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Category Archives: London-wide issues
Regina Road fire alarms failed to sound, council confirms
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A senior Croydon Council official has admitted that no alarms sounded and sprinklers failed to work when a fire broke out in one of the residential tower blocks on Regina Road, South Norwood, on Sunday. More … Continue reading
55 residents evacuated after 3am fire at Regina Road block
Fears about the safety of residents living in tall blocks of flats were made worse this morning after the London Fire Brigade was called out to a blaze in one of the council blocks on Regina Road, South Norwood. No … Continue reading
Months after Regina Road scandal, council conducts a survey
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council is accused of ‘bureaucratic bullshit’, as promises to meet distressed residents have still not been honoured. By STEVEN DOWNES Only now, four months after the scandal of its sub-standard housing in South Norwood was exposed on … Continue reading
Fairfield Halls’ £70m fiasco: ‘BxB didn’t know what it was doing’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Trade newspaper The Stage has described the five-year saga of the Fairfield Halls refurbishment as a ‘catastrophic mess’ and a ‘£70m fiasco’. Now, the centre’s former artistic director has broken his silence over the bungling of Brick … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dame Judi Dench, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Stage, Tony Newman
17 Comments
Councillor’s alarm call helps save lives in Thornton Heath fire
A Croydon councillor has spoken of how she called 999 in the early hours of this morning after she was woken up by “horrible screams” and “saw loads of black smoke coming out of neighbour’s house”. Leila Ben-Hassel is a … Continue reading
Posted in Leila Ben-Hassel, London Fire Brigade, Thornton Heath
Tagged Leila Ben-Hassel, LFB, London Fire Brigade, Thornton Heath
2 Comments
Police name teenager killed in Bensham Manor stabbing
Council’s cabinet member admits that crime strategy is still being ‘developed’, two years after an out-of-work Labour politician was put in charge of the borough’s ‘violent crime reduction network’ The police have named the second Croydon 16-year-old to have been … Continue reading
Posted in Bensham Manor, Crime, Croydon Council, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Manju Shahul Hameed, Policing, Sarah Hayward, Sarah Jones MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Camron Smith, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Damarie Roye, knife crime, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Metropolitan Police, Sarah Hayward, Sarah Jones MP, youth knife crime
3 Comments
Four London boroughs have no plans for waste reduction
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston have a new draft South London Waste Plan and, according to PETER UNDERWOOD (right), it’s a load of rubbish One of the most common issues people raise with me is … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator
Tagged Beddington Lane incinerator, Croydon Greens, Kingston Council, Merton Council, Peter Underwood, SLWP, South London Waste Partnership, South London Waste Plan, Sutton Council, Veolia, Viridor
4 Comments
London Mayor insists on masks on capital’s public transport
Face coverings must be worn on London’s buses, trains, Tube and trams, despite lockdown restrictions easing on Monday, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, announced overnight. Mayor Khan has made “the right decision”, according to Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones. … Continue reading
Posted in Commuting, Elly Baker, Health, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon Central, Croydon Tramlink, Elly Baker, London, London Assembly, Mayor, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, TfL, Transport for London
2 Comments
Police in second murder investigation after teen’s stabbing
The police have launched a second murder investigation in Croydon within barely a week, after a teenager stabbed in an altercation in Bensham Manor on Friday died in hospital last night. The victim, who was aged 16, has yet to … Continue reading
Posted in Bensham Manor, Crime, Knife crime, Policing
Tagged Bensham Manor, Camron Smith, Metropolitan Police, Shrublands
3 Comments
‘Shoddy’ botched repairs as council housing scandal deepens
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Nothing has changed’: Regina Road residents are planning a protest march next week over the continuing neglect and mismanagement of their council homes. By STEVEN DOWNES Despite solemn apologies and promises made on national television by council … Continue reading
Tributes paid to Croydon’s, and UK’s, first black policewoman
Tributes have been paid this week to Sislin Fay Allen, Britain’s first black woman police officer, who has died, aged 83. Allen had served as a nurse in Croydon’s Queen’s Hospital before joining the Metropolitan Police in 1968. Her first … Continue reading
Croydon among worst London boroughs for ‘healthy’ streets
The council deputy leader’s cycling strategy appears to have gone down a dead-end street, as environmental report ranks the borough the 10th worst in London. By STEVEN DOWNES A report published yesterday shows that even when Croydon Council does have … Continue reading
Posted in Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Croydon Cycling Campaign, Cycling, Environment, London-wide issues, Pat Ryan, Schools, Stuart King, TfL, Transport
Tagged Campaign for Protection of Rural England, Clive Fraser, Croydon Cycling Campaign, London Borough Healthy Streets Scorecard, London Cycling Campaign, Low Traffic Neighbourhood, LTNs, Pat Ryan, South Norwood, STUART KING, Sustrans, Upper Norwood
5 Comments
Government orders councils to close covid emergency hotels
Local authorities across England, including Croydon Council, have been ordered by the government that they must close the hotels they used to house the homeless during the covid-19 pandemic, as a condition of the latest round of rough-sleeper funding. Inside … Continue reading
#Macarnage: Not a single ‘affordable’ home from Coulsdon plot
Next in the firing line for Macar Developments is a beautiful Arts and Crafts house on Coulsdon Court Road, which the developers want to destroy and replace with six small terraced houses. The architecturally significant house was built as part … Continue reading
Government-appointed advisers pulled plug on BxB sale
CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Improvement Panel’ ordered council to abandon its poor-value deal to sell Brick by Brick, and instead to pay Wates Construction £1.12m to oversee the loss-making builders’ work on 23 sites. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Hamida Ali, the … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Buss, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Tony McArdle
Tagged Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Improvement Panel, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Phil Brookes, Tony McArdle
11 Comments
De Zoysa to face Old Bailey hearing over Sgt Ratana murder
Louis de Zoysa, the Norbury man charged with the murder of Police Sergeant Mat Ratana at the Croydon Custody Centre on Windmill Road last September, faces a hearing at the Old Bailey this Friday. De Zoysa, 23, has been in … Continue reading
Fire Brigade warns public to check their domestic appliances
A house fire on Sundridge Road, Addiscombe, last night has prompted the London Fire Brigade to issue a reminder to register your white goods – domestic appliances such as washing machines, driers, fridges and freezers. Part of the ground floor … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, London Fire Brigade
Tagged Addiscombe, London Fire Brigade
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Ali apologises to New Addington residents after BxB ‘raid’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Earlier this month council figures offered to let residents have the publicly-owned community space at Warbank Crescent – provided they coughed up £180,000 to Brick by Brick. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Never let it be said that … Continue reading
Brick by Brick use police to remove New Addington residents
Only “frantic calls” to the local MP and councillors managed to get the police to stand down from “horrifying scenes” in New Addington this morning, as a council official colluded with staff from Brick by Brick to have residents removed … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Kola Agboola, New Addington, New Addington Residents' Association, Policing, Sarah Jones MP
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Metropolitan Police, New Addington, Sarah Jones MP, Warbank Crescent
16 Comments
Brexit costs home-owners thousands as London prices slow
House prices in London since the Brexit vote five years ago this month have slowed to such an extent that homeowners across the capital have actually lost value in their properties against inflation. According to Land Registry figures, in June … Continue reading
Three ex-pubs are put up for sale as developers get cold feet
Community group has six weeks to find at least £1m to buy a once-successful East Croydon boozer, as owners abandon plans to build flats Three former pubs have been put up for sale, as firms of developers appear set to … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Community associations, Housing, Maria Gatland, Planning, Property, Pubs, Shirley, South Croydon
Tagged Addiscombe, Cherry Orchard Road, Croham, Croydon Council, Save The Glamorgan Campaign, Shirley, South Croydon, The Glamorgan, The Sandrock, The View
6 Comments
Homes England called in to check Brick by Brick sale value
CROYDON IN CRISIS: There’s mounting concern over possible poor value for tax-payers in the ‘sweetheart’ deal arranged with Manchester developers. By STEVEN DOWNES Growing suspicions surrounding the too-good-to-be-true deal over the sale of loss-making house-builders Brick by Brick has seen … Continue reading
Council puts hotel and College Green up for sale for just £40m
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Two prime sites, owned by the council, are the latest public assets to be off-loaded on the cheap. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The cash-strapped council’s fire-sale of public assets continues, with the Croydon Park Hotel and College … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, East Croydon, Housing, Jo Negrini, Property, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, East Croydon station, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, Tony Newman
9 Comments
Britain’s biggest ever survey wants your views on covid crisis
The first and largest survey of its kind in Britain to document the impact of covid-19 and the lockdowns on the lives of 17,000 ethnic and religious minority people wants your input – but you need to participate soon, as … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Community associations, Health, London-wide issues
Tagged EVENS, Muslim Council of Britain, Operation Black Vote
2 Comments
