regeneration regardless of consequences in the centre of Croydon may prove interesting – if Philp ever bothers even to try to represent the interests of his constituents to the south of the borough.

“I know that issues like the traffic implications of the Cane Hill development in Coulsdon, congestion on the A23, a shortage of local school places, protecting green spaces and the economic regeneration of Croydon town centre are all pressing concerns,” he said.

“Over the coming weeks and months I would like to meet as many people as possible and listen to your views and ideas – on both local and national issues. Please do contact me at any time at philp_chris@hotmail.com.”

Coming to Croydon

• The Lives of Stanley Halls community entertainment: Dec 4
• Riot from Wrong screening: Dec 5
• CP Mums’ Winter Wonderland: Dec 6
• Cinema Ruskin: Dec 21
• Steve Knightly at Stanley Halls: Feb 5

• Inside Croydon: Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough – 262,183 page views (Jan-Jun 2013)
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