Category Archives: Ian Parker

Here’s the Mayor and 33 Croydon Tory councillors who THREE times voted in favour of hitting you with a 15% Council Tax hike

JASON PERRY. Mayor of Croydon Elected in May 2022 with a margin of fewer than 600 votes. Is paid £82,000 per year by the council. His office answers the phone just 20 hours per week. Stood on a election promise … Continue reading

Posted in Adele Benson, Andrew Stranack, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fatima Zaman, Helen Redfern, Ian Parker, Jade Appleton, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Joseph Lee, Lynne Hale, Margaret Bird, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Ola Kolade, Richard Chatterjee, Robert Ward, Scott Roche, Simon Brew, Simon Fox, Sue Bennett, Tony Pearson, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Conservatives recruit social media expert for local elections

Our south of the borough reporter, PEARL LEE, on the latest efforts to win political control of the Town Hall Croydon Tories are gearing up for a battle to win back control of Croydon Town Hall – just in time … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Croydon Council, Ian Parker, Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Budget is approved but Labour council haunted by its past

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Back-to-back meetings yesterday pushed through the paperwork to balance the books and increase Council Tax. But Hamida Ali’s administration cannot shake off its part in the borough’s financial calamity. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor With the £120million … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Chris Buss, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Ian Parker, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Lynne Hale, Maddie Henson, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Vidhi Mohan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coulsdon councillors distance themselves from plotter Morgan

Our fringes of Surrey correspondent, PEARL LEE, on the latest developments in the intrigue and dispute around a residents’ association Coulsdon’s Tory councillors have finally called time on the illicit takeover of a residents’ association. Coulsdon Town councillors Ian Parker, … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Ian Parker, Luke Clancy, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Car lobbyist’s Christmas ‘coup’ over Coulsdon residents’ group

Our south of the borough correspondent, PEARL LEE, finds a controversial right-winger bending rules to grab control of a local association Peter Morgan, the resident of east Coulsdon notorious for having been kicked out of UKIP and the Tory parties, … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

New leader Ali is set to confront ‘shocking’ council finances

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After winning a Labour group selection battle by 22 votes to 19 over Alisa Flemming, Hamida Ali tells her supporters ‘the hardest graft ever is about to start’. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Hamida Ali has no … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Hamida Ali, Ian Parker, Knife crime, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Former Barwell aide tweets his support for ‘Tommy Robinson’

Shaun Bailey, the very dim Tory candidate for London Mayor, came in for another round of criticism last night after his Twitter account posted praise for the supporters of far-right racist extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known to some as “Tommy Robinson”. … Continue reading

Posted in Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Residents’ association issues apology for ‘Chinese virus’ tweet

Our south of the borough correspondent, PEARL LEE, reports on how a Tory-backed group in Coulsdon has cause to regret handing its social media account over to a far-right agitator The Coulsdon West Residents’ Association, only reformed recently with the … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Ian Parker, Luke Clancy, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Creatura Files (Pt 1): Tories breaking data laws (again)

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reveals the damning verdict of an official investigation into misuse of Croydon residents’ personal data by Mario Creatura, the Coulsdon Conservative councillor who is so desperate to become an MP that he’s been breaking the law … Continue reading

Posted in Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

4.88% Council Tax increase gets backing from Croydon Tories

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on how the opposition group last night supported tax increases in the ‘last Blairite council in London’ The Conservative “opposition” group on Croydon Council last night voted with the majority Labour councillors to see Council … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Health, Helen Redfern, Ian Parker, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Niro Sirisena, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PM’s £88,000 a year SPAD who does no councillor surgeries

Mario Creatura, the Croydon Conservative councillor who has been over-promoted from being a Tory MP’s bag-carrier to become the Prime Minister’s Twitterer-in-chief, was forced to delete a tweet from his own account yesterday after he made false accusations about the … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Luke Clancy, Mario Creatura, Old Coulsdon, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Say it ain’t so, Joe: Lee has changed his tune on policing

ELECTION COUNTDOWN: Croydon’s Tories seem confused about the home address of one of their local election candidates, while another has previously campaigned for more spending on police and youth facilities, when he was a LibDem parliamentary election candidate. WALTER CRONXITE … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Ian Parker, Jeet Bains, Joseph Lee, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tories accused of breaking their own rules over selections

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on complaints of undemocratic interference in the candidate selection process, and too much influence from the local party leader in those allowed to stand in May’s Town Hall elections At least four of Croydon’s longest serving … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Chris Wright, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Donald Speakman, Fairfield, Helen Pollard, Ian Parker, Mike Fisher, Purley, Shirley North, Steve Hollands, Sue Winborn, Tim Pollard, Vidhi Mohan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Police drop investigation into MP Barwell’s election expenses

WALTER CRONXITE reports on how the forces of law and order have decided not to investigate a government minister It seems that the police haven’t bothered to read Gavin Barwell’s election memoir. They will not be unique in that respect, … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Crime, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Richard Ottaway MP | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Croydon Tories still don’t grasp meaning of data protection

Croydon Tories clearly do not understand the meaning of the word “Protection” in the title of the Data Protection Act. Last week Inside Croydon published a report on how the local Conservative Party, and its Town Hall group leader, Tim … Continue reading

Posted in Coulsdon, Helen Pollard, Ian Parker, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

MP Barwell tries to claim election office cost just £1.84 per day

Tory MP Gavin Barwell, who won the Croydon Central parliamentary seat last May by just 165 votes, has tried to meet strict election spending limits by submitting that his campaign office cost only £1.84 a day. The Daily Mirror is … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Police receive complaint over MP Barwell’s election expenses

Gavin Barwell is the subject of a formal complaint to the police which asks them to investigate whether the Croydon Central Tory MP broke the law by under-declaring his campaign spending at last year’s General Election. Barwell has form in … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Barwell’s forgotten campaign boost from Tory Road Trip

STEVEN DOWNES reports on how Gavin Barwell’s account of his election victory last year somehow managed to overlook the day when a Cabinet minister and more than 100 Tory activists visited the borough to help him Is this a picture … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

New job for former top cop Osland in Croydon Tories’ coup

Some within the Croydon Tories are attempting a coup to sack the local Conservative Federation’s chairman and replace him with the controversial retired senior policeman who was criticised in the inquiry into the brutal death of Stephen Lawrence. According to … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Ashburton, Coulsdon West, Croydon Central, David Osland, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura, Mike Fisher | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Barwell backs down over interns: now he wants ‘volunteers’

Gaffe-prone Gavin Barwell, the Tory MP for Croydon Central, has as good as admitted he may have been breaking the law by recruiting interns to work on his re-election campaign unpaid for up to six months. Not for the first-time, … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tory MP wants election helpers to work unpaid for six months

Croydon Central’s gaffe-prone MP Gavin Barwell is seeking a couple of slaves, or possibly a pair of recent graduates who are gullible enough or desperate enough, and also have well-heeled parents who don’t mind subsidising the Tory MP’s election campaign for up … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Residents appear helpless to halt the ‘Curse of Coulsdon’

Ignored and unheeded, the residents of Coulsdon appear to have few options in their opposition to aspects of the Cane Hill housing development, writes ANDREW PELLING None of the Conservative party’s six Coulsdon councillors attended Friday’s Community Centre meeting, which … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Cane Hill, Chris Wright, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Croydon Council, David Osland, Gavin Barwell, Ian Parker, Jeet Bains, Justin Cromie, Planning, Terry Lenton, URV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council allowances and local politicians’ secret consensus

CROYDON COMMENTARY: There’s one cut-back our Town Hall politicians won’t make, writes STEVEN DOWNES Here’s a proposal you will not find in any party’s local election manifesto – if Croydon’s Tories ever get round to publishing a statement of policies … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dudley Mead, Ian Parker, London Assembly, Mike Fisher, Steve O'Connell, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Tories dump councillor No3 as Barwell strengthens his hand

Andy Stranack was duly selected on Saturday night as a Tory candidate for Heathfield ward in May’s local elections. Stranack’s selection saw a third sitting Conservative councillor dumped in the selection process so far and provided the latest sign that … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Croydon Central, Dudley Mead, Eddy Arram, Gavin Barwell, Heathfield, Helen Pollard, Ian Parker, Jason Cummings, Justin Cromie, Lynne Hale, Margaret Mead, Phil Thomas, Sanderstead, Sara Bashford, Selsdon & Ballards, Steve Reed MP, Tim Pollard, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Cromie pays price of conscience as Parker focuses on 2015

Rumours of local Tory defections to UKIP – none of which have yet been substantiated – continue to be aired, after a week in which two more Conservative Croydon councillors were unceremoniously de-selected by their party. Justin Cromie and Ian … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Badsha Quadir, Chris Wright, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Croydon Central, David Osland, Donald Speakman, Gavin Barwell, Graham Bass, Ian Parker, Jeet Bains, Justin Cromie, New Addington, Purley, Terry Lenton, Tony Pearson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment