Category Archives: Matthew Bennett

10-year campaign by locals wins reprieve for Central Hill Estate

Posted on March 3, 2023 by insidecroydon

Plans by a labour-controlled south London council to bulldoze a residential estate have been binned, after a decade-long campaign by locals. Lambeth Council has paused the redevelopment of Central Hill and two other estates after a critical report recommended a … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Now Lambeth Labour forced to ditch its failed housing venture

Posted on November 29, 2022 by insidecroydon

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the latest embarrassing climbdown by a south London council Lambeth Council is to wind up its arms-length housebuilding company Homes for Lambeth after an official review described its performance as “very poor” and recommended … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Council knew housing scheme was ‘unviable’ four years ago

Posted on August 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

Lambeth Council has known for at least four years that their proposed redevelopment of an award-winning housing estate was “unviable”. The eviction of council tenants in Cressingham Gardens and the proposed development of much of the site into private flats … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Mayor of London, Mott MacDonald, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Coronavirus being used as ‘smokescreen’ for estate demolition

Posted on April 9, 2020 by insidecroydon

It is not just in Croydon that residents’ groups have been alert to the inherent risks of placing the entire planning system into the hands of a few unelected council officials. The delegated planning powers, prompted by the coronavirus emergency, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Jennifer Brathwaite, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lacey’s in Mayfair with speculators to ‘unlock’ public land

Posted on June 14, 2018 by insidecroydon

BARRATT HOLMES on the latest instance where the council shows that it is more interested in cosying up to mega-rich property speculators than actually delivering homes at social rent Forget the possible contraventions of building regulations on one of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Mayor of London, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lambeth is showing the way with destruction of five estates

Posted on January 25, 2018 by insidecroydon

This week, Labour’s ruling NEC stepped in to stop one London council from undertaking a property deal which could have seen hundreds of council tenants evicted from their homes. Yet meanwhile, a bus ride up the A23 from Croydon, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Outside Croydon, Planning, Property, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour parachute in Lambeth councillor for Croydon South

Posted on May 3, 2017 by insidecroydon

After lengthy delays, Labour has finally got round to naming its General Election candidate for the true-blue Tory heartland of the borough, as WALTER CRONXITE reports Jennifer Brathwaite has been confirmed as Labour’s candidate for Croydon South in next month’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017 General Election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon North, Croydon South, Jennifer Brathwaite, Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Downing St dressing-down shows Barwell’s out of his depth

Posted on October 11, 2016 by insidecroydon

After nearly 20 appearances at Tory conference fringe events, it was a busy week for Croydon’s gaffe-prone MP. But as WALTER CRONXITE reports, it is not only the wealthy member for Croydon Central who has been demonstrating his cluelessness over … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Gavin Barwell, Housing, Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, Planning, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Greens come close to unseating Progress in library dispute

Posted on June 10, 2016 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE reports on a Lambeth by-election result which offers a warning to Croydon Labour Steve Reed OBE, the Progress MP for Lambeth South/Croydon North (delete to distaste) got a bit of a warning overnight, after a Lambeth council by-election … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, John Wentworth, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

MP Reed ‘committed’ to funding for Upper Norwood Library

Posted on October 8, 2015 by insidecroydon

Steve Reed OBE, the MP for Croydon North, has sent the Save the Upper Norwood Library campaign a supportive message as the campaigners try to stop the “decommissioning” of their library services as part of Lambeth Council’s scheme to close … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, John Wentworth, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Matthew Bennett, Pat Ryan, Steve Reed MP, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is it jobs for the boys as Shawcross stands down at City Hall?

Posted on May 22, 2015 by insidecroydon

Amid all the fuss this time last week about the withdrawal from the Labour leadership contest of the only south London candidate, Chuka Umunna, the news of another leading figure from the same party standing down from the political fray … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 by-election, 2016 London elections, Andrew Pelling, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London Assembly, Matthew Bennett, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reed calls for proper funding for Upper Norwood Library

Posted on April 3, 2015 by insidecroydon

The chairman of the Upper Norwood Library Trust yesterday told how he wept when the doors to the library were closed for the first time as a result of funding cuts imposed by Croydon Council. Robert Gibson was speaking to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015 General Election, Alisa Flemming, Carillion, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Community Association, John Laing Integrated Services, John Wentworth, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Matthew Bennett, Pat Ryan, Steve Reed MP, Transition Town, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

MP Reed ‘guaranteed’ library’s ‘future’ for just nine months

Posted on March 13, 2015 by insidecroydon

How long is the “future”? How reliable is a “guarantee”? We only ask because it is barely a year since Steve Reed OBE, the MP for Lambeth South, got together with Tony Newman, the leader of the Labour group on … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, John Wentworth, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Matthew Bennett, Pat Ryan, Tony Newman, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Library trust is ‘shellshocked’ at Lambeth’s 60% funding cut

Posted on March 9, 2015 by insidecroydon

The future of Upper Norwood Library has been thrown into doubt once again, this time after a Labour-run local authority announced its intention to reduce funding by 60 per cent in 2016. Upper Norwood’s library is unique due to its … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Community Association, Education, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP, Transition Town, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon MP’s aide orders councillors to ignore residents

Posted on November 3, 2014 by insidecroydon

A Westminster aide to a Croydon MP, who has his wages paid by the tax-payer, has instructed his fellow councillors not to respond to local residents if they are contacted over concerns about evictions from housing co-operatives in Lambeth. Matthew … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Union group accuses MP Reed of ‘appalling nonsense’

Posted on August 6, 2014 by insidecroydon

Steve Reed OBE, the MP for Lambeth South, has lost the support of some of Croydon’s trades unionists, with one group promising to stand a candidate against the Bliarite “New Labour” advocate at next May’s General Election. The Trades Unionist … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015 General Election, Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Nothing to see here’, police say over Gipsy Hill election case

Posted on July 27, 2014 by insidecroydon

The police has concluded its investigation into allegations of electoral fraud in Lambeth’s Gipsy Hill ward in May’s local elections, and says it will be taking no further action. The voters of Gipsy Hill elected three Labour councillors, including Matthew … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Police launch investigation over Labour councillors’ election

Posted on July 25, 2014 by insidecroydon

The police are investigating allegations over the conduct of last May’s local elections in Lambeth’s Gipsy Hill ward, where Matthew Bennett – whose state-funded day-job is as the “head of office” for Croydon North MP Steve Reed OBE – was … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, Steve Reed MP | 2 Comments