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Category Archives: Oliver Lewis
Labour officials pick ‘worst-ever’ candidate for by-election
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Emergency resolution from constituency party blames Local Campaign Forum for multiple failures in local elections. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour officials have hand-picked as a candidate for the South Croydon election re-run someone who three weeks … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, Cane Hill Park Residents' Association, Carole Bonner, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, Croydon North, Croydon South, David White, Fieldway, Jason Perry, Maria Gatland, Michael Neal, New Addington, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King, Waddon
Tagged Ben Taylor, Conservative, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Labour, New Addington, South Croydon, Steve Reed OBE, Tory
6 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 2022 Local Elections, Adele Benson, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Conservative, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon North, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor, New Addington North, New Addington South, Paul Scott, Ria Patel, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Thornton Heath, Tory
13 Comments
Council ignored £5m offer to revive Fairfield’s reputation
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Moves to take the management of the troubled arts centre out of the hands of Bournemouth-based BHLive are being resisted by Labour politicians. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Senior officials and the Labour cabinet member in charge of … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Shifa Mustafa, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Phoenix Pianos, Shifa Mustafa, Val Shawcross
2 Comments
Choir demands compensation over BHLive’s Fairfield shambles
CROYDON IN CRISIS: BHLive, the under-fire operators of the council-owned arts complex, have been accused of costing one of the borough’s top arts groups thousands of pounds because of their poor management of the prestige venue. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Music, Oliver Lewis, Theatre, Val Shawcross
Tagged Andrew Pelling, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Peter Underwood
6 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, 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 2022 Local Elections, 2022 Mayoral election, Addiscombe West, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Mayoral election 2022, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Forestdale, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor, New Addington, Paul Scott, Purley, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Croydon, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
4 Comments
£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Mystery surrounds new candidate Herman’s deleted tweets
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Some fear it is a case of out of the frying pan into the fire with the imposed election candidate in South Norwood. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE The Local Campaign Forum, the committee at … Continue reading
Two-days-a-week libraries latest step in ‘lingering demise’
Staff and residents’ associations warn that reduced opening hours to be introduced from April 4 are just ‘library closures by stealth’ The borough’s public libraries will go on to a new, reduced hours timetable next month, the last part of … Continue reading
Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis
Tagged Bradmore Green, Bradmore Green Library, Broad Green Library, Central Library, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon Libraries, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, OCRA, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Purley Library
1 Comment
Countryside charity slams Local Plan threat to green spaces
One of England’s biggest conservation and countryside charities has accused Croydon Council’s revised Local Plan of “lacking ambition” and once again putting the borough’s green spaces under threat of development. What the council is calling a “review” of the Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Lloyd Park, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, Shirley, Waddon
Tagged Alison Butler, Coombe Farm, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Local Plan, Heather Cheesbrough, Labour, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Purley, Shirley, Waddon
5 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 Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Labour, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI, Robert Ward, Sarah Ironmonger, STUART KING, Tony Newman, Tory
24 Comments
Lewis is given another £1.3m to spend on Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Somehow, our cash-strapped council has managed to find a spare million to hand to the under-performing operators of the town centre’s arts venue, thanks to the recommendation of a new employee of The Campaign Company. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
7 Comments
Lewis gets another chance as selection process grinds to halt
CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The party’s membership has dropped by 50% in some wards since 2020, and officials didn’t have enough women applicants to complete their selection process in what was supposed to be a target ward. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Jamie Audsley, London-wide issues, New Addington, Norbury, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, Sarah Jones MP, Sherwan Chowdhury, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Addiscombe East, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Labour, London, Norbury and Pollards Hill, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, South Croydon, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
4 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 Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Appu Dhamodaran, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Felicity Flynn, Jose Joseph, Kola Agboola, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mary Croos, Mayor, New Addington, New Addington North, New Addington South, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, Sherwan Chowdhury, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Waddon
1 Comment
Cummings and Lewis start the ‘chicken run’ for safe wards
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the unedifying scramble among some Labour councillors to find a safe ward to stand in at next May’s local elections The chicken run is underway among the borough’s Labour councillors, with at least one current … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Jeet Bains, Louisa Woodley, Maddie Henson, Mike Bonello, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Raj Rajendran, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Woodside
Tagged Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jamie Audsley, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Woodside
4 Comments
Leisure centre is an asset of community value. Treat it like one
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The time has long passed for polite petitions seeking to save the council-owned Purley Pool. It’s time for the community to take the initiative. By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor of Inside Croydon While Save Purley Pool petitions and banners … Continue reading
Posted in Inside Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Labour, Purley, Save Purley Pool Campaign, Steven Downes
6 Comments
Purley Pool closure planned to help GLL repay £279,000 loan
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Cash-strapped council’s case for closing down leisure centre depends entirely on made up figures and abandoning terms of a 20-year management agreement. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Inside Croydon’s exclusive report two weeks ago about proposals to cut … Continue reading
Community station has questions over council’s radio silence
Town Hall leaders were keen enough to promote themselves with selfies in the studios, but now a manager at the town’s community station claims they have been ‘black-listed’ by the council. By STEVEN DOWNES One week has passed since Croydon … Continue reading
‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While the cash-strapped council remains preoccupied with its finances, the once prestigious arts centre on the other side of Park Lane risks sliding towards cultural oblivion. By our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK There are growing concerns that … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, GLL - Better, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
13 Comments
Council has no answers over missing Fairfield Halls sculpture
Croydon’s crass council has been accused of another act of cultural vandalism, after “losing” a significant piece of mid-century street art from the site alongside the “award-winning” (try not to laugh) Fairfield Halls. The art installation, in a modernist, geometric … Continue reading
Croydon Labour to return to the Three-Day Week for libraries
Oliver “Shit Show” Lewis, the councillor with responsibility for the borough’s culture, has had a second set of money-saving proposals for Croydon libraries mostly rejected, and so will preside over the council’s statutory service now being provided on just three … Continue reading
Brick by Brick failed to replace Fairfield’s 60-year-old windows
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The ‘fiasco’ of Brick by Brick’s bungled £70m refurbishment of the arts venue gets worse, with the latest admission of failures from a cabinet member. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Ollie “Shit Show” Lewis, the council cabinet member … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor of London, Oliver Lewis, Timothy Godfrey, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis
11 Comments
Lewis launches reading challenge – when 11 libraries are shut
CROYDON IN CRISIS: As the council’s second consultation in a year to shut down a statutory service comes to an end, eight of the borough’s libraries remain closed for the majority of the week. By STEVEN DOWNES With all the … 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
‘Apologetic Ali’ fails once again as BxB sends in the builders
Council leader tells community meeting she is powerless to act against the council-owned development company, as New Addington residents’ five-year campaign to save a communal space comes to a sad end. By STEVEN DOWNES Not for the first time, Croydon … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Scott Ainsworth-Payne
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Labour, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Warbank Crescent
7 Comments
