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Category Archives: Peter Underwood
Private developers and landlords won’t fix our housing crisis
CROYDON COMMENTARY: ‘Abolish Landlords’ was a catchphrase at the recent Green Party conference, where it was recognised that correcting decades of failed housing policy will need a raft of solutions. PAUL AINSCOUGH explains At the Green Party annual conference, a … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Housing, Paul Ainscough, Peter Underwood, Planning, Ria Patel
Tagged Abolish Landlords, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Paul Ainscough, Peter Underwood, Prof Abi O'Connor, Right-to-buy, Steve Reed OBE, Thatcher, Thatcherite
7 Comments
Delve behind the headlines on Allders, The Fold, Anonyvoter and campaign launches, with our regular subscriber podcast
Our Croydon Insider podcasts are an (almost) regular delve behind the headlines at the stories that matter to you, Inside Croydon’s loyal readers. And in our latest wide-ranging episode – part of what has been described as a “citizens’ revolt … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Allders, Annabel Smith, Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon Insider, Croydon West, Environment, Garwood Foundation, Housing, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Local media, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Bennett, New Addington North, New Addington South, North End Quarter, Peter Underwood, Sarah Jones MP, Under The Flyover, Whitgift Centre, Zack Polanski
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, Allders, Annabel Smith, Anonyvoter, Bank closures, BBC London, Connie Duxbury, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Gatwick Airport expansion, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Borough of Croydon, Neil Bennett, New Addington, Peter Underwood, Podcasts, Post office, Ross White, The Croydon Insider, The Fold, The Green Party, Tommy Robinson, Tory, Unite the Kingdom, Westfield
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Town centre PSPO is another Perry failure. It’s time to scrap it
CROYDON COMMENTARY: It was Einstein who was supposed to have said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Here, PETER UNDERWOOD, right, questions the council’s thinking behind the … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Crime, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Policing, Ria Patel
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Croydon Town Centre, Fairfield, Green Party, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, PSPO, Public Spaces Protection Order, Tory
7 Comments
Judgement Day has happened for Croydon. Now we need to act
CROYDON COMMENTARY: This borough has been failed multiple times, by the Mayor, by the majority of opposition councillors, by council directors, and by the government. PETER UNDERWOOD, the Green Party’s candidate for Croydon Mayor in 2026, offers some suggestions The … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Commissioners, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Government, Government Commissioners, Green Party, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Board, Jim McMahon, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Peter Underwood, Section 114, Section 114 Notice, Tory
14 Comments
Building on precious green spaces won’t fix the housing crisis
CROYDON COMMENTARY: With mounting pressure on local authorities to allow the building on Green Belt land, PETER UNDERWOOD raises concerns that private profit is being put before people The combination of unreliable politicians and profit-hungry developers is putting our green … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon parks, Environment, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife
Tagged Ashen Grove, Conservative, Croydon Council, Green Belt, Green Party, Housing, Labour, London, Mayor, Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, Peter Underwood, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Selsdon, Sir Sadiq Khan, Tory
6 Comments
Greens name Underwood as 2026 Croydon Mayor candidate
Peter Underwood, the Green Party’s Croydon mayoral candidate in 2022, is to be the Green candidate in 2026, too. The Greens, who won their first two council seats in Croydon in 2022, made the announcement last night, leaving Labour as … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood
Tagged Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood
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Ex-Labour councillor to stand for Greens in Fairfield in 2026
Paul Ainscough, once a Labour parliamentary election candidate and a former councillor for the party, has been selected to stand for the Green Party at next year’s council elections in Fairfield ward. He says he “feels let down by Labour”. … Continue reading
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 Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Greens, Hastings and Rye, Hastings Council, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Nigel Farage, Peter Underwood, Reform UK, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Tory, Yunis Smith
8 Comments
Cut Mayor’s special allowances by 50%, say Croydon’s Greens
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Ahead of the council’s more-heat-than-light annual Budget meetings that begin this week, PETER UNDERWOOD highlights how the councillors of one party at the Town Hall are presenting some realistic proposals Honesty and fairness. They are the themes of … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Youth Services
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel
13 Comments
Here’s our wish-list for a better Croydon and Sutton in 2025
What do you want for Croydon, and Sutton, in 2025? We approached a wide range of figures, including loyal readers, religious leaders, educators and business people for their thoughts – and hopes – for the New Year Ken Towl Addiscombe … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Andrew Fisher, Claire Bonham, Climate Crisis Commission, Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Croydon Insider, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Environment, Housing, Inside Croydon, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Ken Towl, Knife crime, Lloyd Park, Mayor Jason Perry, Nick Mattey, North End Quarter, Peter Underwood, South Bank Poly, Sutton Council, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover, Waste incinerator
Tagged 2025, Addiscombe, Allders, Andrew Fisher, Anna Arthur, Beddington, Bishop of Croydon, Claire Bonham, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Deborah Bowen, Donna Fraser, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Green Party, Jerry Fitzpatrick, John Jefkins, Johnny Dobbyn, Ken Towl, Labour, London, London South Bank University, Maureen Levy, Mayor Jason Perry, Nick Mattey, Peter Underwood, Rt Rev Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Tim Coombe, Vanguard Way, Vanguard Way Association, Whitgift Centre
13 Comments
Making our roads safer for pedestrians makes sense for us all
CROYDON COMMENTARY: City Hall and our borough Town Hall are being petitioned over a busy junction that lacks a safe crossing place for pedestrians, as PETER UNDERWOOD explains In my lifetime there have been major advances in road safety. From … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel
Tagged Caroline Russell, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon High Street, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, London, London Assembly, Lower Coombe Street, Marley King, Mayor, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, South Croydon
11 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 2024 General Election, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Peter Underwood, Streatham and Croydon North, Tory
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#GeneralElection2024: final results for Croydon constituencies
Following our full and detailed live coverage of election night, here are the full, formal results from the General Election for Croydon’s seats.
Posted in 2024 General Election, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Lambeth Council, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Scott Ainslie, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged 2024 General Election, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tory
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#GeneralElection2024: Through-the-night results coverage
#GE2024: HERE WE GO Welcome to Inside Croydon’s unmatched coverage of the 2024 General Election results night for south London. Working with our colleagues at GreenwichWire, we have reporters and citizen journalists at the counts in Croydon (natch), Sutton, Brixton … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Ben Taylor, Bexley, Bromley Council, Carshalton and Wallington, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Elliot Colburn, Lambeth Council, Luke Taylor MP, Natasha Irons, Outside Croydon, Peter Underwood, Reigate and Banstead Council, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Scott Ainslie, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton and Cheam, Sutton Council
Tagged 2024 General Election, Ben Taylor, Carshalton and Wallington, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Keir Starmer, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Rishi Sunak, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Sutton and Cheam, Tory
22 Comments
It’s not about my personal power or glory. It’s about principles
CROYDON ELECTION QUESTIONS For this General Election, Inside Croydon has been offering a platform to candidates from across the political spectrum, from across the borough’s four constituencies. Much the same questions, their answers published at length. Here, we speak with … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Peter Underwood
Tagged 2024 General Election, Brexit, Carla Denyer, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Gaza, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Peter Underwood, Tory
9 Comments
Two weeks early and most candidates are conceding defeat
ELECTION SKETCH: As other parties’ candidates in Croydon East have admitted they will lose come July 4, Labour’s shoo-in as a new MP calls her party’s bankrupting of the borough and its part in illegal hacking as ‘a load of … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon East, Jason Cummings, Ken Towl, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood
Tagged 15% Council Tax hike, 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon East, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Jason Cummings, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Tory
23 Comments
We all depend on voluntary service – and it is not compulsory
CROYDON COMMENTARY: In this latest Volunteers’ Week, PETER UNDERWOOD, pictured right, who manages an organisation that depends on voluntary service, pays tribute to the people who give up their time, efforts and expertise in the community, and in the political … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Community associations, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, CVA, Peter Underwood
Tagged 2024 General Election, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon East, General Election, General Election 2024, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Peter Underwood, TCV, The Conservation Volunteers, Tory, Volunteers, Volunteers Week
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Whether it’s your water supplier or MP, you deserve a choice
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Households in the south of the borough are about to see their water supplier taken over by the same firm responsible for providing contaminated drinking water in Devon. What can they do about it? PETER UNDERWOOD, right, a … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Business, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Environment, Peter Underwood, South West Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water
Tagged 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, Croydon East, General Election, General Election 2024, London Elections, Peter Underwood, South West Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Water privatisation
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Sadiq Khan’s last-gasp appeal for donations: ‘I’m really worried’
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE has obtained internal Labour correspondence that suggests some pre-election panic for the party With the London elections just days away, Labour has sent begging letters to members appealling for tens of thousands of pounds in last-minute … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Susan Hall, Zoe Garbett
Tagged 2024 London elections, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon West, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, London Elections, London elections 2024, Maddie Henson, Mayor, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Peter Underwood, Rob Blackie, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Susan Hall, Tory, Zoë Garbett
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Under The Flyover: interview with Green Party’s Zack Polanski
With the London elections less than a month away, as part of its Under The Flyover series of podcasts, Inside Croydon interviews Zack Polanski, a London Assembly Member since 2021 and the deputy leader of the Green Party. During the … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Greens, Environment, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Inside Croydon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, ULEZ expansion, Under The Flyover, Woodside, Zack Polanski
Tagged 2024 London elections, Croydon, Green Party, Green Party of England and Wales, Labour, London, London Assembly, London elections 2024, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Podcast, Sadiq Khan, Spotify, Susan Hall, ULEZ, Under The Flyover, Woodside, Zack Polanski
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Tory councillor signs petition opposing Shirley Heath land grab
Conservative councillor Jason Cummings last night joined more than 4,400 others in signing the petition that calls on the Mayor of Croydon to refuse to allow public open space at Shirley Heath and Addington Hills to be developed by The … Continue reading
Posted in Addington, Addington Hills, Addington Residents' Association, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Golf, Jason Cummings, Peter Underwood, Planning, Property, Shirley Heath, Shirley South, Sport, Stuart Collins, The Addington GC, Wildlife
Tagged Addington Hills, Bertie Wooster, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Shirley Heath, Shirley South, Stuart Collins, The Addington Golf Club, Tory
7 Comments
Sign the petition today to save Shirley Heath for the public
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Our exclusive news report yesterday of a bid by one of the country’s best-known golf clubs to take over public land from the council has been greeted with widespread disgust. Here, PETER UNDERWOOD, local conservationist and Green Party … Continue reading
Posted in Addington, Addington Hills, Addington Residents' Association, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Golf, Peter Underwood, Property, Selsdon and Addington Village, Shirley Heath, Sport, The Addington GC, Wildlife
Tagged Addington, Addington Hills, Addington Village, Croydon, Croydon Council, London Borough of Croydon, Peter Underwood, Shirley Heath, The Addington Golf Club, The Green Party
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Suspicions raised over golf club’s Addington Hills ‘land grab’
Multi-million-pound sports business that needs to provide its members with a practice range is seeking to annex 15 acres of Shirley Heath in a deal with Croydon Council. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A world-famous golf club which charges almost £2,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Addington, Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Golf, Peter Underwood, Planning, Property, Ryan Noades, Selsdon and Addington Village, The Addington GC, Wildlife
Tagged Addington Hills, Addington Residents' Association, Addington Village Residents Association, Croydon, Croydon Council, Golf, London Wildlife Trust, Matthew Frith, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ron Noades, Ryan Noades, Shirley Church Road, Shirley Heath, The Addington Golf Club, The Altonwood Group, The Conservation Volunteers, Tory
21 Comments
Perry plans £100m more cuts in country’s first AI-driven council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Transformation’ project is set to be rubber-stamped at this week’s cabinet meeting (it will be approved without anything resembling a debate). But according to council insiders, it is ‘rushed’, ‘full of risks’ and just a ‘Trojan horse’ … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King
Tagged 'Future Croydon', Claire Bonham, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, STUART KING, Tory
8 Comments
