Search Results for: Ken Towl

READER OFFER: Join us for Ken Towl’s Magical Mystery Tour

Inside Croydon’s non-resident rambler is off on his travels again soon. And this time, he’s giving iC’s loyal readers the chance to tag along for the trip. Saturday, April 6, will be Inside Croydon’s first public guided walk, with Ken … Continue reading

Posted in Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Pubs, Walks | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How Winston McKenzie became Croydon’s Public Enema No1

It seems every election has a joker in the pack, and this year Winston McKenzie, the candidate who declared ‘Croydon is a dump!’, is once again seeking your votes. KEN TOWL read his manifesto, so that you wouldn’t have to … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Ken Towl, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fare rises and jerk chicken: Tory Bailey hasn’t much to offer

Shaun Bailey, recently named as the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, was in Croydon last night for what the local Tories tried to bill as a Black History Month event. KEN TOWL went along to see what Bailey had to … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Addiscombe East, Black History Month, Joseph Lee, Ken Towl, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Follow Kenley’s yellow brick road for a high-flying ramble

WANDLE WANDERER: There’s a Bank Holiday coming up and our loyal reader KEN TOWL has found a rambling route of just over two miles which includes a star-gazing observatory, a yellow brick road, the ghostly swishing of gliders, and two … Continue reading

Posted in Coulsdon, Croydon parks, Environment, Kenley, Pubs, Walks, Wandle Wanderer, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Five Hills of Croydon: 20 ramblers, 4 miles, countless memories

PHOTOSTORY: Thanks to all the Inside Croydon readers who joined us on Sunday for our guided walk over five of the ‘seven’ hills of Croydon, following a route suggested in the book Hillwalking London: Ten High-Level Walks to the Heights … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Walks, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Step out with Inside Croydon for a guided walk into the hills

May is National Walking Month, and to do our bit, Inside Croydon is going for a bit of a stroll this Sunday, May 14, and our readers are very welcome to join us! UPDATE: 9am May 11: This guided walk … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Environment, Health, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Walks, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast: Croydon Insider – the Borough of Culture Special

Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Boxpark, Croydon Insider, Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This capital walking guide book rises well above the ordinary

KEN TOWL pulls on his walking boots and, armed with a new ramblers’ guide book, strides on towards the Seven Hills of Croydon. PLUS: Special reader offer with 10% discount on Hillwalking London Guidebooks can be a bit pompous in … Continue reading

Posted in Ken Towl, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Politicians struggle to be heard over iftar’s soup slurping

KEN TOWL broke a Ramadan fast with two out of Croydon’s three MPs and two Mayors (one all togged up). He just couldn’t really hear much of what they had to say The acoustics aren’t great in the Braithwaite Hall, … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Braithwaite Hall, Chris Philp MP, Church and religions, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Faiths Together In Croydon, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry’s budget cuts to cause borough serious legal problems

Last year, the South West London Law Centre provided help and advice to 3,200 people. This year, Croydon Mayor Jason Perry is cutting all council funding to the centre. KEN TOWL attended their annual meeting last week to hear about … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP, South West London Law Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Swedes’ splendid performance. Shame about the empty seats

Her antique opera glasses in one hand, her discounted ticket in the other, arts correspondent BELLA BARTOCK returned to the Fairfield Halls last night, where she had the pick of where to sit How exciting, I thought, to be returning … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Fairfield Halls, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Scorziello steals the show as Coulsdon drama gamble pays off

The latest play being staged by Coulsdon’s high-achieving amdram group succeeds in its huge ambition, says KEN TOWL The people at Theatre Workshop Coulsdon are ambitious. Instead of the relatively light and broadly mainstream fare of amateur theatre, in Machinal, … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Coulsdon, Ken Towl, Theatre, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sampling some good Vybz from Selsdon’s Jamaican restaurant

A start-up business was recommended by their local councillor to seek some promotional publicity from Inside Croydon. KEN TOWL tried the food at Yaad Vybz and got a 5% off offer for this website’s readers Councillor Joseph Lee may have … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Lee, Ken Towl, Restaurants, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Windrush Generation’s exhibition is playing sounds of the 70s

After a week spent playing ‘silly games’ with the borough’s politicians, for a deserved break, KEN TOWL got serious about Lovers’ Rock Croydon’s musical heritage is immense. It is so rich and varied that the council is putting together some … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, History, Ken Towl, Music, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You can depend on Croydon Labour: they always let you down

By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon In the end, it was all so sadly predictable. Yet even old cynics didn’t believe it was really going to happen in such a swift and shabby manner until they actually saw it all … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Ria Patel, Stuart King, Tamar Nwafor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Inside track on Council Tax – listen to our latest podcast here

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Charity, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon FM, Croydon Insider, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Schools, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Teachers in unanimous vote to escalate their strike action

A little bleary-eyed after a night in the Town Hall Chamber schooling recalcitrant politicians about their duties to the public, KEN TOWL was back on the picket lines this morning as teachers ramped up their industrial action Thursday morning, and … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Ken Towl, Schools | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

37-34: Mayor’s 15% Council Tax hike rejected in budget vote

ANDREW FISHER sat through the three-and-a-half hours of last night’s budget non-setting meeting, so that you didn’t have to Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat councillors voted together last night to reject the budget proposal from the borough’s Conservative Mayor, Jason … Continue reading

Posted in Adele Benson, Andrew Fisher, Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Tamar Nwafor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

‘You never mentioned 15% tax hike when seeking election’

Tonight, in the Town Hall Chamber, Inside Croydon contributor KEN TOWL, pictured right, presented a petition that opposes the 15% Council Tax hike and calls for fairer funding for the borough. He was, in effect, speaking on behalf of the … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Art Space in Addiscombe offers a ray of Sunrise with exhibit

KEN TOWL discovers another ray of brightness and joy in Addiscombe’s own haven of art Paul Hall is a miracle worker. With every exhibition he stages, he manages to put together an eclectic but themed collection of artworks and display … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Art, Croydon Art Space, Ken Towl | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Welcome to Croydon! And a town centre designed by Minecraft

KEN TOWL on the latest cheap publicity stunt that seeks to patronise the borough’s youth and encourage them to sign up for an addictive video game, rather than to study design or architecture The first thing to point out is … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Education, Environment, Housing, Jules Pipe, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Out now! Croydon Insider podcast – exclusive for subscribers

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Business, Charity, Community associations, Croydon Insider, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Schools, South Norwood Community Kitchen, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Optivo plays blame game by gas-lighting Addiscombe residents

Residents of shared-ownership homes in Addiscombe, who have spent the past 18 months trying to get an external door lock fixed by their landlords, have angrily accused the housing association responsible of trying to diminish the extent of the issues … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Business, Housing, Ken Towl, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fobbed off: unlocking 18 months of misery with Optivo

Following the Regina Road council flats scandal, much attention has been focused on the appalling record of local authorities in managing and maintaining properties. But as KEN TOWL has discovered, there are some housing associations whose attitude to residents also … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Housing, Ken Towl | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Mayor with no mandate, the BxB homes with no residents

Jubilee street parties, wildfires in our parks and woodlands, further decline on the High Street, and a set of local elections that at Croydon Council they managed to take an agonising four days to deliver the full results. In the … Continue reading

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