Category Archives: Sarah Jones MP

Commission chair: Refugee debate is run by ‘controversialists’

A widely respected former MP who is chairing a public commission on the integration of refugees yesterday hit out at the “highly contentious” nature of the current national debate about refugees and asylum seekers, saying it was being “led by … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Crime, Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ranulph Fiennes: Get your MP to vote for trophy hunting Bill

In a first for Inside Croydon, Sir RANULPH FIENNES, Britain’s best-known explorer, has written to this website to call on our readers to lobby all Croydon’s MPs to support a private Member’s Bill due to go before Parliament this month … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Environment, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘Save Our Services’ call as unions join Council Tax protest

The Croydon Trades Council has joined the campaign to stop Mayor Jason Perry’s 15per cent Council Tax hike, and is encouraging council workers and members of all trades unions in the borough to attend tomorrow night’s protest outside the Town … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Croydon TUC, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

MP Jones ‘shocked’ by Perry’s ‘unacceptable’ 15% tax hike

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Residents simply cannot afford this Council Tax rise’ says Labour parliamentary front-bencher. By STEVEN DOWNES Sarah Jones, the Labour MP for Croydon Central, has spoken out against the 15per cent Council Tax increase which the Tory Mayor, … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Tory ministers must act on public safety over firefighters’ pay

Now the Fire Brigades Union are planning their first national strike action in 20 years, it puts Croydon Tory MP Chris Philp at the centre of the dispute. By ANDREW FISHER The worst cost-of-living crisis in decades is bringing an … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Boris Johnson, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Fiona Twycross, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The ‘Croydon Factor’ could yet damage Labour MPs’ prospects

CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the party flying high in the polls nationally, Labour’s London region staged a conference over the weekend where the mood was bullish as the implosion of the Tory government and its tax dodgers continues. But for … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Ben Taylor, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Voters looking for third parties’ assurance over reds and blues

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Opinion polls suggest that the Tories should have no chance of electoral success in this borough. But as WALTER CRONXITE outlines in this second part of a special report, ‘the Croydon effect’ of the Newman years has … Continue reading

Posted in Ben Taylor, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon North, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour’s ‘toxic legacy’ in Croydon proving hard to shake off

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Around the country, the Tories are in retreat thanks to the failings of their three Prime Ministers. But not in Croydon, where they face a neutered opposition, as political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports In London and in … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, 2024 General Election, Alison Butler, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, New Addington, New Addington North, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Tories welcome Taylor’s selection for Labour in Croydon South

A candidate with a record-breaking losing record has been selected as Labour’s parliamentary candidate – though not before party officials tried to interfere with the voting process, reports WALTER CRONXITE, political editor A freelance marketing consultant who lives on Coulsdon’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Croydon South, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Local Labour out of step as Streeting calls for outsourcing

Labour councillors in Croydon joined a union-organised march calling for Mayday Hospital’s ancillary jobs – porters, cleaners and food staff – to be brought back in-house and taken out of the hands of private outsourcing giant G4S, just as Keir … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Chris Clark, Croydon NHS Trust, Health, Mayday Hospital, Sarah Jones MP, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Higher energy bills, higher tax bills and worse public services

After the financial shockwaves caused by the omnishambles of the Tory Mini Budget, yesterday’s announcements by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt offer little hope of prosperity for the people of Croydon, writes ANDREW FISHER Buckle up. It’s going to be rough. Living … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Andrew Fisher, Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Sarah Jones MP, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commissioners set Reed and Jones a boundaries conundrum

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the layer-cake solution to the future of Croydon, and Lambeth’s, parliamentary constituencies It has been a standing joke on this website for a decade or so that former Lambeth council leader Steve Reed OBE … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Lambeth Council, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Non-local mum wins Selsdon by-election with Greens second

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, sifts through the runes from the Selsdon Vale and Forestdale ward by-election Fatima Zaman retained the Selsdon Vale and Forestdale council seat for the Conservatives in yesterday’s by-election, as the reputational damage done to Labour locally … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Fatima Zaman, Peter Underwood, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

MP ‘alarmed’ to discover Chinese ‘police station’ on High Street

The Chinese Communist Party is operating a secret police station on Croydon High Street, part of a global network intended to control and intimidate former nationals who have made their homes outside China. Beijing claims that almost a quarter of … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Croydon Central, Fairfield, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Samaritans celebrate 60 years of ‘wonderful, life-saving work’

Samaritans of Croydon and Sutton has for 60 years been providing life-saving emotional support for people who are struggling to cope. To mark their anniversary, a celebration took place at the Braithwaite Hall on Saturday, attended by various dignitaries, the … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Croydon Central, Samaritans, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#TheLabourFiles: It’s long past time to clean-up the Party

Former Labour staffer ANDREW FISHER reflects on what Al Jazeera’s series The Labour Files revealed about his former employers and the party of which he has been a member for 26 years “Poly-ticks”, according to Rowan Atkinson’s Edmund Blackadder, is … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Clive Fraser, Crime, Croydon Central, Croydon North, David Evans, David White, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

33% Labour lead puts Tories on alert for Forestdale by-election

There is to be a council ward poll on November 3 – which will test voters’ devotion to Thick Lizzy and Croydon’s part-time Mayor Perry. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Croydon, or at least a small bit of its … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Badsha Quadir, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon South, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council’s latest cuts force mental health services to close

CROYDON IN CRISIS: MP says the latest round of funding cuts to services delivered by mental health charity are ‘devastating’. By STEVEN DOWNES Mind in Croydon is to close two of its support services for people living with complex, long-term … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Charity, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Health, Mind in Croydon, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

MP offers advice sessions to help cope with cost of living crisis

Sarah Jones, Croydon Central’s Labour MP, today begins a series of advice sessions to try to help her constituents through the cost of living crisis. The MP is holding eight advice sessions in locations across her constituency, where she will … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

River from Tory Philp’s constituency runs brown with sewage

Within a day of Thames Water imposing a hosepipe ban on London and the south-east, the company was caught pumping raw sewage into the River Wandle, and a Croydon MP wrote to the company accusing it of turning a parkland … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon parks, Croydon South, Environment, Health, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, Sutton Council, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Council rejects private school’s planning scheme for Heathfield

A planning application from a private education business to make extensive alterations to Heathfield House, a listed building owned by Croydon Council, has been refused. As Inside Croydon reported in June, Cressey College has been renting the building from the … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Education, Gardening, Heathfield House, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Sarah Jones MP, Schools, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finally, Coulsdon’s Tory councillor Creatura cuts before he runs

Boris Johnson fanboy and former Downing Street aide to Theresa May is trying to clean up his act ahead of parliamentary selections Tory councillor Mario Creatura, for many years the “gobby factotum” to Gavin Barwell when he was a Conservative … Continue reading

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

MP joins objectors as Heathfield House plans get called in

A council official-backed proposal to convert Heathfield House into a special school, surrounding it with 9ft-high prison-style fencing, has been “called in” for consideration by the planning committee. Today is the final day for residents and interested bodies to lodge … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Heathfield House, Leila Ben-Hassel, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

£150 Council Tax rebate help session, Shirley, Jul 7

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘There’s no excuse for the force they used on a black boy’

Met Police’s ‘systemic’ failings, in particular over stop and search, have been highlighted by incident close to a Croydon tram stop last week Two dire episodes of policing, including one in Croydon which has shocked many television viewers, emphasise why … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Crime, Croydon Central, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments