Who does your local councillor really represent? It’s a reasonable question for all residents to ask, particularly those in South Norwood.
By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor
Long-time aide: Carserides worked for Steve Reed in various capacities since 2018, including a spell as a DEFRA SPAD
Just who does Labour councillor Louis Carserides represent?
It’s not an unreasonable question for the residents of his ward, South Norwood, to ask about the former close aide to environment secretary Steve Reed, as Carserides winds down his short-lived spell as an elected councillor, while still collecting allowances from the cash-strapped council.
With the council in crisis and the government sending in Commissioners, Carserides was a no-show at the latest meeting of full council last month. South Norwood residents also relate that not much has been seen of the former rising star of Croydon Labour for a while.
Inside Croydon reported last month how, after only five years as a local councillor, Carserides’ once promising political career will come to an end next May, as he has not sought selection to stand as a Labour candidate in the 2026 local elections.
Carserides had already quit his day job as a SPAD, a special adviser, in the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, just a few months after his long-time boss, Reed, had been handed a front-bench job in government following last year’s General Election.
Carserides has continued in his role as a councillor in Croydon, albeit as a back-bencher without any special responsibility allowances above the basic £11,984.04. The days of his getting tens of thousands of pounds of extra public cash while serving as Labour’s Town Hall “enforcer”, their chief whip, keeping an eye on their activities while working from Reed’s Westminster offices, are long gone.
The reason for Carserides’s resignation from DEFRA has never been made public.
New role: it took a bit of prompting for Cllr Carserides to declare his link to Red Rose Associates
An Inside Croydon investigation earlier this year found him to be among several councillors to have broken the Town Hall’s Code of Conduct by failing to update their register of interests promptly. Such declarations are required by law, under Section 30 of the Localism Act 2011.
This website has provided a more effective monitor of Croydon’s councillors’ outside interests than the council’s own, full-time, six-figure-salaried Monitoring Officer and his staff: as iC submitted its questions to the council and councillor about this serious matter, suddently, as if by magic, Carserides’ public declaration was updated.
That was January. Then, Carserides updated his declaration to list himself as unemployed.
Companies House records show that by that time he was a director of Cromwell Green Ltd, a company registered that same month at a residential address on Wharncliffe Gardens, SE25.
He was so late in updating his declarations that his six-month spell as a government SPAD at DEFRA never even made it to Carserides’ public record of his councillor’s declaration of interests.
According to Companies House records, Carserides’ occupation is a “Consultant”, and Cromwell Green Ltd’s business that of “Public relations and communications activities”. It looked like, at 34 years old and after all those years working for Reed since beginning as the MP’s Croydon North constituency manager in 2018, Carserides (listed with Cromwell Green as “Loizos Carserides”) was going it alone.
That didn’t last long, though.
Political influencer: just what is Cllr Carserides trying to sell? And to whom?
For Carserides is now working for political lobbyists, Red Rose Associates.
Not that you would have known from looking at Carserides’ official declarations of interest, for even by the third week of July this year neither the councillor nor the council’s professional staff had managed to fulfil their legal requirements to amend the public record.
Inside Croydon was making enquiries about Carserides’ new job last month, just after South Norwood’s councillor had sent apologies for his non-attendance at the latest crisis meeting at the Town Hall. That was held on July 16.
On July 23, Louis Carserides’ declarations of interest at Croydon Council was updated to show that he is now self-employed, conducting “political and communications consultancy” for Red Rose Associates.
So it’s now all nice and legal, upfront and open, just as it should be. Thanks, perhaps, to some questioning from this website.
For the remaining 10 months of Carserides’ term as a South Norwood councillor, it seems his attention might be more focused on pleasing his new clients than resolving issues for residents, in an area which includes, of course, the Regina Road estate which became nationally notorious for the appalling state of many council flats there, in blocks which are now being demolished.
Carserides’ move into the world of lobbyists, and the overriding interests of their clients, is unlikely to come without some conflicts of interest.
It is 15 years now since David Cameron, then the leader of the Conservatives, gave a speech in which he denounced parliamentary lobbying as “the next big scandal waiting to happen”.
Then Cameron said: “We all know how it works. The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisers for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way.”
It’s telling that all record of that speech, from a party leader en route to Downing Street, has since been erased from the Conservative Party’s website. Perhaps it is the embarrassment, after Cameron was embroiled in a lobbying scandal of his own, pitching for Greensill Capital, using his influence as a former PM to make tens of millions of pounds for himself. Ouch.
There’s no suggestion that Councillor Carserides has done any wrong, nor that he might offer as much of an inside track as a former PM.
Whose side is he on?: Mayor Perry now gives talks at events staged by PRs working for URW
But nor should the pernicious influence of lobbyists on behalf of their clients’ interests be underestimated.
When Croydon Mayor Jason Perry was providing “Breakfast Waffle” in central London last week, he wasn’t doing so on behalf of the people he is elected to represent. He was talking in the Holborn offices of LCA, the PR consultancy that is hired by Westfield.
Carserides’ boss at the Town Hall, Stuart King, the leader of the opposition group at the council, is himself an account director at established and prominent lobbyists The Terrapin Group.
Terrapin specialises in schmoozing local and national politicians, planners and officials on behalf of property developers. They even have one or two journalists in their thrall, too.
Terrapin conducted the consultation for Crystal Palace’s new stand at Selhurst Park.
Terrapin’s client list shows dozens of high-profile businesses, many of whom have or had some kind of stake in Croydon, including Bellway, Fairview, Hub Group, MHA and Amro…
Amro Partners purchased the Croydon Park Hotel from Croydon Council in 2021 for £24.9million – £5million less than the council paid when discredited Labour council leadership duo Tony Newman and Simon Hall pushed through the controversial purchase of the hotel in August 2018. Amro’s development of the Croydon Park site could be worth at least £200million.
The cabinet member in charge of the council’s property disposals through 2021 until May 2022 was Labour Councillor Stuart King.
Lobbyist: Stuart King, the leader of Croydon’s council Labour group
Again, there is no suggestion of any wrong-doing. Indeed, Councillor King has always maintained that he recluses himself from all business dealings at Terrapin that might have any connection to this borough. It is up to you, the reader, to decide if that is in any way a credible position for a leading local politician to take.
What part Councillor Carserides plays in lobbying on behalf of Red Rose’s clients remains to be seen.
The company’s offer, as it touts for clients like some back-street pimp offering the services of its roster of consultants, is pretty blatant and egregious.
“Red Rose Associates is an innovative public affairs consultancy focused on helping businesses and other organisations engage with and influence the new Labour government.” They are selling “influence”.
“Our experts combine extensive consultancy capability with hands-on practical experience working for Labour in various capacities over the last 30 years. This gives us unique insight into the policies and personalities of the next Labour government, helping you stay one step ahead.” Nudge, nudge… wink, wink.
Among Red Rose’s stable of influencers and insiders are a mixed bag of former MPs and Labour Party hacks. Their past clients include the Premier League, McDonald’s, Blackpool council and off-shore gambling interests.
There’s just a chance that some of their sales spiel might be a little over-egged. Louis Carserides’ biography on the company website claims, “Louis has over 10 years of political, policy and communications experience.”
Influence for sale: lobbyists Red Rose Associates’ corporate website is explicit about touting for their clients
Carserides’ own online CV suggests this is an exaggeration. Ten years ago, in 2015, his first jobs out of uni were as a business consultant and marketing exec. Perhaps Red Rose’s claim of “communications experience” means that he spoke to people?
“He is a former Labour DEFRA Special Adviser to the current government and was a political adviser in Shadow Justice when Labour was in opposition.” Both of those jobs were working for his MP, Reed.
“Louis was also an election agent for a Member of Parliament.” That’s Reed again.
So are Red Rose offering some kind of direct entree to the environment secretary? If so, to what end?
At a time when public concern about the influence on law-makers from unelected, unaccountable shady figures is growing ever greater, the need to ensure that local councillors observe the laws intended to ensure proper public scrutiny, transparency and honesty becomes ever greater.
As does the need for the public to ask those seeking public office: just who are you really working for?
Read more: South Norwood councillor quits as special advisor at DEFRA
Read more: #TheLabourFiles: MP Reed, Evans and the Croydon connection
Read more: ‘No records’ after council hired Starmer ally to advise leader
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Seems like he’s no longer a trophy member of Labour, he looks like a good listener though. I’m not sure how he can explain how this isn’t a bit dodgy, I would be all ears.
Such charachters as these opportunistic charlatans who seem to dominate South London Politics do seem to be missing one simple point. They require political power to profit from their influence on decision makers. The half baked corporate politics that Labour is producing is finding them at 20% in the opinion polls and seemingly doing their best to lay down a red carpet to the door of No.10 Downing Street for Adolph Farage. The sweet smell of success dissipates into the rancid body odour of failure if such a Government emerges and the like of Loizos become nothing but Lose’os.
Well I was one of the S Norwood party members who he canvassed to support his nomination due to the departure of Jane Avis. He never advised he worked for gangster Reed. He started good but within months showed his true worth in not putting people first but put his career first. Hence little activity for the people but loads for himself and Reed. I also personally believe he knifed Cummings and Fraser in the back. He and the two S Norwood muppets were one of the reasons I left Labour after 50 years of support. He will not be missed!
Seeing how they treat their own party members, it’s hardly surprising the maltreatment they dish out to the public. Carserides’ career path proves the old adage, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know