Category Archives: Ben Flook

#LocalElections2026: Greens make bigger inroads than Reform

Final result (after 28 wards declared): Lab 30 (-4), Cons 28 (-5), Grn 7 (+5), LibDem 2 (+1), Oth* 1, Ref 2 (+2) Ellie Sandover, niece of Labour PM Keir Starmer, elected to council for Bensham Manor ward Mark Adderley, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Adele Benson, Barry Lewis, Ben Flook, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Dave Tchil, Elaine Jackson, Ellie Sandover, Fairfield, Graham Mitchell, Housing, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Kenley, Kola Agboola, Leila Ben-Hassel, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Natasha Irons, New Addington North, Nick Mattey, Norbury, Norbury Park, Old Coulsdon, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Ainscough, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Sadiq Khan, Sanderstead, Sarah Jones MP, Selhurst, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton Council, Thornton Heath, Tim Foster, Tom Drummond, Tony Pearson, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

‘The vote on the left split more than the vote on the right’

ELECTION COMMENTARY: Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, may have been handed another four years in office, but the voting numbers declared yesterday spell trouble for the borough’s other Conservatives. By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Chris Philp MP, Conrad Hall, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Elaine Jackson, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

#LocalElections2026: Live coverage from the Croydon count

Tory Jason Perry clings on to power as Croydon Mayor, dealing crushing blow to Labour’s hopes as he wins second term by 1,113 votes from Rowenna Davis It’s Conservative carnage in Sutton Labour losses in Wandsworth and Westminster Reform charmer … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Adele Benson, Barry Lewis, Ben Flook, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Dave Tchil, Elaine Jackson, Ellie Sandover, Fairfield, Graham Mitchell, Housing, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Kenley, Kola Agboola, Leila Ben-Hassel, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Natasha Irons, New Addington North, Nick Mattey, Norbury, Norbury Park, Old Coulsdon, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Ainscough, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Sadiq Khan, Sanderstead, Sarah Jones MP, Selhurst, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton Council, Thornton Heath, Tim Foster, Tom Drummond, Tony Pearson, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Labour’s Davis should be in front when final whistle is blown

ONE DAY TO GO: An unusually subdued local campaign enters the final day with a last-minute visit from the Leader of the Opposition to try to salvage the Tory Mayor’s hopes of re-election. WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, sifts through the … 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, Michael Pusey, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Rowenna Davis, Steve Reed MP, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 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

#DigitalDebate: Inside story from Croydon’s first e-hustings

Our hustings correspondent, KEN TOWL, has seen plenty of pre-election meetings before, but never one quite like this, as Inside Croydon brings the candidate debate into the 21st Century  Charmingly chaired by Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, this was like no other hustings … Continue reading

Posted in #DigitalDebate, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Croydon Greens, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The state of politics is a tragedy. It’s important that you vote

Have you been underwhelmed by the Croydon local election campaigns  so far? ANDREW FISHER, pictured left, certainly has How are the campaigns going in Croydon? “What campaigns?” you might ask. Walking around my local neighbourhood (a knot of 20 roads … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Ben Flook, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The ex-Tories standing for Reform all set for New Addington

After the mass resignation a fortnight ago of around a dozen members, including some candidates, Reform is trying to re-stage its New Addington walkabout tomorrow morning, with a promised ‘star guest’. WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, reports  Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Reform, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Adam Kellett, Ben Flook, Dan Milner-Tebbutt, Donald Speakman, Jose Joseph, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington South, New Addington North, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Election countdown: splintered voting could see Davis win

Less than one month until election day, our Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, looks at the latest polls and by-elections to assess – or guess – how the Croydon electorate will vote for executive Mayor on May 7 While the government … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Council Tax, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Shirley North, Sutton Council, Tony Newman, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Our news podcast looks at bins, cold cases, LTNs and Reform

The new episode of The Croydon Insider, our regular round-table, news panel discussion podcast thingy, looks at recent events in Croydon, including the Reform party’s rally at the Fairfield Halls, where they revealed their candidate for Croydon Mayor – and … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Community associations, Croydon Insider, Fairfield Halls, Fly tipping, Inside Croydon, Litter Free Norbury, Nadia Azizuddin, Neil Bennett, Refuse collection, Tony Hooker, Under The Flyover, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s no Flook: dozen Reform members resign over candidate

ELECTION EXCLUSIVE: Reform in Croydon is in meltdown, with members resigning over top-down decisions from Farage HQ. WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, reports on the Fairfield Halls exercise in onanism, where the real fireworks were going off backstage  Grifter-in-chief Nigel Farage … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Dan Milner-Tebbutt, Jose Joseph, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington South, New Addington North, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Reform’s candidate for Mayor bottles it ahead of Farage visit

ELECTION EXCLUSIVE: Less than 48 hours before he was due to be unveiled at the Fairfield Halls as his party’s pick to head their campaign in Croydon, Dan Milner-Tebbutt resigned. Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reveals his replacement, another Conservative defector … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Dan Milner-Tebbutt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments