Category Archives: Crystal Palace Park Trust

How Labour is working to lose local elections in Waddon

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: It is 10 weeks today until the local elections, and party members in Waddon now have to select a new candidate to replace one who helped win the ward eight years ago. Here deselected and now … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

London Mayor joins critics of ‘unlawful’ Local Plan review

‘Ludicrous’, ‘grotesque’ and ‘vandalism’ are some of the milder rebukes aimed at the council’s planning department’s latest piece of developer-friendly work. And now Sadiq Khan has joined the critics, while a Tory MP is threatening a Judicial Review. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

TfL says Croydon Flyover is in need of urgent safety works

The Croydon Flyover could soon be assessed as in a state of dangerous disrepair and closed to traffic because Transport for London does not have the money required to carry out urgent repairs that are required. That’s according to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Boris Johnson, Heidi Alexander, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Whitgift Estate is at risk from ‘a short-termist act of vandalism’

VAL SHAWCROSS, Labour’s candidate for Mayor, has entered the row over the Local Plan review, opposing the proposed intensification and warning that something beautiful within the character of Croydon could be lost Following a recent visit to the Whitgift Estate … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Park Hill and Whitgift, Planning, Property, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Lewis is given another £1.3m to spend on Fairfield Halls

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Somehow, our cash-strapped council has managed to find a spare million to hand to the under-performing operators of the town centre’s arts venue, thanks to the recommendation of a new employee of The Campaign Company. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading →

Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, New Addington South, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Toxic legacy that could destroy borough’s character forever

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council is running a consultation (another one), this time over its proposals to increase the amount of housing intensification it will allow across the borough. ANITA SMITH shares her concerns about the changes to the Local Plan … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, Planning, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Council got £70m Fairfield Halls refurb wrong from the start

CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was ‘insane’ to grant a licence to Brick by Brick for the refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, and that led to the £70m ‘shitshow’. Mayoral candidate VAL SHAWCROSS responds to the auditors’ Report In The Public … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Local Labour party withholds campaign funds in Pelling dispute

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: There are just 99 days to go until the local elections, but after a members’ meeting last night the party in power at the Town Hall will be forced to campaign with much less cash than … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poll misery for Perry as #Partygate could cost him council seat

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The latest opinion polls suggest that despite bankrupting the borough, Labour could increase its number of councillors in May’s Town Hall elections. STEVEN DOWNES reports Inside Croydon’s mole in the lawns of Croydon Tories’ suburban Purley headquarters … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Jason Perry, Maria Gatland, Michael Neal, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, South Croydon, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Careful what you wish for: Town Hall deadlock would be chaos

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With four months until the local elections and first-ever Mayoral election in Croydon, here local Conservative Party member BEN GADSBY says that the voting outcome is not a foregone conclusion In 16 weeks, Croydon will have its first-ever … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Croydon Council, Jason Perry, Val Shawcross | 6 Comments

The Buck stops here: Labour campaign disarray after fixer quits

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The party’s local organiser has quit his job just months before council elections after a row over how much backing to give to Val Shawcross’s Mayoral campaign. And there’s only a short-term plan for a replacement. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Central, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Liability Johnson could see Tories lose Wandsworth – and more

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on some extraordinary polling for the Conservatives which exposes how deeply unpopular their bungling Prime Minister has really become A senior Conservative peer is predicting that his party will lose the flagship boroughs of Wandsworth … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Bexley, Boris Johnson, Bromley Council, Jason Perry, London-wide issues, Sutton Council, Val Shawcross, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

De-selected councillor Pelling: ‘This is damaging my health’

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The target of an anti-democratic disciplinary process has made it clear that his party’s pursuit of him is damaging him, while further de-selections of council candidates are threatened. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Andrew Pelling, the Labour … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Shawcross selected with 76.5% of local Labour Party vote

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the inevitable outcome of Labour’s highly controlling mayoral selection process Val Shawcross has been selected as Labour’s candidate in the Croydon Mayoral contest next May, after polling 76.5 per cent of the vote. The laborious … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Callton Young, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Shawcross Redemption: coming back to fix Croydon

Val Shawcross has spent her life in public service – a charity worker, then New Addington councillor and Croydon council leader in the 1990s; London Assembly member for nearly 20 years; London’s deputy mayor at City Hall in the 2010s; … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Callton Young, Jason Perry, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, No1 Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Gove won’t ‘level up’ with an extra £1.50 per person per year

With the government’s settlement for local councils announced this week, our columnist ANDREW FISHER takes a look at what Michael Gove and his so-called ‘Levelling Up’ department is really offering “Billions more for councils to build back better” reads the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Managed democracy’ stifles members’ interest in the Mayor

In his latest column, ANDREW FISHER (left) zooms in on the inward-looking and slow process for Labour to choose the party’s candidate to stand for election as the borough’s first executive Mayor Having stifled members’ options, the selection panel in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Jamie Audsley, Ken Livingstone, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Audsley has nowhere to run after Labour selection stitch-up

The insular and inward-looking local Labour Party is limping towards the finish line of a foregone conclusion, weeks after the Tories and Greens began campaigning to get their candidates elected as Croydon Mayor. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Labour’s laborious selection … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Croydon North, Croydon South, Jamie Audsley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Manju Shahul Hameed, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Shawcross leads the way in first Labour Mayor nominations

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on a night of embarrassing snubs for the three Newman’s numpties who are seeking selection to be their party’s candidate in next year’s mayoral election Val Shawcross last night stormed to a decisive victory at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Croydon Central, Jamie Audsley, Manju Shahul Hameed, Sarah Jones MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Newman backers say they want to be Labour’s Mayor candidate

Next week marks one year since the council was forced to declare itself effectively bankrupt. For some senior Labour councillors, it’s almost as if they played no part in the borough’s financial collapse. By STEVEN DOWNES Three members of Tony … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Jason Perry, Manju Shahul Hameed, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Former City Hall chief Shawcross enters Croydon Mayor race

By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Valerie Shawcross, a former deputy mayor of London and widely acknowledged as one of the best leaders of the council Croydon has ever had, wants to be Labour’s candidate to run in the election for … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Labour to pick their Mayor candidate just in time for Christmas

EXCLUSIVE: Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reveals how Labour is giving potential mayoral candidates barely a week to put themselves forward for a selection process which appears to have Steve Reed’s fingerprints all over it Anyone wanting to be considered as … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Carole Bonner, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Jason Perry, Leila Ben-Hassel, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wireless exposes disconnect between Bromley and neighbours

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The impact of the Wireless Festival in Crystal Palace Park last weekend, and its effect on residents in neighbouring boroughs has seen GLYNN McDONALD raise some serious questions of the park’s new trust The Wireless Festival staged in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bromley Council, Business, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust, Music, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Park trust forced to issue apology after raucous rap weekend

The Crystal Palace Park Trust and its new chief exec, Bill LoSasso, faced their first crisis at the weekend, as controversy engulfed the Wireless Festival, a three-night rap event drawing crowds of 50,000 per day, where one star was arrested … Continue reading →

Posted in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust, Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Month-long music festival aims to ‘reboot the Rusty Laptop’

A month-long festival of music, featuring acts from Dizzee Rascal to Supergrass to the English National Opera performing Tosca, and all taking place on a floating stage, has been announced today as the Crystal Palace Bowl seeks to re-establish itself … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Charity, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Bowl, Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust, Music, South Facing Festival | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment