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Category Archives: Oliver Lewis
Purley campaign demands answers over pool’s lack of funding
CROYDON IN CRISIS: With Greenwich Leisure, who operate the borough’s leisure facilities, under intense covid-19 financial pressures of their own, local mum RACHEL GARNETT (pictured left) explains the vital importance of the continuing campaign to save Purley Pool from closure … Continue reading
Council paid £1m compensation for unfinished Fairfield Halls
EXCLUSIVE: A year-long investigation has uncovered multi-million-pound payments by the council on its arts centre, largely because of the bungled refurbishment managed by Brick by Brick. And it is now suggested some payments may have been unlawful. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
BxB-built library which has never opened is now to be closed
The story of South Norwood Library is just the latest example of how thoroughly screwed-up and costly the council’s relationship with its loss-making house-builders has become. GENE BRODIE, our bookish gyms correspondent, reports This could only happen in Croydon. The … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Education, Jane Avis, Libraries, Lisa Taylor, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Section 114 notice, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside
Tagged Bradmore Green Library, Brick by Brick, Broad Green Library, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Jane Avis, London Borough of Croydon, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Sanderstead Library, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley Library, South Norwood, South Norwood Library, Tony Newman
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Personal trainers ignore council’s parks licensing scheme
The council’s misfiring attempts to help businesses in the borough through the coronavirus pandemic reached a nadir in the summer when the Fisher’s Folly propaganda department announced that Croydon was “waiving” personal trainer licence fees – without mentioning that they … Continue reading
Libraries Week, but not in Coulsdon, Purley, South Norwood…
“It’s Libraries Week!” declared a council-run Twitter account yesterday. The exciting range of services on offer included using something they called “eaudiobooks”, perhaps to listen to while in the bath? But it is not libraries week if you would usually … Continue reading
BHLive starts redundancy process for staff at Fairfield Halls
There have been unconfirmed reports that BHLive, the Bournemouth-based operators in charge of running the council-owned Fairfield Halls, have this week begun making their full-time employees in Croydon redundant. According to BHLive insiders, the move could see the Fairfield Halls … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis
Tagged BHLive, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis
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Councillor claims: We can’t afford to reopen Arena stadium
Track where Olympic stars Donna Fraser, Martyn Rooney and Lawrence Okoye began their track and field careers is under threat after covid-19, as senior council figure claims it could cost £200,000 to reopen Oliver Lewis, the council cabinet member, last … Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Cycling, Football, Lawrence Okoye, Martyn Rooney, Oliver Lewis, Sport, Tony Newman, Uncategorized, Woodside
Tagged Croydon Arena, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside
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Virus sees council turn Fairfield into a £43m rehearsal space
Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports on how the council has belatedly come up with a handful of measures to see the Fairfield Halls at least partially come out of its covid-induced ‘hibernation’ A month after the venue management laid … Continue reading
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 Alison Butler, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Wood, Jane Avis, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
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Fears grow at Fairfield Halls over operator’s unsigned lease
The Fairfield Halls may be in “hibernation” until next year because of coronavirus, but Croydon Council is now facing another crisis over its ill-fated £43million refurbishment project, with growing fears that the company appointed to manage the arts complex could … Continue reading
Residents quick to see through councillor’s skatepark offer
The mounting anger among New Addington residents over Brick by Brick’s plans for “slumification” of their area has created a sense of panic among the cabal that controls the Labour group at Croydon Town Hall. With four council seats at … Continue reading
Posted in Boxing, Felicity Flynn, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington ABC, New Addington North, New Addington Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Simon Hall, Sport
Tagged Croydon Council, Felicity Flynn, Labour, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington Amateur Boxing Club, New Addington North, New Addington South, Oliver Lewis, Simon Hall, Timebridge Centre
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Newman bans Labour councillors from ‘liking’ Inside Croydon
WALTER CRONXITE reports on the ludicrous lengths that the council leadership is going to in order to avoid scrutiny of their failing administration Tony Newman, the increasingly absurd leader of Croydon Council, has ordered his fellow Labour councillors not to … Continue reading
Is Brick by Brick’s Theobald Road ‘Stasi prison’ now kaput?
Pressure is growing on the council’s house-builders to drop their ugly plans for a site in Waddon, after a second tree quality survey completely contradicted an earlier report. By BELLE MARSH, our prisons correspondent Brick by Brick, the council’s wholly-owned, … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Environment, Felicity Flynn, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, Robert Canning, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Waddon
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Felicity Flynn, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Waddon
7 Comments
Facing uncertain future, Fairfield Halls returns all its pianos
The Fairfield Halls had the removal men in yesterday – taking away the arts venue’s pianos. Inside Croydon understands that the pianos – nine in total, including two grand pianos – have been returned to their makers after the venue … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, coronavirus, Covid-19, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Neil Chandler, Phoenix Pianos
7 Comments
TfL’s cashflow crisis could make Croydon traffic jams worse
Our transport correspondent, JEREMY CLACKSON, on finance problems for Transport for London that could have a profound impact on south London Transport for London’s appeal to the government for £3.2billion to allow it to keep operating in the covid-19 crisis … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Commuting, Croydon Council, Environment, Joy Prince, London-wide issues, Louisa Woodley, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Robert Canning, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tony Newman, Tramlink, Transport, Waddon
Tagged Addiscombe East, Andrew Pelling, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fiveways, Joy Prince, London, London Borough of Croydon, Louisa Woodley, Maddie Henson, Mayor, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Purley Way, Robert Canning, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tony Newman, Tory, Transport for London, Waddon
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Labour council backs scheme to encourage library volunteers
The council is “making it easier than ever before” – their own words – for people to volunteer to work in the borough’s libraries. A missive from Fisher’s Folly last week announced, “a new online system” that allows people to … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Libraries, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Central Library, Croydon Libraries, Oliver Lewis
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Library closures: Lewis forced to issue statement on plans
The Labour cabinet member who told the scrutiny committee that he ‘absolutely’ has plans to build more flats on the borough’s public libraries now says the council ‘currently’ has no plans to close libraries. Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Carillion, GLL - Better, Libraries, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Shirley, South Norwood, Tony Newman
Tagged Bradmore Green, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Library, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley, Shirley Library, South Norwood, Tory
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CLP cancels meeting with motion opposing NHS privatisation
A constituency Labour Party in Croydon cancelled its regular monthly meeting this week – thwarting an attempt to discuss a motion opposing the latest round of NHS reorganisation and privatisation in the borough. Town Hall sources suggest that centrist-dominated Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Croydon South, Jane Avis, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Andrew Pelling, Croydon South, Jane Avis, Labour, Oliver Lewis
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£300,000 new book fund just a start to revive public libraries
Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, on how an announcement of a 9% increase on not very much leaves a long way to go to stock the borough’s library shelves The council’s somewhat dubious practice of telling only half of … Continue reading
Posted in Carillion, Croydon Council, Libraries, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Conservative, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Tory
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Croydon to get £1m from Mayor’s ‘gentrification premium’
Croydon has been named as one of London’s six Creative Enterprise Zones, part of the Mayor of London’s initiative to support artists and creative businesses, and develop skills and jobs for Londoners. Croydon has been awarded just £500,000, from a … Continue reading
Cabinet member says Brick by Brick could build on libraries
GENE BRODIE, our bookish gyms correspondent, on the latest inadvertent slip by a council cabinet member which betrays the next possible target for the council’s ‘award-winning’ house-builders Brick by Brick’s insatiable appetite for turning public property into mainly private flats … Continue reading
Joy to the world: Please don’t wreck our Arnhem Gallery
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on a rare outbreak of critical thinking in the council chamber, as one councillor spells out for the Fairfield Halls management the blatant imbecility of one of their proposed name changes At last, a Labour councillor … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Joy Prince, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Arnhem Gallery, Fairfield Halls, Joy Prince, Labour, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Waddon
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Three Croydon high streets among ‘unhealthiest’ in London
Another day, another survey that demonstrates that Croydon is slowly deteriorating into decay, poverty and neglect. The Royal Society of Public Health published a list of “Unhealthiest Streets” this week, and Croydon was the only borough that had three entries … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Environment, Fiona Twycross, Health, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sadiq Khan, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman
Tagged Addiscombe West, Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Labour, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, New Addington, Norbury, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman
2 Comments
Butt-plug art ‘Not everyone’s cup of tea’, says councillor
A month since Inside Croydon revealed how the Arts Council and Croydon Council had jointly put up £48,000 of public money in grants for an arts festival which included an act that sought to “demystify the anus” and another where … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman
Tagged Joseph Ravens, Oliver Lewis, Tempting Failure
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