Category Archives: New Addington

Butler and Scott among those not facing the voters again

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, on the high drop-out rate among Croydon’s Labour councillors, bruised and deflated after nearly eight years in charge at the Town Hall Paul Scott and Alison Butler, the husband and wife duo who made up … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Caragh Skipper, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Housing, Jamie Audsley, Jose Joseph, Joy Prince, Louisa Woodley, Mary Croos, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Selhurst, Stephen Mann, Toni Letts, Tony Newman, Waddon, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tories welcome back far-right figures as 2022 candidates

Our Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the names in the frame to become new Tory councillors next May Jason Perry, the leader of the Conservative opposition at Croydon Council, has handed the local politics equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Badsha Quadir, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fieldway, Helen Redfern, Jason Perry, Lynne Hale, New Addington, New Addington North, Norbury Park, Purley, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Tony Pearson, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon FM, Local media, Music, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 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

Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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

Posted in Croydon Council, Libraries, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Selsdon & Ballards, Shirley North, South Norwood, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council concedes the end of its retail dream for town centre

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Do you feel ‘fortunate’ that the long-promised, council-backed scheme to regenerate the town centre has flopped? Because that’s the spin that Town Hall chiefs are putting on the collapse of the project and the end of a … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Growth Zone, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Oliver Lewis, Planning, Sarah Hayward, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , | 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

Posted in Croydon Council, Education, Libraries, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Voting figures suggest there’s a storm coming for Labour

Croydon’s own red wall turned blue in the London elections this month. Ward-level voting figures provide more bad news for Labour in Croydon, reports our resident psephologist, WALTER CRONXITE The unseasonable heavy rainfall in May is not the only reason … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Hamida Ali, Jason Perry, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, New Addington, New Addington North, Norbury Park, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, South Croydon, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council forced to back down over plan to close five libraries

Having created a threat to close five of the borough’s public libraries, the witless Labour administration is now trying to claim the credit for ‘saving’ them. By STEVEN DOWNES For the second time in just two years, hapless Ollie Lewis, … Continue reading

Posted in Broad Green, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Shirley North, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Full results of council by-elections held in five wards

NOT-SO-SPECIAL ELECTION SPECIAL: Here’s the full results of Thursday’s council by-elections in Kenley, Park Hill and Whitgift ward, New Addington North, South Norwood and Woodside The results of five council by-elections held on Thursday were announced yesterday, as a Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in Kenley, New Addington, New Addington North, Park Hill and Whitgift, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Spot the difference: Tories go for BNP vote in New Addington

With one week to go until polling day in the borough’s five council by-elections, and Croydon Tories have played their joker. Councillor Scott Roche was out on the streets of New Addington North, one of the wards where a council … Continue reading

Posted in Fieldway, Kenley, New Addington, New Addington North, Park Hill and Whitgift, Scott Roche, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Eight walks to encompass Croydon’s boundaries and history

Over the course of lockdown, one intrepid geographer has managed to complete the ‘beating of the bounds’ and discover the fascinating history of our parish and civic boundaries, stretching back to Saxon times. Words, pictures and mapping by Dr BEN … Continue reading

Posted in Addington, Church and religions, City Commons, Coulsdon, Croydon parks, Environment, History, New Addington, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Selsdon & Ballards, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Surrey, Tandridge District Council, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Conservatives recruit social media expert for local elections

Our south of the borough reporter, PEARL LEE, on the latest efforts to win political control of the Town Hall Croydon Tories are gearing up for a battle to win back control of Croydon Town Hall – just in time … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Croydon Council, Ian Parker, Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seconds out: Round 3! Boxing club gets temporary reprieve

New Addington Amateur Boxing Club, which faced immediate closure at the end of March, has been given a temporary reprieve. Another one. As with most things involving Croydon Council, the outcome is less than satisfactory. One source said today, “If … Continue reading

Posted in Boxing, Community associations, Duke McKenzie, Felicity Flynn, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington ABC, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Simon Hall, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Under-threat libraries missing from council’s re-opening plans

Croydon Council this morning released details of its phased re-opening of some of the borough’s public libraries – but with no immediate plans for three of the buildings which it has listed for permanent closure in its recent consultation. Broad … Continue reading

Posted in Ashburton, Broad Green, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Libraries, New Addington, Norbury, Old Coulsdon, Purley, Sanderstead, Selsdon and Addington Village, Shirley North, South Norwood, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fitzsimons stays on to scrutinise his scrutiny committee

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Town Hall’s theatre of the absurd continues tonight with a meeting chaired by a councillor criticised by auditors and government inspectors for failing to raise the alarm over finances and poor governance. STEVEN DOWNES reports Sean … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Wood, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Nina Degrads, Oliver Lewis, Report in the Public Interest, Stephen Mann, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New Addington residents asked to report their pot holes

The New Addington Residents’ Association is carrying out a survey of residents over the state of their roads. “We are aware that there are many roads in New Addington and Fieldway that are damaged and littered with potholes,” NARA announced … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Fieldway, New Addington, New Addington North, New Addington Residents' Association | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Beautiful Butterflies: 2021 Hutchinson’s Bank walks

Posted in Environment, Hutchinson's Bank, New Addington, Walks, Wildlife | Tagged , | Leave a comment

McKenzie gives his backing for New Addington’s boxers

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Former world champion says that council failing to provide a base for boxing club will cause a massive ‘backlash’. By STEVEN DOWNES Seconds out! A community boxing club is facing a fight for survival, set to be … Continue reading

Posted in Boxing, Community associations, Croydon Council, Duke McKenzie, Fieldway, New Addington, New Addington ABC, New Addington Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Scott Ainsworth-Payne, Simon Hall, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment