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Category Archives: 2026 council elections
Starmer shocker: could Gorton and Denton happen here?
Our resident psephologist, WALTER CRONXITE, crunches the numbers after a disastrous by-election result at Gorton and Denton for the Labour Prime Minister, with local elections across London, including in Croydon, just 70 days away The Green Party’s historic parliamentary by-election … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon East, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Andy Burnham, Camden, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gorton and Denton byelection, Green Party, Hackney, Hannah Spencer, Keir Starmer, Lambeth, Lewisham, London Borough of Croydon, Manchester, Natasha Irons MP, Sarah Jones MP, Southwark, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory, Zack Polanski
17 Comments
Perry has stabilised council finances in state of perpetual crisis
TV and radio politics pundit ANDREW FISHER, right, sat through three hours of false claims and spin at the Town Hall last night, as Croydon’s £87,000 per year lame duck Mayor still says he has done a decent job “I … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, SEND
Tagged 2026 council budget, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Andrew Fisher, Budget, Capitalisation direction, Commissioners, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, EFS, Exceptional financial support, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
9 Comments
£84,000 per year Tory Mayor approves his own pay rise
EXCLUSIVE: It’s trebles all-round for directors at Croydon’s cash-strapped council, as there’s a second generous pay rise in 12 months for council chiefs, while allowances paid to councillors are also to rise, and amount to £1.6m per year. Yet long-suffering … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged 2026 council budget, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Budget, Capitalisation direction, Cllr Scott Roche, Commissioners, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, EFS, Elaine Jackson, Exceptional financial support, Jenny Rowlands, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Tony Newman, Tory
3 Comments
Perry begs for another £119m to balance his busted budget
Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, who has hiked Council Tax by 33% since 2023, still needs another £119m government bail-out to make his council budget balance. By STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry, Croydon’s Conservative Mayor, has got his begging bowl out again to … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, SEND
Tagged 2026 council budget, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Budget, Capitalisation direction, Commissioners, Conservative, Council budget, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, EFS, Exceptional financial support, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, S114, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Steve Reed OBE, Tory
8 Comments
Labour refuse to respond to Cummings’s budget challenge
WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, on a sham challenge issued to rival political parties by a borrowing-dependent Conservative administration that is trying to con the public that they have ‘fixed the finances’ As Tory Mayor Jason Perry prepares to deliver what … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Claire Bonham, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged 2026 council budget, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Cllr Stuart King, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Lollipop patrols, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Tory
9 Comments
Budget-buster Perry hires another six-figure salaried ‘interim’
KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on the latest £150,000 per year staff signing by Croydon’s bankrupt council Jason Perry, Croydon’s £84,000 per year executive Mayor who has closed four public libraries to save money and axed lollipop road safety … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Jenny Rowlands, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice
Tagged Camden Council, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Georgia Gould, Interim assistant chief executive, Interims, Jenny Rowlands, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
13 Comments
Pictures on our streets show we need more art in Croydon
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Pablo Picasso said, ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’, and PETER UNDERWOOD believes that our borough, and its many outstanding arts organisations, could do with a bit more of the dust being washed … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Greens, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, National Gallery Art On Your Doorstep, Peter Underwood, Poetry, Queens Gardens, Talawa Theatre Company, Turf Projects
Tagged Art, Art On Your Doorstep, Auguste Rodin, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Mayor, National Gallery, National GalleryArt, Pablo Picasso, Peter Underwood, Queens Gardens, Talawa Theatre Company, The BRIT School
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Davis’s Valentine’s message: I’ll mend Croydon’s broken heart
EXCLUSIVE: Labour candidate issues public apology for ‘some things that my party has done in the past’ in crashing Croydon Council’s finances Rowenna Davis has revealed how she has been talking to a consortium of around 12 potential investors and … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Alison Butler, Andrew Fisher, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Executive Mayor of Croydon, Mayor of Croydon, Patreon, Paul Scott, Rowenna Davis, S114, S114 notice, Simon Hall, Spotify, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Tony Newman
5 Comments
33% Council Tax increase: Mayor Perry’s legacy for Croydon
Typical households will be paying £600 more in Council Tax in the coming year than they did before the Conservative Mayor took office, while yet more services are cut. But part-time Perry and his councillor colleagues did vote themselves a … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Conrad Hall, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Katherine Kerswell, Peter Underwood, Section 114 notice, Stuart King, West Thornton
Tagged 33% Council Tax hike, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, The Green Party, Tory
17 Comments
Labour issues late appeal for election candidates to volunteer
EXCLUSIVE: With little more than 12 weeks until polling day, the party of Mandelson, McSweeney and Starmer has yet to name its candidates in 11 of this borough’s 28 voting districts. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor The Labour Party in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Coulsdon, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Purley, Rowenna Davis, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Tory, Waddon
6 Comments
Surrey Street market trader Joseph quits Labour in race row
Jose Joseph, the Surrey Street market stall-holder and one of the best-recognised faces on the local political scene, has quit the Labour Party, accusing it of “discrimination and toxic behaviour”. In a brief statement shared with party colleagues, Joseph announced … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Chris Clark, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, Fairfield, Jose Joseph, Surrey Street
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 local elections, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Labour Party, Croydon West, Croydon West CLP, Green Party, Jose Joseph, Julie Setchfield, Labour, Labour NEC, Labour Party, Labour selections, London Borough of Croydon, Surrey Street Market, The Green Party, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Labour’s Davis looks to CPO the ‘hole in the heart of Croydon’
Mayoral candidate intends to discuss a Compulsory Purchase Order of Chinese-owned property with Prime Minister on his return from Beijing. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour’s candidate for Croydon Mayor, Rowenna Davis, says that if elected in May she will look … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Nestle Tower, Property, Rowenna Davis, St George's Walk, Waddon
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Allders, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hammersfield, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Minerva, Nestle Tower, R and F Properties, R&F Properties, Rowenna Davis, St George's Walk, Tory, Waddon, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
14 Comments
Conservative councillor’s secret past as an IRA gun-runner
After 24 years on Croydon Council, Maria Gatland will be standing down at the elections in May, her explosive past still unknown by many of the residents she represents. PETER GILLMAN provides the inside story When Tory councillor Maria Gatland … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, Community associations, Croham Hurst, Friends of Croham Hurst Woods, Maria Gatland, Peter Gillman, South Croydon
Tagged Cllr Maria Gatland, Conservative, Croham, Croham Hurst, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dublin, Friends of Croham Hurst, IRA, London Borough of Croydon, Maria Gatland, Maria Maguire, Peter Gillman, Provisional IRA, South Croydon, Sunday Times, Sunday Times Insight team, To Take Arms, Tory
7 Comments
Polanski is running for election, right through Croydon’s streets
The Green Party’s latest Party Political Broadcast, shown across the country on the BBC and ITV, offered a message of hope straight from the streets of Croydon. The Jubilee Bridge underpass, side streets off Church Road and Edridge Road, with … Continue reading
Reform backs policy that could see children killed on our roads
What is Nigel Farage’s political company of grifters proposing for Croydon? To remove current 20mph speed limits on our streets. Columnist ANDREW FISHER, right, lays out the science and the facts in the face of far-right rhetoric I’ve lived in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Transport
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, 20mph, 20mph zones, Andrew Fisher, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Reform, Donald Trump, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Nigel Farage, Peter Morgan, Reform Ltd, Reform UK, Sharon Carby, Tory
7 Comments
Labour makes new U-turn as Señor Vestey opts to stand down
INSIDE SUTTON: Just days after his local party posted leaflets online calling on supporters to vote for him in May, the controversial councillor on the Costa has changed his mind – but that won’t stop him pocketing thousands of pounds … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, Dave Tchil, Sheldon Vestey, Steve Alvarez, Sutton Council
Tagged Cllr Sheila Berry, Cllr Sheldon Vestey, Cllr Steve Alvarez, Conservative, Hackbridge, Labour, Margaret Thomas, Señor Sheldon Vestey, Sheldon Vestey, St Helier West, Steve Alvarez, Sutton Council, Tory
4 Comments
No apologies from Señor Vestey over three conduct complaints
INSIDE SUTTON: A Labour councillor who moved home to Spain more than a year ago has refused to comply with recommendations of a committee that found him to have broken the Code of Conduct multiple times. EXCLUSIVE by CARL SHILTON, … Continue reading
Starmer visits Ikea Croydon – but not to assemble new cabinet
Keir Starmer, the son of a tool-maker, managed a quick, and secretive, visit to Ikea in Croydon this morning. It was suggested that he may have been looking for a new cabinet, because the one he’s got in Downing Street … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon East, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged Croydon, Croydon East, Croydon West, Ikea, Keir Starmer, Natasha Irons MP, Prime Minister, Sarah Jones MP, Sir Keir Starmer, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North
5 Comments
Corbyn-Sultana in-fighting scuppers Your Party’s election bid
Denied campaign funds and details of their own members, the new party will struggle to field candidates in May’s local elections. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Your Party, the socialist party launched last summer by ex-Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Broad Green, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Jeremy Corbyn, Karie Murphy, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Peter Underwood, Ruskin House, West Thornton, Zack Polanski, Zarah Sultana
4 Comments
In one-hour interview, pandering PM Starmer offers no answers
Columnist ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, begins the New Year doing a spot of TV reviewing, and reveals how four of Croydon’s mayoral candidates will be invited to take part in his podcast interviews To start 2026, we were treated to … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher
Tagged Andrew Fisher, BBC, Conservative, Croydon, Green Party, Keir Starmer, Labour, Laura Kuenssberg, Liberal Democrats, London, London Borough of Croydon, Sir Keir Starmer, The Fraud: Keir Starmer Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy, Tory
3 Comments
Reed’s loyal Streatham SPAD gets transferred into No10
Political Editor WALTER CRONXITE on a Whitehall transfer which may have considerable significance Steve Reed, the MP for Streatham (and Croydon North if he can be bothered), who has been implicated in spying on his colleague councillors in Lambeth and … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, Mike Bonello, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman, Woodside
Tagged Croydon, Downing Street, Green Party, Keir Starmer, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mike Bonello, Morgan McSweeney, No10, No10 Downing Street, Oscar Harman, Paul Holden, Sir Keir Starmer, Southwark Council, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, The Fraud, The Fraud: Keir Starmer Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy, Tony Newman, Woodside, Zack Polanski
2 Comments
Mayor Perry is failing to ‘fix the finances’ at his own family firm
EXCLUSIVE: The latest annual accounts for Carlton Business Plastics, the family business run by entrepreneur and part-time Mayor Jason Perry, show that his company is suffering a financial crisis of its own. By SANDRA STEAD There is good reason for … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Beddington Industrial Estate, Carlton Business Plastics Ltd, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
5 Comments
