Category Archives: 2022 Croydon Mayor election

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

20 safety officers axed in Croydon’s latest ‘cuts by stealth’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Labour leadership wants to replace council staff with high street bounty hunters who get commission on every fine they issue, using a company that has been accused of ‘profiting from poverty’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Whoever is … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Refuse collection, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Council ignored £5m offer to revive Fairfield’s reputation

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Moves to take the management of the troubled arts centre out of the hands of Bournemouth-based BHLive are being resisted by Labour politicians. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Senior officials and the Labour cabinet member in charge of … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Shifa Mustafa, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Half of Shawcross’ team helped keep Newman in power

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: There’s probably a reason that Val Shawcross has neglected to publish details of who is working on her very well-funded Mayoral election campaign: it includes seven councillors who helped to bankrupt the borough. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Carole Bonner, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Maddie Henson, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Sherwan Chowdhury, Simon Hall, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Political duopoly gets helped by preferential vote system

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With postal voting forms dropping through letterboxes this week, ANDY BEBINGTON thinks that the preferential voting system being used to elect the borough’s first executive Mayor is flawed I believe that the electoral method which we have to … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mayor candidate Shawcross’s ‘new’ direction not so new at all

Any ‘clean break’ with the incompetence and graft of the past at Croydon Town Hall that is being offered by Labour Mayoral candidate Val Shawcross appears doomed by her own campaign’s deep-rooted connections with discredited Tony Newman and some of … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Business, Callton Young, Children's Services, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Fly tipping, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Karen Jewitt, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Meals on Wheels, Planning, Refuse collection, Sarah Jones MP, Schools, Sean Fitzsimons, SEND, Sherwan Chowdhury, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayor will have little say over borough’s rubbish contractors

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It is one of the biggest and most important services provided by any local council. But the manner in which the borough has outsourced the management of bin collections, street cleaning and waste disposal and recycling has become … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, idVerde, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Val Shawcross, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Croydon Mencap election hustings, Bingham Road, Apr 23

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Charity | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour staffer caught trying to cheat online election poll

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Professional organiser resorts to devious methods to try to make Shawcross campaign look stronger. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A paid Labour Party official – and a member of the campaign team for Val Shawcross, the party’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Andrew Pelling, Maddie Henson, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council’s planning chief attempts to gag Mayor candidate

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Heather Cheesbrough has lied about her qualifications and covered up for planning staff with too-close connections with private developers. Now she’s trying to block an election candidate calling for her to be sacked. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Tory councillor apologises after breaking his rubbish promise

The local election campaign is heating up, with accusations of sharp practice against some candidates. KEN LEE reports A Tory council candidate in a marginal ward has been forced to issue an apology after breaking a promise to local volunteers … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Jeet Bains | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Take your pick: our ward-by-ward guide to council elections

With a complete listing of all the candidates in Croydon’s May 5 councillor vote, political editor WALTER CRONXITE provides a guide to where the contest for the Town Hall might be won or lost The introduction of Croydon’s first democratically-elected, … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Andrew Pelling, Badsha Quadir, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Caragh Skipper, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Felicity Flynn, Gareth Streeter, Hamida Ali, Helen Redfern, Jade Appleton, Jan Buttinger, Janet Campbell, Jason Perry, Jose Joseph, Kenley, Leila Ben-Hassel, Mike Bonello, New Addington North, Norbury, Norbury Park, Ola Kolade, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, Oni Oviri, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Scott Roche, Selhurst, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, Simon Hall, Simon Hoar, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Steve Hollands, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman, Tony Pearson, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Any would be better for Croydon than the old strong leader’

With a month until election day, hustings for the borough’s first-ever Mayoral contest are coming thick and fast. KEN TOWL went along to last night’s event held in Park Hill, so that you didn’t have to… Val Shawcross really ought … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Ken Towl, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Are you local? Tories seek distance from party-goer Boris

Conservatives in Croydon, hungry for power, are beginning to see the Prime Minister as an electoral liability. By political editor WALTER CRONXITE With election day in one month’s time, Croydon Conservatives, having been first to pick their Mayoral candidate and … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Bromley Council, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, Ellie Reeves MP, Jason Perry, Lambeth Council, South Croydon, Sutton Council, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Croydon’s less-than-magnificent 8: Winston’s back for more

There’s quirkiness and eccentricity among some of the candidates to become the borough’s first executive Mayor, as well as some who perhaps are not quite what they claim to be. Editor STEVEN DOWNES on the confirmed candidates list for May … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Turn your stroll to the ballot box into a march for rights

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The walk to your polling station for the local elections on May 5 can be used to improve accessibility to the countryside for thousands of people, says rambler MICHAEL HOWELLS Walking in nature improves our health and happiness, … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Walks | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tories accused of ‘pandering to prejudice’ over cycle lanes

The Conservatives’ Mayoral candidate is contradicting his own party leader over a roads improvement scheme in South Croydon Jason Perry, the Conservative candidate to become the first executive Mayor of Croydon, has launched a petition which warns against “traffic chaos” … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Boris Johnson, Cycling, Environment, Jason Perry, London-wide issues, Maria Gatland, Michael Neal, Parking, South Croydon, TfL, Transport, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Countdown to election gets underway with poll card dispatch

The poll cards for Croydon’s first Mayoral election on May 5 have been despatched, the council has announced. On May 5, residents will vote for an elected Mayor of Croydon for the first time. They will also vote for 70 … Continue reading

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DEMOC Mayoral Hustings, Chichester Road, Apr 7

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Labour candidate in South Norwood quits over abusive tweets

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Calls for the resignations of party officials after a second failure to properly conduct background checks, as election campaign staggers through its latest controversy. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES There are mounting calls from Labour members in … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Broad Green, Croydon North, Elliott-Jay Munroop, Ramaraj Rajagopal, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Battle to win the narrative sees a fight for 17% ‘don’t knows’

With a little more than a month before the Town Hall elections, ANDREW FISHER, pictured left, sifts through the shifting opinion polls, nationally and across London, to see what we can learn about how people might vote in Croydon Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, London-wide issues, Sarah Jones MP, South Croydon, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pelling set to run as independent for Mayor, and in Waddon

EXCLUSIVE: After 40 years in Croydon politics, councillor decides to run as the ‘non-party’ candidate, offering to axe council rent increases, sack a distrusted council planning director and start a forensic investigation to recover the millions lost on the Fairfield … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Community associations, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

No apology from candidate for abusive and homophobic tweets

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Slack diligence by the Local Campaign Forum missed vile racial slurs, sexist language and homophobic abuse on a wannabe councillor’s social media account. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The committee that is supposed to be running Labour’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Elliott-Jay Munroop, Ramaraj Rajagopal, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Perry’s council seat ‘at risk’ as Labour take 30% poll lead

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2022: Opinions polls and bookmakers both suggest Croydon Tories could fail to win back control of the Town Hall, despite the borough’s bankruptcy under Labour. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Jason Perry, the leader of the Conservative … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Jason Perry, Shirley North, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Council leader Ali announces she won’t seek re-election in May

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tony Newman’s protégé has changed her mind about standing as a councillor in the forthcoming Town Hall elections. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Hamida Ali, the leader of Croydon’s cash-strapped, Labour-controlled council since October 2020, is to stand … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Board, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments