Category Archives: John Wentworth
Calls for Electoral Commission to intervene on Croydon votes
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council cannot be trusted to run elections in the borough, according to senior political officials. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES An experienced election agent for the Labour Party has effectively declared that he has no confidence in … Continue reading
This is ‘democracy’ in Steve Reed’s Croydon Labour Party
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Just 56 days until the local elections, and selection stitch-ups are still being carried out in poorly-attended meetings across the borough, with a serious effort to oust a senior black woman councillor to make way for … Continue reading
Veteran Labour councillors are banned after 6-month absences
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Council’s senior legal official moves to exclude elected members from all Town Hall business after they failed to attend any meetings – even remotely – for six months. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Pat Ryan, who was … Continue reading
Veteran councillor Ryan is deselected while in hospital bed
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest casualties of the council’s financial collapse Pat Ryan, a Croydon councillor for nearly 30 years, was last night deselected by members at a Labour Party meeting in his home ward of Crystal Palace … Continue reading
Boycotts and resignations in rows over Labour selections
‘The conduct of Labour Party affairs locally does seem to be almost tailored to create continuing unease and disaffection’. WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, with the latest round-up of shenanigans “Croydon North’s in meltdown” was how one angry Labour member put … Continue reading
Veteran councillor Ryan under investigation over ‘outburst’
Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the latest allegations of rule-breaking by a veteran Labour councillor “Pat has lost it.” That’s the view of a senior member of the Labour Party in Crystal Palace after a month in which their … Continue reading
Cummings goes public with bid for London Assembly selection
KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on an email to Croydon Labour group from a South Norwood councillor that seems to suggest she has the backing of Tony Newman Patsy Cummings wasted little time after the Christmas holidays to confirm … Continue reading
Cabinet member accuses Tory councillor of ‘stalking’ her
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a heated debate in the chamber this week The first full council meeting of 2018 descended into acrimony and insults, as shocking details continue to emerge regarding Croydon’s failing children services department, with one … Continue reading
Labour’s new slate in Fairfield as Momentum makes a mark
Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, with the latest weekly round-up of the ins, and outs, in a tortuous selection process Boundary changes, demographic changes and the Jeremy Corbyn-inspired swing towards Labour has made Fairfield ward in the town centre a … Continue reading
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
Football-watching Labour councillor to stand down at election
KEN LEE on the announcement from Steve Reed OBE’s agent that he has gone out and found a proper job One of the leading members of the Blairite clique which controls the Labour group on Croydon Council is standing down. … Continue reading
Cummings sees off Blairite campaign with win on first ballot
WALTER CRONXITE reports from South Norwood on what may prove to be a significant Labour selection decision In the end, it wasn’t even close. Labour’s selection meeting to choose a candidate to stand in the forthcoming South Norwood by-election overwhelmingly … Continue reading
Cummings selection video highlights fault-lines in local Labour
WALTER CRONXITE reports on the latest public arm-wrestle among the Blairites and Corbyn supporters in the party in Croydon Labour’s selection of a candidate to stand for the council vacancy in South Norwood in a by-election to be staged in … Continue reading
Little Progress in Croydon, as Newman backs another loser
WALTER CRONXITE says there were plenty of Croydon mentions at the Labour conference, but few signs that those in charge of the local party are about the embrace enthusiasm for the leadership any time soon As Croydon’s Labour politicians and … Continue reading
Sshhh! Smith visits Croydon, but Reed forgets to tell anyone
Sssshhhh! Keep it quiet, but Steve Reed OBE’s secret campaign to undermine and unseat the democratically elected leader of the Labour Party came to central Croydon this morning with a visit of the challenger, Owen Smith. Not that Reed, vice-chairman … Continue reading
Labour members get chance to ask Reed about Corbyn coup
Labour members in Croydon North, who Steve Reed OBE, the constituency MP, refused to answer with a frank explanation of his position over the party’s leadership, have the chance to get up close and personal with Progress vice-chair this Saturday … Continue reading
Labour members investigate how to oust Blairite MP Reed
More details have emerged from the Croydon North Labour annual meeting a fortnight ago which demonstrate that the power struggle in the party nationally between Blairites and supporters of Jeremy Corbyn is also being played out fiercely at local level. … Continue reading
Greens come close to unseating Progress in library dispute
WALTER CRONXITE reports on a Lambeth by-election result which offers a warning to Croydon Labour Steve Reed OBE, the Progress MP for Lambeth South/Croydon North (delete to distaste) got a bit of a warning overnight, after a Lambeth council by-election … Continue reading
Football-watching councillors are rewarded with promotions
WALTER CRONXITE, our man outside the Town Hall with a Yorkie bar and Mike Fisher’s discarded copy of the Racing Post, sees a clear message in the latest council cabinet reshuffle: mediocrity will be rewarded in Croydon Tony Newman, Croydon’s … Continue reading
Newman snubbed as Labour group gives backing to Collins
After spending a couple of hours sitting in the shadow of the Clocktower nursing a half-finished pint of lukewarm Stella, WALTER CRONXITE reports on last night’s meeting which, if it wasn’t the end of the beginning, might be remembered as … Continue reading
Bungling Newman sets up Collins for deputy leader contest
Tony Newman, Croydon’s Labour council leader, seems primed to torpedo his councillors’ own local election prospects with his latest piece of old pals’ act patronage. In the past 18 months, through poorly presented and badly timed policy announcements issued from Croydon … Continue reading
Only 700 respond to survey that excludes library users
GENE BRODIE, our libraries and bookish gyms correspondent, on the council’s latest crass move over another bogus-looking consultation Croydon’s Labour-run council is being accused of trying to “fix” the borough’s latest consultation on the running of its public libraries, by … Continue reading
Job losses and volunteer libraries leaves us feeling let down
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Public library provision is a statutory requirement for local authorities such as Croydon. But they also represent a soft target when councils want to make cuts. ROBERT GIBSON says that the funding announcement for Crystal Palace’s library is … Continue reading
Council accused of ‘shoddy’ deal on Crystal Palace library
Our libraries and bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, reports that there’s a sense of “glass half-empty” over Croydon’s grant for Upper Norwood Library A row has broken out between trustees and library campaigners over Croydon Council’s £85,000 per year, two-year … Continue reading
