Category Archives: Rowenna Davis

Labour’s Davis tells minister Reed to fund Croydon fairly

Simultaneously, two of the borough’s mayoral candidates have decided to demand better government grants for the council. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Something very strange happened in Croydon yesterday. The leader of one of the larger political groups said: “For … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Labour’s scandals and dramas reflected in Croydon politics

The 2025 Labour Party Conference begins in Liverpool on Sunday. Here, our columnist, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, the party’s former director of policy, assesses the state of Labour little more than a year into Keir Starmer’s government. And he takes … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon East, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Natasha Irons, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Waddon, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Croydon: our time is coming!’ Labour’s Davis rallies her fans

So just what did Labour’s Rowenna Davis say she has to offer if she is elected Mayor of Croydon next May? KEN TOWL was at her campaign’s official launch, so that you, and Steve Reed OBE, didn’t need to be … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Ken Towl, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Davis’s big launch might have been good, if only I could hear it

POLITICAL SKETCH: Ever been invited to a party when you’ve been expected to pay for your food? Or a launch event which is set up so you can neither see nor hear clearly the speakers on stage? KEN TOWL has, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Ken Towl, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

‘Let us be free from this hellhole’: Fold tenants issue demands

EXCLUSIVE: Residents in one of Croydon’s tallest buildings are becoming increasingly angry and militant over their treatment by their multi-billion-pound landlords. By STEVEN DOWNES The owners of The Fold, the 35-storey residential tower in Queen’s Gardens, have been given a … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Rowenna Davis, Taberner House, The Fold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Labour’s mayor candidate forced to apologise over data breach

EXCLUSIVE: Rowenna Davis, the very well-connected Labour candidate for Croydon Mayor, this week found herself tangled up in a breach of hundreds of people’s personal data, raising questions about the competence of her campaign. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Rowenna … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Rowenna Davis, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council pays £10,000 grant to councillor’s undeclared business

Labour councillor Tamar Barrett, who has gone nearly four years without declaring her directorship of a company, has just received a £10,000 grant from the council for services provided by her business. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council has handed … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Croydon Council, Rowenna Davis, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Labour makes last-gasp appeal for council election candidates

With 13 of Labour’s 34 current councillors either deselected or standing down, the party has run out of volunteers for a thankless task. WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, reports Croydon Labour has run out of candidates willing to stand for the … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Rowenna Davis, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Labour councillor Clark is forced to seek re-election in Fairfield

With Tamar Barrett’s deselection in Thornton Heath earlier this week, 13 of Labour’s 34 councillors won’t be up for re-election next May. And one shadow cabinet member fears he will lose his Town Hall seat come polling day. By WALTER … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Addiscombe West, Brigitte Graham, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jose Joseph, Nick Beall, Patricia Hay-Justice, Paul Ainscough, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Sean Fitzsimons, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Councillor has been breaking law on disclosures since 2022

Tamar Barrett, a company director who has been a Labour councillor for almost four years, has never submitted an accurate declaration of interest. Tonight, the councillor is seeking reselection in Thornton Heath. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A councillor who is … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Croydon Council, Rowenna Davis, Scott Roche, Shirley South, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour tweaks the rules to make sure members have no say

There might actually be something resembling a council candidate selection meeting for Labour members in Broad Green ward tonight – though most reasonable people will see through it as a thinly disguised foregone conclusion By STEVEN DOWNES Some Labour members … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Taylor, Broad Green, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Fairfield, Manju Shahul Hameed, Rowenna Davis, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Perry misleads parents as he confirms lollipop patrol cuts

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on how Croydon’s £84,000 per year Mayor is ignoring parents and pushing through cuts on road safety patrols for little children to make a saving of £58,000 Whatever the “review” was that Jason Perry’s council … Continue reading

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Schools, Scott Roche | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Local Labour members angry at ‘travesty’ of selection process

Uncharacteristic ‘openness’ from the Labour Party exposes their latest sham selection process, with candidates for next year’s local elections being named without grassroots members in most wards getting any say at all. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The fix is in. … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Appu Srinivasan, Bensham Manor, Brigitte Graham, Catherine Wilson, Chrishni Reshekaron, Christopher Herman, Croydon East, Croydon West, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Fairfield, Janet Campbell, Jeet Bains, Jess Hammersley-Rich, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Leila Ben-Hassel, Louis Carserides, Maddie Henson, Matt Griffiths, Mohammed Islam, Natasha Irons, Norbury, Norbury Park, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Selhurst, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Bromley by-election sees historic first Reform win in London

Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on how Alan Cook’s poll success on the other side of the borough boundary is sending shock waves into Croydon They’re going to need a bigger vote… You know how, early in the original Jaws movie, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Bromley Council, Coulsdon, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman, Waddon, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mayor gets his mumbler to suggest a ‘review’ of lollipop cuts

Has Mayor Perry’s council backed down from ending lollipop road safety patrols at six of the borough’s primary schools? That’s what it sounded like at this week’s Town Hall meeting, as KEN LEE reports Did one of Croydon Mayor Jason … Continue reading

Posted in Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Schools, Scott Roche, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

‘The government was left with no choice’ over Commissioners

The government “was left with no choice” but to appoint Commissioners to take over the running of Croydon’s omnishambles council, a decision which reflects “serious failings on leadership and culture” at the Town Hall. Two of Croydon’s Labour MPs, Sarah … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Chris Philp MP, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Ged Curran, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Parents stop traffic in Upper Norwood to save lollipop patrol

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry’s council tried to block protest petition over proposals to axe school safety patrols from being presented at next week’s Town Hall meeting. By STEVEN DOWNES Parents and children from Cypress Primary School in Upper Norwood … Continue reading

Posted in Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Schools, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

From tantrum to grovel, Perry shifts posture for Commissioners

TOWN HALL SKETCH: When Mayor’s deputy tells a council meeting that, ‘Aside from the finances, we are performing well’, it is clear that outside help is urgently required. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor “Data!” Croydon Mayor Jason Perry had just … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Callton Young, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Agency spend scandal: Perry blasted for ‘ridiculous shambles’

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Rowenna Davis, the Labour Party’s candidate for Croydon Mayor, has described the cash-strapped council’s “runaway” spending on agency staff as “disgusting” and “unforgivable”. “It’s a ridiculous shambles,” Davis said. Davis, a councillor for Waddon ward and, … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Business, Children's Services, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dean Shoesmith, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Jewitt tops councillor charts for a second successive year

After the brickbats for the work-shy do-littles who populate our Town Hall Chamber, today we celebrate those elected representatives who keep busy by keeping council officials busy They will be dancing down Sauchiehall Street tonight, as proud Scot Karen Jewitt … Continue reading

Posted in Amy Foster, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Gayle Gander, Karen Jewitt, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Robert Ward, Rowenna Davis, Samir Dwesar, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour deputy leaders Young and Collins to stand down in 2026

At least 15% of Croydon’s sitting councillors won’t be seeking election in 2026, while some are doing the ‘chicken run’ to stay on the council gravy train. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Nearly a dozen of Croydon’s current 70 … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe West, Brigitte Graham, Broad Green, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Clive Fraser, Coulsdon Town, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Louis Carserides, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Old Coulsdon, Patricia Hay-Justice, Paul Ainscough, Purley, Ria Patel, Richard Chatterjee, Rowenna Davis, Shirley North, Simon Brew, Simon Fox, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Sue Bennett, Thornton Heath, Waddon, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Labour councillor’s Friends of Israel pose starts selection row

The council elections are little more than 10 months away, but suspicions of selection stitch-ups are already circulating among Croydon Labour’s members. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Between now and next May, we can all confidently expect to receive a … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Chrishni Reshekaron, Rowenna Davis, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Panicked Perry admitted to Rayner: I can’t balance the budget

EXCLUSIVE: Correspondence released following this week’s announcement from Whitehall that Commissioners are likely to be sent in to run the council included a letter from the Mayor that admitted his failure to ‘fix the finances’. By STEVEN DOWNES The government … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Labour figures accuse wasteful Perry of ‘serious incompetence’

‘Once again, the people of Croydon are paying the price for the failure of politicians who don’t have our community’s interests at heart’, according to 2026 Mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Croydon, Rowenna Davis, has accused … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments