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Category Archives: Ken Livingstone
London’s capital celebration of 50 years of transport Freedom
Former GLC councillor DAVID WHITE, pictured right, looks back to a scheme that revolutionised travel for generations of Londoners and ahead to a 50th birthday event this weekend It is 50 years since the Freedom Pass transformed getting around the … Continue reading
TfL needs to find £50m to replace Croydon’s oldest trams
Transport for London needs to replace two-thirds of its fleet of trams – but still has to secure the funding to pay for them. The original 24 Bombardier-built trams have been trundling from Beckenham Junction and New Addington through Croydon … Continue reading
Mayor Khan settles in for the long-haul and a third term
Sadiq Khan wants to be London’s first three-term Mayor. Khan was first elected as London’s Mayor in 2016, succeeding Boris Johnson. Johnson, like Ken Livingstone before him, the capital’s first Mayor, had served two four-year terms. Now Khan, who was … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Boris Johnson, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Zac Goldsmith MP
Tagged Boris Johnson, Conservative, Croydon, Ken Livingstone, Labour, London, London Assembly, Mayor, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Silvertown Tunnel, Tory
2 Comments
The Shawcross Redemption: coming back to fix Croydon
Val Shawcross has spent her life in public service – a charity worker, then New Addington councillor and Croydon council leader in the 1990s; London Assembly member for nearly 20 years; London’s deputy mayor at City Hall in the 2010s; … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Callton Young, Jason Perry, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, No1 Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Labour, London, London Assembly, New Addington, Tony Newman, Tory, Val Shawcross
7 Comments
‘Managed democracy’ stifles members’ interest in the Mayor
In his latest column, ANDREW FISHER (left) zooms in on the inward-looking and slow process for Labour to choose the party’s candidate to stand for election as the borough’s first executive Mayor Having stifled members’ options, the selection panel in … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Jamie Audsley, Ken Livingstone, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Steve Reed OBE, Val Shawcross
4 Comments
Unions come together to protest against the council’s cuts
By DAVID WHITE The campaign against cuts by Croydon Council has stepped up a gear after members of the three largest unions representing council workers in the borough – Unite, Unison and GMB – yesterday held a demonstration outside the … Continue reading
Former City Hall chief Shawcross enters Croydon Mayor race
By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Valerie Shawcross, a former deputy mayor of London and widely acknowledged as one of the best leaders of the council Croydon has ever had, wants to be Labour’s candidate to run in the election for … Continue reading
Khan wins second term as Tories claim Pyrrhic success
Sadiq Khan will serve a second term as Mayor of London, after beating Conservative rival Shaun Bailey “quite comfortably”, according to the capital’s leading political pundit. The London Mayoral election result was declared late on Saturday night, with Khan requiring … Continue reading
Park life: Shawcross has plenty of appeal in her new role
EXCLUSIVE: Val Shawcross, the former leader of Croydon Council and Deputy Mayor of London, spoke to CLARA MURRAY about her new role as chair of the Crystal Palace Park Trust and the excitement over their latest projects Crystal Palace Park … Continue reading
Posted in Charity, Community associations, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust, Friends of Crystal Palace Park, History, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Val Shawcross
Tagged Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Bowl, Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust, Sadiq Khan, Val Shawcross
3 Comments
What might have been: how Croydon Trams should have grown
Have you ever wondered what the Croydon Tram network might look like if the Crystal Palace extension, or the much-talked-about Sutton line, had ever been built? Loyal reader Anthony Norris-Watson certainly, and he put together something which Ken Livingstone or … Continue reading
Posted in Boris Johnson, Commuting, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sutton Link, TfL, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Tramlink, Crystal Palace, London, Mayor, Sutton Council, TfL, Transport for London
4 Comments
City Hall finances means no happy ending for trams fairy story
There was a time, not so long ago, when London had a well-funded, well-thought-out public transport network. Or was it just a fairy story? Following yesterday’s exclusive Inside Croydon report about how capital works on the tram network are to … Continue reading
‘Deep suspicion’ over Mayor plans for National Sports Centre
The future of the athletics stadium at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is under threat once again, as the Mayor of London is staging the latest round of “consultations” on the badly neglected, once internationally renowned facility. Campaigners have … Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Boris Johnson, Bromley Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Football, Housing, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Sport
Tagged Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace NSC, Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, Greater London Authority, John Powell, London, London Assembly, Mayor, Sadiq Khan
4 Comments
Croydon condemned for ‘cultural apartheid’ over music ban
One of the country’s most prominent black activists has condemned Croydon Council’s suppression of its own report into the town centre’s night-time economy. Lee Jasper has described Croydon police’s “bashment ban” – withholding licences from nightclubs that want to play … Continue reading
Posted in Amy Lamé Limited, Andy Tarrant, Business, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Dance, Jeff Boothe, Jo Negrini, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Music, Policing, Pubs, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman
Tagged Callton Young, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lee Jasper, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Night-time economy, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman
3 Comments
Transport and housing need old policies, not New Labour ones
CROYDON COMMENTARY: A new era has begun for the capital. After an historic election, STEVEN DOWNES reports on the role of a Croydon property developer in Sadiq Khan’s campaign, and how that creates a challenge for the new Mayor of … Continue reading
Posted in 2016 London elections, Boris Johnson, Housing, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed MP, Zac Goldsmith MP
Tagged Boris Johnson, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Hammersfield, Labour, London, London Assembly, Mayor, Sadiq Khan, Tory, Zac Goldsmith MP
5 Comments
In low-key election, the Tories’ invisible man should win
Two years ago, WALTER CRONXITE correctly predicted the 40/30 seat result in the Croydon Council elections. Last year, he said Croydon Central was “too close to call”. So, will he be right in his prediction of tomorrow’s Croydon and Sutton … Continue reading
Posted in 2016 London elections, Boris Johnson, Fiona Twycross, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Steve O'Connell, Zac Goldsmith MP
Tagged Boris Johnson, Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, Marina Ahmad, Mayor, Member of parliament, Sadiq Khan, Steve O'Connell, Tory, UKIP, Zac Goldsmith MP
5 Comments
London’s eight wasted years under Tory Mayor Johnson
As Boris Johnson wafts through his final days in power at City Hall – much like the manner in which he has wafted through the previous 2,922 days in office – WALTER CRONXITE tries to find what the Tory Mayor … Continue reading
Khan braced for Tory attacks as poll gives him 20% lead
In what is probably the final, meaningful opinion poll (oxymoron klaxon) before voting in the London elections next Thursday, Labour’s Sadiq Khan – “the council estate boy from south London” – appears on track to become the capital’s third mayor, … Continue reading
Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sian Berry, Zac Goldsmith MP
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, Marina Ahmad, Mayor, Sadiq Khan, Steve O'Connell, Tory, UKIP, Zac Goldsmith
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Bungling Boris loses £900m and jeopardises tram extension
Financial and project mismanagement on a multi-million-pound scale under Boris Johnson means that whoever is elected to succeed London’s Tory Mayor in May will not have so much money available for major capital projects, such as the much-promised Tramlink extensions … Continue reading
Posted in 2016 EU referendum, 2016 London elections, Boris Johnson, Evening Boris, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Steve O'Connell, Zac Goldsmith MP
Tagged BackZacAndCrack, Boris Johnson, Conservative, Croydon Tramlink, London, London Assembly, Mayor, Steve O'Connell, Tory, Tramlink, Trams, Zac Goldsmith MP
4 Comments
Labour picks Assembly candidate with fewer than 600 votes
Amid all the “excitement” and “euphoria” (those are not entirely the right words, but you’ll know what we mean) surrounding Corbynmania over the weekend and the election of Labour’s party leader and London Mayoral candidate, one other selection took place, … Continue reading
Posted in 2016 London elections, Croydon North, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Louisa Woodley, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Sarah Jones MP, Steve O'Connell, Val Shawcross
Tagged Boris Johnson, Conservative, Labour, London, London Assembly, Marina Ahmad, Steve O'Connell, Tory, UKIP, Winston McKenzie
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Khan-do attitude sees off challenge from Blairite baroness
Sadiq Khan, the south London MP who had financial backing for his campaign from a Croydon property developer, has been selected to be Labour’s candidate to run for London Mayor next year. The announcement, made at the Festival Hall at … Continue reading
Posted in Boris Johnson, Christian Wolmar, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, John Wentworth, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sutton Council, Tessa Jowell, Tony Newman, Waste incinerator
Tagged Anwar Ansari, Boris Johnson, Conservative, Croydon, Dame Tessa Jowell, Labour, Member of parliament, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Tory, Zac Goldsmith MP
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Hustings where a Dame turned into a pantomime villain
Inside Croydon’s Editor, STEVEN DOWNES, managed his own bit of entryism to report from the far-left corner of last night’s Labour hustings at Ruskin House There was an end-of-term feeling about it all. And with the headmistress missing, there was … Continue reading
Posted in 2016 London elections, Boris Bikes, Boris Johnson, Christian Wolmar, Croydon Central, Cycling, Housing, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sarah Jones MP, Tessa Jowell, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged Boris Johnson, Christian Wolmar, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Dame Tessa Jowell, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Labour, London, Mayor, Tory, Westfield
4 Comments
Croydon warns against creating “the slums of the future”
ANDREW PELLING, pictured left, reports from the Labour party conference in Manchester, where Croydon councillors are out in force lobbying for the borough With Labour eyeing a return to power at Westminster after next May’s General Election, it is of … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", 2015 General Election, Addiscombe West, Andrew Pelling, Boris Johnson, Business, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Housing, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Sarah Jones MP, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Boris Johnson, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Hammerson, Mayor, Member of parliament, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman, Westfield
11 Comments
Rogers calls on planners to build homes in “empty” Croydon
One of the world’s leading architects has called for the radical re-building of central Croydon to provide homes to help meet the national housing crisis. “You could put two new towns in the centre of Croydon without any problem because … Continue reading
