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

Norbury Hill Cubs are for the long jump with Jade Johnson

Commonwealth Games and European athletics championships medallist Jade Johnson will be visiting Norbury Hill Cubs on Saturday morning to put them through their paces. Johnson, recently appointed club Patron at Herne Hill Harriers, will be unveiling the new scooter rack … Continue reading

Posted in Athletics, Education, Herne Hill Harriers, Norbury, Norbury Park, Sport | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Faiths Together Jubilee Summer Picnic, Park Hill Rec, Jun 3

Posted in Activities, Church and religions, Faiths Together In Croydon, Park Hill Recreation Ground | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Garden Party, Shirley, May 28

Posted in Activities, Church and religions, Community associations, Shirley North | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor Perry’s first act is to end planners’ ‘9-9-9 emergency’

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the early moves by the new administration Jason Perry’s first executive act as Croydon’s new Mayor was to start to wind-in the toxic legacy of Paul Scott’s time in charge of planning and development … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Veolia’s low-paid Croydon workers balloted over strike action

Some of Croydon’s rubbish contractor Veolia’s lowest-paid workers are being balloted over strike action. The Unite trades union is asking around 100 refuse workers employed by Veolia as drivers, loaders and sweepers whether they are prepared to take part in … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Mayor Khan hits a baseball home run for Crystal Palace Park

Major League Baseball is coming back to London, starting this summer with what American organisers describe as a “quickfire, non-stop action” version of the game being staged in Crystal Palace Park. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is on a whistle-stop tour … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Park, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Town Hall election reflections from a backbench councillor

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Among the candidates seeking election last Thursday was ROBERT WARD, right, who’s been a Conservative councillor for Selsdon and Addington Village since 2018. Here, he shares his thoughts on a tough campaign, and what the next Town Hall … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Election results leave Labour supporters angry and dismayed

With the final declaration in, WALTER CRONXITE reports on the state of the council after the 2022 elections By the end, the emotions on show at the Croydon Council election count at Trinity School were less those of shock, disappointment … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Broad Green, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jade Appleton, Jason Perry, Katherine Kerswell, Kola Agboola, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Planning, Robert Canning, Sanderstead, Selhurst, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tony Pearson, Val Shawcross, Waddon, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Labour’s Town Hall group in rush to crown King as new leader

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest behind-the-scenes moves by some of those who helped bankrupt the council The Labour group at the council, now reduced to 34 councillors, is moving swiftly to anoint Stuart King as their new leader. … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Hamida Ali, Joy Prince, Manju Shahul Hameed, Paul Scott, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

David Lean Cinema to stage Ukrainian emergency fund-raiser

There is a special charity preview of Olga at the David Lean Cinema tomorrow evening, the result of a partnership between 606 Distribution and the BFI, with the support of the UK Cinema Association. With each ticket sold, a donation … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Cinema, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Council has been left ill-equipped to handle election logistics

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Round after round of redundancies at the council, going back more than a decade, may have led to the shambles of the election count, according to former senior council official ROD DAVIES Without a thorough and open review … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Jon Rouse, Katherine Kerswell | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

No Overall Control: full election results for Croydon’s 28 wards

No overall control. After weeks of campaigning, all the voting and, eventually, all the counting was concluded three days after the polls closed, the final results of the 2022 Croydon local elections were in. With the borough’s first Green councillors … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Kenley, New Addington, New Addington North, Norbury, Norbury Park, Old Coulsdon, Park Hill and Whitgift, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Selhurst, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, South Croydon, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

From bankrupt to laughing stock as council count continues

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the country’s longest-lasting election count, and more unwanted notoriety for Croydon The Croydon election count looks set to head into a fifth day, and its second week, after yesterday’s session at Trinity School managed to … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Clive Fraser, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jason Perry, Jeet Bains, Katherine Kerswell, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Maria Gatland, New Addington, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Addiscombe East to Coulsdon Town: 2022 election results

As Croydon’s 2022 local election count heads towards a fifth day, here are the results declared so far after Saturday’s count. After 10 of the borough’s 28 wards have been declared, the parties stand at: CON  6 LAB 19 GRN … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, South Croydon, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Riesco Gallery reopens with all the colours of Kathakali

After a long closure, mostly due to the covid pandemic lockdown, the Riesco Gallery at the Museum of Croydon has reopened with Life Behind The Costume, an exhibition celebrating Kathakali, a form of drama through dance that originated in Kerala, … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Dance, History, Museum of Croydon, Riesco Collection | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Shock at Dog and Bull after death of landlord Mark Knight

It’s likely to have a subdued atmosphere at the Dog and Bull on Surrey Street today, after the death of the pub landlord, Mark Knight, on Thursday. Knight, 51, had been running the pub, the oldest in Croydon, for nine … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Pubs, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Tory Perry wins historic Mayor election by less than 600 votes

Democracy was kept waiting while council officials struggled with their abacuses. By our sleep-deprived political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Jason Perry has been declared the first elected Mayor of Croydon, after a borough-wide vote sent a message to the local Labour … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Greens, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Trinity School, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

TfL confirms 37 bus routes likely affected by drivers’ strikes

Transport for London has today warned passengers to expect as many as 37 bus routes, operating out of four Arriva garages, to be out of action during next week’s strike action. “Transport for London is advising customers to check before … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Bikes, Commuting, South Croydon, TfL, Thornton Heath, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dombey survives but Sutton results leave LibDems scarred

CARL SHILTON at the election count reports on how senior Liberal Democrats lost their council positions while their party clung on to power, as Labour won their first seats for 20 years The election fight in Sutton turned feral as … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Catherine Gray, Jayne McCoy, Jenny Batt, Luke Taylor MP, Marian James, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Serious questions raised on King’s rule over asset disposals

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council’s erstwhile deputy leader has been named among 75 councillors across the capital who are working for the property and development industry. By STEVEN DOWNES Stuart King, who until Wednesday, at least, was the deputy leader of … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Planning, Property, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tories blame Boris as Westminster and Wandsworth fall

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on a ‘dangerous political moment’ for the Conservative Prime Minister When Boris Johnson got up this morning, he was living in a Labour-controlled local council. Labour won Westminster City Council yesterday, the first time since … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, Fairfield, London-wide issues, Mark Allison, Merton, New Addington, New Addington North, Outside Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Residents’ fund-raising Quiz Night, Old Coulsdon, May 14

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Friends of Farthing Downs, Old Coulsdon | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Springwatch: Join us for our latest guided nature walk, May 21

Make the most of the wonderful natural habitats on your doorstep and join us on Saturday, May 21, for the latest Inside Croydon guided walk. It will be a return visit to local nature reserve Roundshaw Downs, and once again … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Inside Croydon, Nature Notes, Walks, Wildlife | 1 Comment

Croydon’s planners out-strip other boroughs in permissions

EXCLUSIVE: Research based on government figures confirms that Croydon’s planning department has been out-stripping other south London boroughs in giving permission to property developers – at times by a rate of more than 5 to 1. By STEVEN DOWNES Research … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Croydon Voluntary Action names new area vice-chairs

Croydon Voluntary Action has this morning announced co-chairs for its Local Community Partnership in Croydon Central East, which covers Woodside, Shirley North, Shirley South, Park Hill and Whitgift and Addiscombe East wards. CVA – the council-funded umbrella organisation for charities … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, CVA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment