Author Archives: insidecroydon

About insidecroydon

News, views and analysis about the people of Croydon, their lives and political times in the diverse and most-populated borough in London. Based in Croydon and edited by Steven Downes. To contact us, please email inside.croydon@btinternet.com

Reform’s arrival in Sutton could clear path for ruling LibDems

The elections on May 7 seem likely to return a Liberal Democrat council – one strengthened by seats won from the Tories by Reform, who are fielding some candidates who don’t even bother disguising their racist views and support for … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Barry Lewis, Carshalton and Wallington, Sutton and Cheam, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Police called after TTIP candidate disrupts police meeting

Police were called out to a meeting held in Woodside on Thursday night when it was interrupted by a man described by eyewitnesses as “aggressive”, “intimidating”, “rude” and “misogynistic”. The disrupted meeting was organised by… Croydon police. The disrupter was … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Community associations, Crime, Knife crime, Policing, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

£40m Trinity School expansion given planning green light

The council’s planning committee has given a green light to a £40million development to expand Trinity School in Shirley Park to ready the independent boys’ school to go fully co-educational by 2031. The scheme is the first major re-build since … Continue reading

Posted in Alasdair Kennedy, Business, Charity, Education, Jason Cummings, Old Palace, Planning, Schools, Shirley South, Trinity School, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Blues at The Oval Tavern, May and June, free entry, 6pm start

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Posted in Addiscombe West, Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Business, Music, The Oval Tavern | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Farm Fest annual fund-raiser, Deen City Farm, Merton, Jun 27

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Posted in Activities, Advertisement, Advertisement features, Charity, Environment, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Perry didn’t ‘fix the finances’. He’s increased debt to £1.7bn

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Is Mayor Jason Perry deceiving voters about the state of Croydon Council’s debt? iC reader SIMON JELLIPOT certainly thinks so At the last local elections in 2022, Jason Perry, the Conservative candidate for Executive Mayor of Croydon, made … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Polling stations in Croydon to use voting aid for first time

For Croydon residents whose vision is impaired, next week’s local elections will represent a breakthrough, as the council is providing special devices in polling stations which will allow them to cast their votes independently and in secret, just like their … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Age UK Croydon, Charity, Croydon Council, Croydon Vision | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Planning control has got worse under developers’ friend Perry

STEVE WHITESIDE has compiled dossiers of evidence that show that nothing much has changed in the council planning department since 2022. In some cases, for the residents living next to some developments that have gone ahead, things have actually got … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Sanderstead | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Plant sale, Pampisford Road allotments, South Croydon, May 4

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Community associations, Gardening, Purley, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Keir Starmer’s niece is council election candidate in safe ward

Party members in Croydon’s second safest Labour ward express concern over the deselection of their sitting councillor, to be replaced with a 20-something with friends in high places. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Sir Keir Starmer’s niece is a local election … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Bensham Manor, Croydon East, Croydon West, Ellie Sandover, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Humayun Kabir, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Polls tighten in Town Hall race as Farage’s grifters get closer

SEVEN DAYS TO GO: You probably don’t want to read ‘It’s too close to call’ again, but judging by the latest, London-wide polling figures just published, the race to be Croydon Mayor is tighter than ever. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Council Tax, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Rowenna Davis, Shirley North, Steve Reed MP, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Sutton LibDem ‘should not be a lawmaker’ after court defeat

INSIDE SUTTON: Following a four-year battle, David Campanale is claiming complete victory over the Liberal Democrats who waged a vindictive campaign against him as their own political candidate, all because of his Christian beliefs. By ROSE HILL With local elections … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, David Campanale, Graham Tope, Luke Taylor MP, Sutton and Cheam, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What the Foakes! Surrey keeper ruled out after bowling injury

HOOK’S SHOT: The county side’s pre-season high expectations fell flat on a succession of flat wickets in the opening month, writes MARCUS HOOK PLUS: England women’s T20 World Cup call-up for teenager Corteen-Coleman  While Surrey continue to pull in the … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, Gareth Batty, Jamie Smith, Marcus Hook, Rory Burns, Sport, Surrey CCC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

True crime show live on stage at Cryer Arts, Carshalton, May 10

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Crime, Cryer Theatre | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

This is where ‘Don’t rock the boat’ has become official mantra

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With local elections fast approaching, the national press has been taking a closer look at Croydon. Business owner NITIN MEHTA posted a comment in response to an article in Murdoch-owned The Times, and here expands on his points … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Broad Green, Business, Crime, Croydon 8/8, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Knife crime, Mayor Jason Perry, North End Quarter, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Mayor Perry now forced into another U-turn over road fines

One month after Inside Croydon reported how a yellow box trap outside East Croydon Station was generating hundreds of thousands of pounds in unfair fines, the council has – probably reluctantly – painted over the offending road markings. JEREMY CLACKSON … Continue reading

Posted in East Croydon, Fairfield, Mayor Jason Perry, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coleridge-Taylor’s old band preparing for fresh set of encores

PETER GILLMAN drops in on a rehearsal at Croydon’s 120-year-old orchestra, as they prepare to perform ‘the greatest symphony ever written’ Who knew that Croydon had its own symphony orchestra? A straw poll among fellow members of the Croydon Male … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Community associations, Croydon Symphony Orchestra, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield Halls, Music, Peter Gillman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gang guilty of industrial-scale fly-tipping across south London

Four men sentenced after they were found to have issued threats and blackmail, destroyed property and, at a site off the Purley Way, cost the property owner £300,000 The scale of the organised criminality which lies behind the scourge of … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley Way, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Following latest deaths, Brigade issues warning on water safety

The London Fire Brigade attended more than 1,500 water-related incidents in the last five years, in which 103 people died. As part of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s “Be Water Aware” campaign, the Brigade is reminding Londoners to respect open … Continue reading

Posted in London Fire Brigade | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Greggs West Croydon in a (sausage) roll-out of secure shops

The town centre and South Norwood are once again bracketed in areas where anti-social behaviour – and shoplifting – is ‘most acute’, as bakery chain opts to make its goods more secure in-store Greggs, the high street bakery and sandwich … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Crime, South Norwood, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Is a ‘Bib and Brace’ actually the most useful outdoor garment?

SPONSORED CONTENT There’s a garment that fishermen, farmers and construction workers have quietly relied on for decades, and most people have completely overlooked it. The bib and brace overall. It’s not exactly the trendiest thing in your wardrobe. It doesn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Inside Croydon | Tagged , | Leave a comment

David Lean Cinema screenings for May at the Clocktower

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Cinema, Community associations, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Minister Reed received hacked files from Labour candidate

While Steve Reed undertakes a witch-hunt against Green election candidates, his own party has selected someone who admitted distributing 77MB of illegally hacked data – including passing the stolen material to Reed himself. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES One of the … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Crime, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, David Evans, Inside Croydon, Southwark Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Stink from Arkwright Road flats smells of council failures

Jason Perry boasts that he halted the overdevelopment of parts of Croydon, caused by SPD2, the hugely unpopular ‘Suburban Design Guide. STEVE WHITESIDE has compiled dossiers of evidence that show that nothing much has changed in the council planning department … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Purley, Sanderstead, Venetia Reid-Baptiste | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Blues at The Oval Tavern, May and June, free entry, 6pm start

C O M M U N I T Y A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Posted in Addiscombe West, Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Business, Music, The Oval Tavern | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment