Category Archives: Croydon East

Perry accused of ‘betrayal’ as he smuggles out more youth cuts

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Local MP and opposition councillors accuse the council of having no clear plan on what will replace an in-house team which works to reduce drugs and knife crime and to engage the borough’s youngsters. By our Town … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Foster, Children's Services, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon East, CVA, Education, Fieldway, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, New Addington North, New Addington South, Policing, Restaurants, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Starmer alienates support by adopting the language of Powell

The Prime Minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech this week was ‘as politically stupid as it is morally bankrupt’, writes ANDREW FISHER It could all have been so different. In 2020, Keir Starmer said, “We welcome migrants, we don’t scapegoat them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Gavin Barwell, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

40 Labour MPs sign letter against disability cuts – but Croydon’s Reed, Jones and Irons are not among them

‘Cuts don’t create jobs, they just cause more hardship’ says a letter signed by dozens ofMPs from the right as well as the left of the Labour Party, objecting to proposed cuts in disability benefits Croydon’s three Labour MPs today … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon East, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

MP steps in over rubbish contractor’s missed bin collections

BINMAGEDDON: Residents are complaining of streets ‘littered with dumped rubbish, overflowing recycling and a persistent smell of decay’. And we are only one month into a new £40m bins contract. By our Town Hall correspondent, KEN LEE Just one month … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Party bosses criticised over bungled Mayor candidate selection

WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, on the grumblings of disaffection among ‘loyal’ Labour members in Croydon  What’s left of Labour’s membership in Croydon, even those described as being part of the “loyal mainstream”, are getting increasingly unhappy with the way the … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon East, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Our four MPs are doing nothing to try to stop carnage in Gaza

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Are our borough’s four MPs doing the ‘right thing’? DAVID WHITE doesn’t think so “Israel has been genociding the Palestinians for months now. The point is why no one stops the carnage. This is the question” These words … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, David White, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Protests mount as Perry rejects petitions with 5,000 signatures

CROYDON IN CRISIS: MP Natasha Irons says that ‘democracy is being undermined by Croydon Council’, as the Conservative-controlled authority is refusing to debate the situation at the carers’ centre on George Street and the on-off-on-again sale of listed building Heathfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Social Care, Carers First, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Heathfield House, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Ria Patel, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

East Croydon bridge to open in October, as MP fails to update

East Croydon Station’s Bridge to Nowhere is expected to be open, and finally allow pedestrians to go somewhere, in October. That’s according to Jeet Bains, the council cabinet member for planning and regeneration, in a speech at a Town Hall … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Commuting, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, East Croydon, Natasha Irons, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Comedy satire brings Croydon Labour vote fraud to the stage

You’ve seen Inside Croydon: The Movie (and if you haven’t, why not?). Now comes a comedy satire on stage, which the playwrights say they have based on Inside Croydon’s reporting, which was “incredibly insightful” and “a source of comedic and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Comedy, Croydon East, David Evans, Inside Croydon, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heritage building Heathfield House is pulled from auction

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Jason Perry’s bungling council has now withdrawn the publicly-owned Grade II-listed building from the auction in their latest embarrassing climbdown Croydon’s bungling Mayor Jason Perry has been forced to withdraw Heathfield House from the controversial auction … Continue reading →

Posted in Addington, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Heathfield House, History, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Property, Ria Patel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Hastings councillor offers a way through the political brambles

How should we counter the rise of the far-right? As KEN TOWL found out when he arrived on time at the Croydon School of Philosophy, by offering some truth and understanding In the School of Philosophy on Addiscombe Grove, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ken Towl, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Yes we CAN? Four MPs lobbied to support vital climate Bill

Residents who have become increasingly concerned about the climate emergency have taken their protests to the doorsteps of Croydon’s four MPs. Campaigners from the Croydon Green Network rounded off their lobbying by meeting Croydon East MP Natasha Irons, ahead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Environment, Extinction Rebellion, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

All Croydon’s MPs vote for controversial Assisted Dying Bill

Film star Adam Pearson says he is ‘heartbroken’ by Commons vote: ‘We have a government who are willing to help disabled people die whilst doing nothing to help them live’ All four of Croydon’s MPs – three Labour, one Conservative … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Just 2% of Croydon voters join petition call for another election

Tax-avoiding millionaires and newspaper owners are getting all excited about calls for another election. The same people who have said it’s too soon for another vote on Brexit, reports WALTER CRONXITE, political editor A petition raised by a publican in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s looking like Howard’s way for LibDems’ mayoral candidate

WALTER CRONXITE, our veteran political correspondent, reports on an unusual occurance for Croydon: the local Liberal Democrats getting ahead of the game While Councillor Rowenna Davis twiddles her thumbs and waits patiently for the Labour Party “machine” to crank into … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Rowenna Davis, Uncategorized, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a whole load of nothing when new MP Irons appears on TV

It wasn’t just Keir Starmer who was being judged on his first 100 days in office. On Day 101 of her career as an MP, Natasha Irons popped up on our tellyboxes to dazzle us with her brilliance. Or not. … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon East, Natasha Irons | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Keir Starmer! Steve Reed! Come on down! The price is right!

CROYDON COMMENTARY: As the new government under Keir Starmer and Morgan McSweeney reaches its 100-day milestone, former Labour councillor BRIAN FINEGAN shares his perspective Harold Wilson famously declared that the Labour Party “is a moral crusade or it is nothing”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New bins deal sees tenants living above shops get extra service

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite being forced to go back to Veolia two years after they sacked the rubbish contractors, the council is claiming that their new contract is a better deal for residents. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council officials, forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two-year search to replace Veolia hands £40m deal to… Veolia

CROYDON IN CRISIS: You could not make this up. After four south London councils sacked their waste contractors for poor service, and hundreds of thousands of pounds were spent on a procurement process, Croydon is about to follow Sutton in … Continue reading →

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Natasha Irons, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Croydon’s MPs vote to keep the Tories’ two-child benefit cap

For some new MPs, last night was the first time they got to vote in the House of Commons. Croydon’s Labour MPs voted to support Tory policies that condemn more than 3,000 households in the borough to remain in poverty. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Luke Taylor MP, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton and Cheam | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

After ‘The Croydon Effect’ comes Labour’s ‘The Thin Mandate’

So what’s next? How does last Thursday’s voting at the General Election pan out for Croydon’s part-time Mayor? WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, crunches some figures Croydon’s residents may well be relieved, delighted even, that apart from the possible, occasional local … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, 2026 council elections, Ben Taylor, Carshalton and Wallington, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton and Cheam | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Election complaint over Reform’s ‘ghost’ candidate in Croydon

STEVEN DOWNES, who looks nothing like this byline photograph, reports on the growing suspicions surrounding some of the far-right’s nominations for the General Election The Reform UK candidate in at least one Croydon seat at last week’s General Election is … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

How some of Croydon’s election results just don’t add up

CROYDON COMMENTARY: After his second election campaign in five months, PETER UNDERWOOD, who stood for the Green Party in Croydon East, reflects on how the number of votes cast ought to be a warning to the two larger parties We … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Scott Ainslie, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments