Category Archives: Bensham Manor

Labour backs plan to build selective school on Green Belt

KEN LEE reports on a planning application that would lead to Croydon getting its first grammar school since the 1970s A planning application is being considered by the council to develop a site in Croydon’s Green Belt, concrete over some … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Chris Philp MP, Coombe Wood School, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Education, Paul Scott, Planning, Schools, South Croydon, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Newman sacks two councillors over bashment ban debate

WALTER CRONXITE on the latest power move by Labour’s council leader Tony Newman, the leader of the Labour-held council, with Soprano-esque savagery, has sacked two councillors in the festering dispute over the implementation of a new licensing policy to favour … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Boxpark, Business, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Dance, Jane Avis, Music, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Council planning chief’s ‘new way of working’ for Brick by Brick

Having managed to piss off people from Upper Norwood to Purley, from Shirley to Coulsdon, Brick by Brick, the council’s wholly owned and wholly opaque home-building company, and the Town Hall planning department are undertaking a pre-Christmas charm offensive. For … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Bernard Weatherill House, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Pete Smith, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Brick by Brick begins its privatisation of public open space

Oh, how we laughed – not – when someone in the offices of the council’s unaccountable property speculators, Brick by Brick, decided to tweet a joke yesterday. “This week we have been mainly painting hoardings…”, they said, apparently channeling The … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Landlord licensing scheme made one prosecution in a year

BARRATT HOLMES on some surprising statistics regarding the borough’s private landlords The Labour-run council’s controversial landlord licensing scheme, which has collected an estimated £6million from the borough’s private landlords, has made just a single prosecution in the past 12 months. … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Caroline Pidgeon, Croydon Council, Housing, Landlord licensing, London Assembly, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Butler agrees to attend panel debate on homelessness

The leaders of the Labour group at the Town Hall may have tried to ban their colleague councillors from speaking to Inside Croydon, but there’s clear evidence that one of them, at least, continues to be an avid reader. Within … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Cinema, Croydon Nightwatch, Housing, Screen25, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council developer delivering just 8% homes for affordable rent

BARRATT HOLMES unveils startling figures from the council on the failure of its own house-builder to deliver on promises to deliver affordable homes There could be one very strong reason that Paul Scott, the controversial chair of Croydon’s planning committee, … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Sadiq Khan, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dispossession: film club stages debate over housing crisis

For some people, a housing crisis means not getting planning permission for a loft conversion. For others it means, quite simply, losing their home. Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle is a feature documentary which is being shown by Stanley’s … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Cinema, Colm Lacey, Croydon Nightwatch, Housing, London-wide issues, Screen25, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Invisible’ Selva suffers knock-out blow from Muhammad Ali

Seconds out! Round four… Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest twists in Labour’s selection saga Alison Butler, the deputy leader of the Labour group on Croydon Council, survived a re-selection scare when members in Bensham Manor this week duly … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Karen Jewitt, Manju Shahul Hameed, Matthew Kyeremeh, Mike Selva, Muhammad Ali, Pat Clouder, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Speakman speaks truth to the council’s powers-that-be

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, on a rare outburst of straight talking among our Town Hall elected representatives “Thank goodness someone finally had the courage to say it,” one very senior Labour councillor confided after Monday night’s full council meeting … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Donald Speakman, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Phil Thomas, Purley, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Labour deputy leader Butler is under threat of de-selection

Croydon Labour’s long-delayed local election candidate selection process is beginning to look like a cross between House of Cards and Game of Thrones, as WALTER CRONXITE reports Alison Butler, the all-powerful deputy leader of the Labour group on Croydon Council, … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Andrew Rendle, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Jane Avis, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Louisa Woodley, Maggie Mansell, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mike Selva, New Addington, Norbury, Oliver Lewis, Shafi Khan, Sherwan Chowdhury, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Skipper gets selected with Henson for Addiscombe East

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the first two councillor de-selections as a Momentum candidate gets picked for next May’s Town Hall elections Labour will field an all-woman slate in Addiscombe East at next May’s local elections, after a ward selection … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Andrew Rendle, Ashburton, Caragh Skipper, David Wood, Maddie Henson, Paul Scott, Selhurst, Stephen Mann, Timothy Godfrey, Toni Letts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trakas-Lawlor votes down Queen’s Hotel expansion plan

Has Croydon’s planning worm turned? KEN LEE reports from the Town Hall chamber, where two developments of little merit were both rejected last night Residents in Crystal Palace are preparing themselves for a long-term battle over the future of the … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Wright, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jamie Audsley, Parking, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Property, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Wayne Lawlor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Negrini’s plea at secret Town Hall meeting to save her own job

KEN LEE reports on a Town Hall meeting to discuss one of the biggest crises in the borough’s history, and which locked out the press and public Jo Negrini, the £185,000 per year council chief executive, issued a thinly veiled … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Barbara Peacock, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Brick by Brick reports £1.1m losses in first trading accounts

BARRATT HOLMES, our housing correspondent, on a set of figures which Jo Negrini would probably prefer you did not know about Brick by Brick, the council-owned housing developer, made a loss of £1.1million in its first full year of trading. … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Planning | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Council left without operator for Ashburton Park venue

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on the strange silence from the council about the faltering fate of one of its flagship projects The latest embarrassing set-back for Tony Newman and his Labour colleagues’ hopes of retaining control of the council … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Alison Butler, Ashburton, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Maddie Henson, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

People Power wins battle of the paper cups in Thornton Heath

There’s been a (minor) victory for People Power in Thornton Heath, as the firm who manage the local pool and leisure centre have promised to reinstate drinking cups at the gym’s water coolers. “We got it wrong,” Fusion Lifestyle said … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Fusion, Jamie Audsley, Leisure services, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Waddon | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Public start the fightback over standards at Fusion centres

The cup of cheer is hardly overflowing for leisure centre users around the borough. Indeed, many don’t have even a paper cup, as KEN LEE reports The borough’s swimming pools and leisure centres are coming in for ever closer scrutiny … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Fusion, Jamie Audsley, Leisure services, Maggie Mansell, New Addington, South Norwood, Thornton Heath Community Action Team, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Butler in U-turn over parks protection: ‘Nothing to see here’

Alison Butler, the Croydon Council cabinet member responsible for planning, has made a U-turn over the future planning status of the borough’s parks. On Saturday, Inside Croydon reported how the government planning inspector had rejected Croydon Council’s efforts to apply … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Federation of Allotment and Garden Societies, Croydon parks, Duppas Hill Park, Environment, Friends of Addiscombe Railway Park, Friends of Ashburton Park, Friends of Croham Hurst Woods, Friends of Crystal Palace Park, Friends of Farthing Downs, Friends of Grange Park, Friends of Grangewood Park, Friends of Haling Grove, Friends of Heavers Meadow, Friends of Marlpit Lane Bowling Green, Friends of Millers Ponds, Friends of Selsdon Woods, Friends of Shirley Windmill, Friends of South Norwood Country Park, Friends of Wandle Park, Friends of West Norwood Cemetery, Peter Underwood, Planning, Queens Gardens, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Tory government still refusing to pay for fitting sprinklers

Work has begun to install sprinklers in 1,250 council-managed flats in tower blocks in Croydon, but the Tory government continues to refuse to provide any financial assistance towards the £10million costs, despite the horrific tragedy at Grenfell Tower earlier this … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Housing, London Fire Brigade, Planning, Schools | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Residents have 48 hours to save 70 parks and open spaces

The people of Croydon have 48 hours left to try to save more than 70 of the borough’s parks and open spaces from being put at serious risk of being handed over to developers to be built on. Alison Butler, … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Duppas Hill Park, Environment, Friends of Addiscombe Railway Park, Friends of Ashburton Park, Friends of Croham Hurst Woods, Friends of Farthing Downs, Friends of Grange Park, Friends of Grangewood Park, Friends of Haling Grove, Friends of Heavers Meadow, Friends of Marlpit Lane Bowling Green, Friends of Millers Ponds, Friends of Selsdon Woods, Friends of South Norwood Country Park, Lloyd Park, Peter Underwood, Planning, Queens Gardens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

‘Stalinist’ Scott moves to censor charity’s Facebook page

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, reports on the latest outbreak of control-freakery in SE25 involving the controversial chair of the council’s planning committee A formal complaint is being submitted to the Labour Party’s London regional office over the conduct of … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Alison Butler, Paul Scott, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Croydon Labour bricking it over Corbyn’s housing policies

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on a game-changer for council homes announced at the Labour Party conference Tony Newman and the leadership of Croydon’s Labour-run council could be on a collision course with their party over their controversial Brick by Brick … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Fisher, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Landlord licensing, Planning, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chicken shops have had their chips if Butler gets her way

Alison Butler, Croydon Council’s deputy leader, has declared war on fast food shops around the borough. In an email sent to her 38 Labour councillor colleagues, seen by Inside Croydon, Butler, the council cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning, … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Boxpark, Business, Croydon Council, Health, Planning, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Pollard’s candidate list ignores five wards in Croydon North

WALTER CRONXITE on another bungled announcement by Croydon Conservatives No matter how hard they try to make it look as if they do give a toss about the north of the borough, Croydon’s Tories really don’t give a shit. And … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe West, Ashburton, Bensham Manor, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Gareth Streeter, Gavin Barwell, Helen Pollard, Jeet Bains, Kenley, Purley, Selhurst, Shirley North, Simon Hoar, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Hollands, Sue Winborn, Thornton Heath, Tim Pollard, Vidhi Mohan, Waddon, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments