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Scott and Butler to be snubbed by Town Hall honours system

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By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE

Left out: Alison Butler and Paul Scott, the husband and wife team who helped bankrupt the borough

Alison Butler and Paul Scott, half of the Labour “Gang of Four” that bankrupted Croydon Council, will not be offered the traditional, post-council career honour of being made honorary alderwoman and alderman of the borough, Inside Croydon understands.

The husband and wife double act were in charge of housing and planning during the Labour administration from 2014, with Butler also being deputy council leader.

Scott was, notoriously, the chair and deputy chair of the council’s planning committee for six years, yet for all that time he had a special dispensation that meant he never once had to declare an interest, even though he works in the building industry as an architect.

Tony Newman, the Labour council leader who presided over massive levels of borrowing, the stalled redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre, and the disaster that was Brick by Brick, stood down from the council in 2021, as did his cabinet member for finance, Simon Hall. Newman and Hall have both been under administrative suspension as members of the Labour Party for two years, ever since the Penn Report was first delivered to the council.

Since announcing the suspensions, the Labour Party has refused to comment further on the status of Newman and Hall.

Suspended: Tony Newman

Scott and Butler appear to have sailed through the council’s financial collapse relatively unscathed, effectively “retiring” from the council by not seeking re-election at last May’s local elections. Butler had been a councillor for Bensham Manor continuously since winning a ward by-election in 2007, while Scott had been a councillor since 2002.

Both remain Labour members, although party sources suggest that they have not been active in any canvassing or attending any fund-raisers recently.

Becoming an alderman or alderwoman of Croydon is seen as an acknowledgement of long service by councillors, usually those who have held elected office for 12 years or longer. Being offered the honour is usually almost automatic, although it does usually require some form of nomination by the ex-councillor’s former colleagues.

In the case of Butler and Scott, no such recommendation has been made.

The “Civic Mayoralty and Honorary Freedom Selection Committee”, where decisions on such matters are made, was due to have held a meeting in the past fortnight, but that got postponed because of all the other business going through the council. The committee will now sit on March 21.

The agenda also has to consider who will serve as the borough’s ceremonial mayor, all togged up in red robes, ermine and the Dick Turpin hat, for the 2023-2024 council year.

With the council being under no overall control since last May, Labour’s Alisa Flemming has been in the chair for council meetings as civic mayor, while the Tories’ Sue Bennett has deputised.

Inside Croydon has been told that for 2023-2024, Bennett does not want to take up the ceremonial mayor’s duties, and the Shirley North councillor is expected to return to the quiet life as backbench Tory lobby fodder. So the Conservatives will need to nominate another councillor for the round of school fete-openings and WI cake judging.


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