Category Archives: Lambeth Council

Politicians distrusted? Ask Lambeth’s housing co-ops

Steve Reed OBE, the MP for Croydon North, says that it has taken him a year of working at Westminster to realise… People. Don’t. Trust. Politicians. Is this what the acronym NSS* was invented for? After all, Reed had spent … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, Outside Croydon, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Croydon Council’s “non-drop” trees that cost us all extra

Tomorrow, our neighbours in Sutton will be able to mark the end of the holiday period by placing their used and unwanted dying old Christmas trees outside their homes for collection, free of charge, by the local council. In Lambeth, … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Gardening, Lambeth Council, Refuse collection, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Croydon appoints Negrini as fifth planning chief in two years

Croydon Council has hand-picked someone to be our borough’s executive director of planning and environment who has spent the last four years working closely with developers Westfield on their Stratford mega-mall. Jo Negrini will become Croydon’s fifth planning chief in … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Jon Rouse, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Nathan Elvery, Outside Croydon, Paul Spooner, Planning, Property, Taberner House, URV, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Upper Norwood Library seeks volunteers for new trust

Trustees are wanted for a new social enterprise in Upper Norwood due to take over the running of the Upper Norwood Library. The Upper Norwood Library Trust (UNLT) has been formed by local residents with the objective of taking over … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The A to Z of whether your area is about to go “upmarket”

Brixton today, Croydon tomorrow? Esiah Levy, who Tweets as @croydon_oldtown, has come up with a very handy little guide to how to judge whether a neighbourhood is being gentrified. Levy’s “A to Z of signs that your area is about … Continue reading

Posted in 8/8: London Road stories, Broad Green, Business, Community associations, Croydon 8/8, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Norbury, Outside Croydon, Paul Spooner, Planning, Property, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Londoners being priced out of London by social cleansing

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Building thousands of high-rise high-priced “luxury apartments” to be bought by overseas investors may enhance the bottom line of private property developers, but will do nothing to solve the borough’s housing crisis. By STEVEN DOWNES London, and Croydon, … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2014 council elections, Altitude 25, Business, Cane Hill, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, IYLO, Lambeth Council, Menta Tower, Paul Spooner, Planning, Property, Ruskin Square, Steve Reed MP, Taberner House, URV, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Oi! Could the Town Hall do the Lambeth Walk under Labour?

Croydon’s Labour party looks like adopting a new approach to offer to the electorate ahead of the 2014 local elections. Labour wants to offer “a council run for the town, not the Town Hall”, according to the deputy leader of … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, Alison Butler, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, URV | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Croydon’s homes crisis is borough’s bitter Thatcher legacy

CROYDON COMMENTARY: DAVID CALLAM says that the council lost much of its ability to manage its own policies on business and housing to a premiership of 30 years ago Margaret Thatcher is portrayed as a darling of the Home Counties … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, David Callam, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It gets worse: three-day week plus five jobs lost at UNJL

It was under Ted Heath’s Conservative government in the 1970s that Britain was reduced to a three-day week. Until, that is, Croydon’s 2013 Tories came along, because they have managed to reduce the operation at Upper Norwood Joint Library to … Continue reading

Posted in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Lambeth Council, Libraries | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Redundancies and four-day opening at Upper Norwood library

So much for Croydon Council’s promises of no library closures. The Conservative-controlled council which has already axed the mobile library service and has decided to close New Addington’s purpose-built library  to replace it with a few book shelves in the … Continue reading

Posted in Greenwich Leisure, John Laing Integrated Services, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Sara Bashford, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

1.85%: Croydon in a Pickles over Council Tax hike

Mike Fisher, the leader of the Conservative group that tries to run Croydon Council, tonight raised the white flag at the Town Hall when – at the latest possible moment on a Friday evening just before half-term week – he … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Dudley Mead, Housing, Lambeth Council, Mayor of London, Mike Fisher, Policing, Schools, Sutton Council, Tim Pollard, URV | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tree recycling saves council thousands – but not in Croydon

Residents have saved more than £6,000 by taking part in this year’s Christmas tree recycling programme. Sadly for Croydon, these are Lambeth residents saving their council and their own money. In total, 85 tons of Christmas trees have been collected … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Gardening, Lambeth Council, Outside Croydon, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon short-changed by £95m on central grant funding

The people of Croydon are daily being short-changed by the government, as the borough receives a central grant from government that is £95 million less than our inner London neighbours, Labour-run Lambeth, despite there being 60,000 more people living in … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Education, Gavin Barwell, Lambeth Council, Mike Fisher, Richard Ottaway MP, Schools, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reed’s regeneration record leaves Vauxhall cross

Steve Reed, Labour’s candidate for Thursday’s Croydon North  by-election, wants to be judged on his record in Lambeth. SEAN CREIGHTON talks to community groups about the council leader’s job creation claims A key claim in Steve Reed’s campaign to be … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Boris Johnson, Croydon North, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Property, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Never knowingly understood”? Realities of a co-op council

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Last Wednesday, while Croydon Council was handing over its libraries to Laings, up the A23 at Brixton Town Hall, Lambeth Council was making an equally significant decision. SEAN CREIGHTON looks at the work done over the borough boundary … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Boris Johnson, Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Greenwich Leisure, Housing, John Laing Integrated Services, Lambeth Council, Libraries, London-wide issues, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Galloway and Barwell seize upon Reed’s one-vote victory

Steve Reed today offered “a new vision for Croydon” to win selection as the Labour party candidate for Croydon North. But the Lambeth Council leader’s selection, reportedly by a single vote from Valerie Shawcross after second preferences were included, represents … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Gavin Barwell, Lambeth Council, Lee Jasper, London Assembly, Malcolm Wicks MP, Mike Fisher, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour selects Reed as candidate for Croydon North

Steve Reed is to be the Labour party candidate for the Croydon North by-election when it is staged later this month. Inside sources suggest that Reed may have won the ballot by as few as three votes from his closest … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Croydon North, Faz Hakim, Lambeth Council, London Assembly, Louisa Woodley, Malcolm Wicks MP, Simon Burgess, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reed bends with the wind as he seeks selection in Croydon

Steve Reed divides opinions. He thinks he’s great. Others who have had to deal with the leader of Lambeth Council tend to disagree. “He’s more Blairite than Tony Blair,” was one of the more polite views aired when Reed announced … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Croydon North, Faz Hakim, Housing, Lambeth Council, Louisa Woodley, Malcolm Wicks MP, Simon Burgess, Steve Reed MP, URV, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Community group takes Crystal Palace Park appeal to court

Crystal Palace Community Association is to get its day in (the High) Court tomorrow morning, as its rearguard battle to prevent housing being built on parkland continues. CPCA is seeking to challenge the approval given to a London Development Agency … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Community associations, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lambeth leader Reed puts himself forward for Croydon North

Labour’s “long list” of applicants to stand as a candidate in the Croydon North by-election includes the leader of Lambeth Council, Steve Reed. Reed, a Brixton Hill councillor who lives in Streatham, has led Lambeth Council since 2006. He is … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 by-election, Andrew Stranack, Croydon 8/8, Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Malcolm Wicks MP, Marisha Ray, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Redundancy costs could burden Upper Norwood library trust

Another offering for the bulging file of “Croydon Council Adds Insult to Injury” comes from the splendid News from Crystal Palace site, which reports that leading figures at our Town Hall are seriously considering burdening any community trust which takes … Continue reading

Posted in Carole Bonner, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Steve Hollands, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Upper Norwood Library funding cuts called in for scrutiny

A council decision that threatens the future of the century-old Upper Norwood Library by withdrawing the majority of the library’s funding will hit a road block this week, after Croydon’s Labour councillors called for a special Town Hall meeting to … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Cinema, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, David Lean Cinema Campaign, Education, Lambeth Council, Libraries, Theatre, Timothy Godfrey, Warehouse Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Public rejects any moves to undermine Upper Norwood library

89% That is the massive majority surveyed who object to any suggestion that Croydon Council could abandon the 112-year-old joint agreement for funding and management of the Upper Norwood Joint Library. Even with a council consultation which was accused of … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, Jon Rouse, Lambeth Council, Libraries, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment