Category Archives: Chris Clark

You can depend on Croydon Labour: they always let you down

By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon In the end, it was all so sadly predictable. Yet even old cynics didn’t believe it was really going to happen in such a swift and shabby manner until they actually saw it all … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Ria Patel, Stuart King, Tamar Nwafor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

And here are the Labour councillors who broke their word over the 15% tax hike and abandoned the people of Croydon

STUART KING. Leader of the opposition Councillor King took over as Labour group leader in May 2022. Had spent previous eight years mostly holding senior positions, including cabinet posts, in the Labour council administration of Tony Newman, Alison Butler and … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Brigitte Graham, Callton Young, Catherine Wilson, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Christopher Herman, Clive Fraser, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Humayun Kabir, Humayun Kabir, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Kola Agboola, Leila Ben-Hassel, Louis Carserides, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, Mohammed Islam, Nina Degrads, Patricia Hay-Justice, Patsy Cummings, Sean Fitzsimons, Sherwan Chowdhury, Stella Nabukeera, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tamar Nwafor, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Conservative Mayor Perry loses 3 votes at Town Hall meeting

ANDREW PELLING reports from the Press Gallery on success for Labour, Green and LibDem councillors in opposing Tory moves to cut Council Tax benefits to old age pensioners and the poor Jason Perry, the Conservative Mayor of Croydon, lost three … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Andrew Pelling, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, London-wide issues, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Nina Degrads, Rowenna Davis, Sherwan Chowdhury, Stuart King, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Home owner’s victory after four-year battle with planners

The planning department at Croydon’s dysfunctional council has been caught out yet again after the collapse of a developer’s appeal – but only after incurring huge and avoidable costs. Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, unravels a saga of deceits and … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jade Appleton, Katherine Kerswell, Nicola Townsend, Park Hill and Whitgift, Parking, Paul Scott, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 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

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

Part-time Perry and Labour in playground squabble over park

After a decade of Town Hall squabbles, the legacy of Newman and Butler’s years in charge of the council is a playground for the children of tower block half-millionaires. WALTER CRONXITE on another late, costly and incomplete town centre project … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, Tony Newman, URV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

All the King’s men (and women): meet Labour’s shadow cabinet

Last week, we provided the low-down on the new council cabinet under £81,000 per year Tory executive Mayor Jason Perry. Now our Town Hall reporter KEN LEE provides a briefing on the newly unveiled shadow team Some are born great, … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Alisa Flemming, Bensham Manor, Brigitte Graham, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Enid Mollyneaux, Fairfield, Jamie Audsley, Janet Campbell, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, New Addington, Nina Degrads, Rowenna Davis, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

King ends front-bench sinecures for most Newman numpties

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Starmer and Evans are using this borough as an experiment in central party control over rogue councils. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE And there you have it. The 2022 local government definition of a non-job, … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Brigitte Graham, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Enid Mollyneaux, Janet Campbell, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, Nina Degrads, Patricia Hay-Justice, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Planning, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King, Tony Newman, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Election results leave Labour supporters angry and dismayed

With the final declaration in, WALTER CRONXITE reports on the state of the council after the 2022 elections By the end, the emotions on show at the Croydon Council election count at Trinity School were less those of shock, disappointment … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Broad Green, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jade Appleton, Jason Perry, Katherine Kerswell, Kola Agboola, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Planning, Robert Canning, Sanderstead, Selhurst, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tony Pearson, Val Shawcross, Waddon, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Half of Shawcross’ team helped keep Newman in power

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: There’s probably a reason that Val Shawcross has neglected to publish details of who is working on her very well-funded Mayoral election campaign: it includes seven councillors who helped to bankrupt the borough. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Carole Bonner, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Maddie Henson, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Sherwan Chowdhury, Simon Hall, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mayor candidate Shawcross’s ‘new’ direction not so new at all

Any ‘clean break’ with the incompetence and graft of the past at Croydon Town Hall that is being offered by Labour Mayoral candidate Val Shawcross appears doomed by her own campaign’s deep-rooted connections with discredited Tony Newman and some of … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Business, Callton Young, Children's Services, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Fly tipping, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Karen Jewitt, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Meals on Wheels, Planning, Refuse collection, Sarah Jones MP, Schools, Sean Fitzsimons, SEND, Sherwan Chowdhury, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Take your pick: our ward-by-ward guide to council elections

With a complete listing of all the candidates in Croydon’s May 5 councillor vote, political editor WALTER CRONXITE provides a guide to where the contest for the Town Hall might be won or lost The introduction of Croydon’s first democratically-elected, … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Andrew Pelling, Badsha Quadir, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Caragh Skipper, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Felicity Flynn, Gareth Streeter, Hamida Ali, Helen Redfern, Jade Appleton, Jan Buttinger, Janet Campbell, Jason Perry, Jose Joseph, Kenley, Leila Ben-Hassel, Mike Bonello, New Addington North, Norbury, Norbury Park, Ola Kolade, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, Oni Oviri, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Scott Roche, Selhurst, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South, Simon Hall, Simon Hoar, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Steve Hollands, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman, Tony Pearson, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

£67m fraud at Fairfield: Town Hall row over calling in police

CRISIS SPECIAL: The council’s most senior legal official wants to check the £70m Fairfield fiasco for fraud, but the borough’s Labour councillors don’t want to call in the police, yet their leader says she has already reported it to the … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Mott MacDonald, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Cabinet member Lewis is cut adrift by New Addington selection

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A leading Newman Numpty was effectively deselected last night, as he and ceremonial deputy mayor failed even to make it on to his ward’s candidates shortlist; meanwhile, chaos in Norbury Park when Labour organisers book too small … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Fairfield, Felicity Flynn, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jose Joseph, Kola Agboola, Louisa Woodley, Mary Croos, New Addington, New Addington North, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, Patricia Hay-Justice, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Wonky’ trees given a reprieve after Inside Croydon report

The “wonky” trees of a South Croydon residential street have been given a reprieve from the cash-strapped council’s chainsaw – for a while, at least, following an Inside Croydon report. Residents of Mulgrave Road, which is claimed to be “the … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Environment, Fairfield, South Croydon, South Croydon Community Association | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Job cuts see council’s business close to breaking point

CROYDON IN CRISIS: So many staff have been made redundant at Fisher’s Folly that they now don’t have time even to draft meeting minutes of the Town Hall’s £1.5bn pension fund. By STEVEN DOWNES When the council’s planning committee convened … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Gareth Streeter, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Paul Scott, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fitzsimons stays on to scrutinise his scrutiny committee

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Town Hall’s theatre of the absurd continues tonight with a meeting chaired by a councillor criticised by auditors and government inspectors for failing to raise the alarm over finances and poor governance. STEVEN DOWNES reports Sean … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Wood, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Nina Degrads, Oliver Lewis, Report in the Public Interest, Stephen Mann, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New Addington block of flats dropped from planning meeting

EXCLUSIVE: With barely six hours’ notice ahead of today’s planning meeting, two controversial building schemes from Brick by Brick have been withdrawn. By STEVEN DOWNES Planning applications for two controversial schemes from Brick by Brick, the council’s loss-making house-builders, were … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Colm Lacey, Martyn Evans, New Addington, Planning, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Palace in £1m agreement with council for Selhurst scheme

Crystal Palace FC’s long-delayed development plans to upgrade their Selhurst Park home could be about to get underway after Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, rubber-stamped a community levy deal that could be worth up to £1million to the local … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace FC, Football, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Selhurst, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Newman wins vote but consigns Labour to election misery

TOWN HALL SKETCH: The borough is in the middle of two crises – the coronavirus pandemic and its own financial mess. Yet last night saw the first full meeting of Croydon Council in almost three months, an ’emergency’ meeting only … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jason Perry, Jeet Bains, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Maddie Henson, Mario Creatura, New Addington, New Addington Residents' Association, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Woman assaulted by Labour councillor: I want to reopen case

The woman who was subjected to vicious domestic violence by a sitting Croydon Labour councillor has spoken out publicly for the first time since her ordeal. The violent attack, which took place last September, led to the resignation of Niro … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Fairfield, Niro Sirisena, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Newman’s claims over diversity miss the real ‘need for change’

Black Lives Matter. But in Orwellian Croydon, some matter more than others, as our political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports While many in England will be rushing off to the pub tomorrow, Tony Newman will be using a Croydon Labour councillors’ … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, David Wood, Jane Avis, Janet Campbell, Louisa Woodley, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Brick by Brick could be blocked by rare butterfly’s tiny egg

The chair of the council’s planning committee has given a public undertaking that the application by Brick by Brick to build an ugly four-storey block of flats next to a wildlife reserve in New Addington has been shelved until a … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Colm Lacey, Environment, Hutchinson's Bank, Paul Scott, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments