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Category Archives: Andrew Fisher
Labour’s task looks tough amid finance and membership woes
As Britain’s long-established political duopoly fractures, ANDREW FISHER looks at what that could mean for Croydon at its next local elections in 2026 For the past 100 years two parties have dominated British politics: the Conservatives and Labour. Since the … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Waddon
Tagged 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Andrew Fisher, Boris Johnson, Brockwell Park, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Jeremy Corbyn, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Keir Starmer, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Nigel Farage, Reform UK, Tory, Waddon, Wes Streeting
15 Comments
It’s bad for Starmer’s Labour and worse for Badenoch’s Tories
ANDREW FISHER has had a busy couple of days, as the clip from LBC above demonstrates, as he has been keeping close watch on the local election results. Here, he considers what they might mean for Croydon The overnight local … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Herne Hill, Jim Dickson, Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, Labour, Lambeth council, Liberal Democrats, Local elections 2025, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Surrey County Council, Tory
11 Comments
What a load of old rubbish! And that’s just inside the Town Hall
There’s only a handful of opportunities each year for the public to question the way their council is being run, but as ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, discovered when watching last night’s full council meeting, it is increasingly obvious that the … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Christopher Herman, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Heathfield House, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Live Facial Recognition cameras, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Veolia, Waddon
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Cllr Callton Young, Cllr Christopher Herman, Cllr Jason Cummings, Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gaza, Green Party, Heathfield House, Israel, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Pension fund, Rowenna Davis, Tory, Waddon
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Bad for disabled people. Bad for unemployment. Bad for growth
Our columnist ANDREW FISHER on the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and the impact it could have on Croydon Last week, Labour announced it would cut £5billion from the social security benefits that disabled people receive. In the Orwellian, anti-truth language now … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Ellen Clifford, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Spring Statement
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The Andrew Fisher Interview: cuts are ‘a life or death issue’
With an estimated one million people facing having their benefits reduced by Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves in an announcement expected next week, our latest Andrew Fisher Interview meets disability rights campaigner Ellen Clifford to talk about what she calls ‘a … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Inside Croydon, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Department for Work and Pensions, Disabled People Against the Cuts, DPAC, DWP, Ellen Clifford, Labour, Labour Government, Podcast, Rachel Reeves, Spotify, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover
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Everything’s going up except Starmer and Labour’s poll ratings
Energy prices up, transport fares up, water bills up, Council Tax up… ANDREW FISHER says that the government’s failure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis could have lasting political impact In December last year, Keir Starmer set out his “Plan for … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon, Keir Starmer, Labour, London, Mayor, National Insurance, Steve Reed OBE, Thames Water
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Labour’s letting water companies take the pee with rising bills
ANDREW FISHER on the contradictions, ironies and utter inadequacy of the government’s approach to the water company polluters; plus even more Council Tax rip-offs coming our way At the end of January, the government passed the Water (Special Measures) Bill … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Business, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Thames Water
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Clive Lewis MP, Council Tax, Croydon, DEFRA, Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs, Labour, Lord Prem Sikka, Margaret Thatcher, Prem Sikka, Southern Water, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Thames Water, Tory, Water (Special Measures) Bill, Water bills, Water companies, Water privatisation
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In-depth and informed: John McDonnell answers our questions
Our latest piece of premium content exclusively available to iC’s paying subscribers is a wide-ranging interview with John McDonnell, the veteran MP and former shadow Chancellor. This is the latest in our The Andrew Fisher Interview series, an Under The … Continue reading
The public knows what matters to them. But does PM Starmer?
Happy New Year? Maybe not for Keir Starmer’s Labour, as it grapples with the twin issues of the economy and the NHS, says ANDREW FISHER in his first column of 2025 This year is likely to be a very tricky … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Croydon, Economy, Labour, London, NHS, Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting
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Here’s our wish-list for a better Croydon and Sutton in 2025
What do you want for Croydon, and Sutton, in 2025? We approached a wide range of figures, including loyal readers, religious leaders, educators and business people for their thoughts – and hopes – for the New Year Ken Towl Addiscombe … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Andrew Fisher, Claire Bonham, Climate Crisis Commission, Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Croydon Insider, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Environment, Housing, Inside Croydon, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Ken Towl, Knife crime, Lloyd Park, Mayor Jason Perry, Nick Mattey, North End Quarter, Peter Underwood, South Bank Poly, Sutton Council, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover, Waste incinerator
Tagged 2025, Addiscombe, Allders, Andrew Fisher, Anna Arthur, Beddington, Bishop of Croydon, Claire Bonham, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Deborah Bowen, Donna Fraser, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Green Party, Jerry Fitzpatrick, John Jefkins, Johnny Dobbyn, Ken Towl, Labour, London, London South Bank University, Maureen Levy, Mayor Jason Perry, Nick Mattey, Peter Underwood, Rt Rev Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Tim Coombe, Vanguard Way, Vanguard Way Association, Whitgift Centre
13 Comments
Government must act to end the chaos, austerity and decline
Will Labour’s council reforms announced this week build a new Jerusalem in our hard-pressed town halls? ANDREW FISHER analyses the government’s English Devolution White Paper, and what it might mean for Croydon Unveiling her new White Paper on Monday, the … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Angela Rayner MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Jim McMahon, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
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Podcast: What Donald Trump’s election win might mean for us
Inflation x Incumbency = political death Inflation x Incumbency x Immigration = political catastrophe, particularly for the Left That’s the devastating equation to take away from the elections in America, according to the latest expert guest on our new podcast … Continue reading
The Andrew Fisher Interview: how to tackle the housing crisis
“Imagine if everyone owned the home they live in.” No, not John Lennon, but the country’s only housing correspondent working for a national newspaper, on her thoughts of how, at a stroke, to do something to resolve the housing crisis … Continue reading
Dear Rachel: Croydon’s a microcosm for much of what is wrong
Ahead of next Wednesday’s Budget, the first Labour Budget in 14 years, columnist ANDREW FISHER, right, has penned this open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves Dear Rachel, Record NHS waiting lists, a housing crisis, growing levels of child poverty, backlogs … Continue reading
Oxford professor explains Budget in Andrew Fisher Interview
“The austerity period that started in 2010 was a first-year undergraduate mistake.” That’s the view of Oxford economics professor Simon Wren-Lewis in the first of a new podcast strand from Under The Flyover, The Andrew Fisher Interview, available exclusively to paying … Continue reading
Gifts, car crash interviews and Starmer’s banger of a speech
After a week going through the debates and expenses declarations at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, analyses the performances of the MPs who represent Croydon It should have been an uplifting and upbeat affair: the … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged #FreeGearKeir, Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Freebies, Hospitality, Keir Starmer, Labour, Labour Party annual conference, Liverpool, Natasha Irons MP, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tory, Winter Fuel Payment
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Labour MPs’ ‘tears’ won’t keep the elderly warm this winter
Why were Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip, and what does it mean? ANDREW FISHER on how Croydon’s MPs voted over the removal of pensioners’ Winter Fuel Payment The decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for 9-out-of-10 … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Gordon Brown, Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Keir Starmer, Labour, Natasha Irons MP, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Blair, Tory, Winter Fuel Allowance, Winter Fuel Payment
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Dear Angela: It’s time for you to act and fund Croydon fairly
Last month, the Croydon Mayor wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister begging for an urgent meeting to resolve the council’s long-standing financial problems after 14 years of Tory austerity. Angela Rayner did not reply. So now ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Angela Rayner, Children's Services, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fund Croydon Fairly, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Public libraries, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tory
16 Comments
Selling off borough’s public libraries is act of social vandalism
In his latest column, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, looks for the real reasons behind closure plans and suggests that the Labour Government should be doing more to help struggling local authorities One of my favourite songs from the 1990s begins … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Education, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Shirley North, Shirley South
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Bradmore Green, Bradmore Green Library, Broad Green, Broad Green Library, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Public Libraries, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Manic Street Preachers, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon, Pillgwenlly, Public libraries, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Library, Shirley, Shirley Library, Tory
9 Comments
A chill wind is blowing as Labour breaks pensioners’ pledge
Columnist ANDREW FISHER on Rachel Reeves, the £20bn ‘black hole’ in government finances and why cutting winter fuel allowance for pensioners is such a bad first move by the new government That the Tories left the country and our public … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Fisher
Tagged Age UK, Andrew Fisher, Conservative, Croydon, Keir Starmer, Labour, Rachel Reeves, Tory, Wes Streeting, Winter Fuel Allowance
9 Comments
Here’s a mandate. Take nothing for granted. We’ve had enough
ELECTION ROUND-UP by STEVEN DOWNES The morning after the night before, the symbolism was redolent everywhere you looked. Even the British summer weather had a say. As Rishi Sunak arrived at Buckingham Palace to see the King and resign as … Continue reading
