Category Archives: Neil Garratt

Perry left pot-less after failed bid for £20m levelling up money

Our Town Hall staff reporter, PEARL LEE, on the latest disappointing set-back for the Conservative Mayor Despite growing social deprivation in the borough and its failing town centre economy, Croydon has failed in its bid for £20million of Levelling Up … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Garratt, Paul Scully MP, Section 114 notice, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Part-time Perry is fiddling over ULEZ while Croydon burns

In the middle of the hottest and driest summer on record, Jason Perry, Chris Philp and south London Tories are opposing measures to address the climate crisis. By our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION Jason Perry, Croydon’s part-time Mayor, has made … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Business, Chris Philp MP, Climate Crisis Commission, Commuting, Croydon Council, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Dombey survives but Sutton results leave LibDems scarred

CARL SHILTON at the election count reports on how senior Liberal Democrats lost their council positions while their party clung on to power, as Labour won their first seats for 20 years The election fight in Sutton turned feral as … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Catherine Gray, Jayne McCoy, Jenny Batt, Luke Taylor, Marian James, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Half of Sutton LibDem councillors quitting at May’s elections

Defending the indefensible, whether it is the dodgy deals over the council’s SDEN heat network, the appalling treatment of families with SEND children, or some of the ruling group’s more under-hand conduct, has taken its toll, writes our Civic Offices … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Catherine Gray, Charlie Mansell, Elliot Colburn, Jayne McCoy, Jenny Batt, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council planners urge developer to pre-empt Local Plan

It isn’t only over suburban blocks of flats that the council planning department appears to work against the interests of the residents they are supposed to serve. Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES reveals how officials have been persuading one developer to … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Croydon South, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Joy Prince, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Planning, Property, Purley Way, Purley Way Lido, Robert Canning, Sadiq Khan, Waddon, Wing Yip | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mayor Khan settles in for the long-haul and a third term

Sadiq Khan wants to be London’s first three-term Mayor. Khan was first elected as London’s Mayor in 2016,  succeeding Boris Johnson. Johnson, like Ken Livingstone before him, the capital’s first Mayor, had served two four-year terms. Now Khan, who was … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Boris Johnson, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Zac Goldsmith MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon 2021: Where Eagles care and people power takes hold

DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: In the second part of our review of the year, loyal readers step up to report raptor sightings, there’s the retirement of a much-admired Palace manager, worrying election results for Labour and the council … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace FC, Environment, Housing, Inside Croydon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, New Addington North, Patsy Cummings, Planning, Roy Hodgson, Sadiq Khan, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Wildlife, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bailey under fire for staging his own illegal Tory Party party

Questions are being asked about which Croydon and Sutton Conservatives attended their mayoral candidate’s lockdown-busting ‘raucous’ Christmas shin-dig. By WALTER CRONXITE There have been calls for Shaun Bailey to resign as chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Policing, Shaun Bailey | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Man behind failing SDEN’s plan is re-hired on £800 per day

EXCLUSIVE: LibDem-controlled council accused of ‘double dipping’ after it reveals it ‘won’ £310,000 grant to fund work on extending its misfiring heating network… even though that work has already been completed. CARL SHILTON, investigations editor, reports Last week, Sutton Council … Continue reading

Posted in Jayne McCoy, Neil Garratt, Niall Bolger, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sutton’s Simpson show can’t account for £2m SDEN subsidy

‘I can’t give you a guarantee there is no fraud’ – the words of an independent accountancy official at a meeting this week caused further dismay to Sutton’s ruling LibDems amid the growing controversy of their loss-making heat network. CARL … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Elliot Colburn, Environment, Helen Bailey, Jayne McCoy, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Richard Simpson, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sutton chiefs block opposition from seeing fraud report

Our Sutton investigations editor, CARL SHILTON, on the latest strokes being pulled by the LibDem-controlled council Tonight, there is a meeting of the Sutton Shareholdings Board, the committee that exercises the corporate shareholder and governance responsibilities of Sutton Council’s privately-held … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Helen Bailey, Jayne McCoy, Neil Garratt, Nick Mattey, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Drummond, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Garratt doubles victory margin as he takes City Hall seat

NOT-SO-SPECIAL ELECTION SPECIAL: Labour has slipped back in the London Assembly voting, with its worst result in Croydon and Sutton for 13 years. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Neil “Father Jack” Garratt was named on Saturday as Croydon and Sutton’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, South Norwood, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tories are tipped to cling on to Croydon and Sutton seat

NOT-SO-SPECIAL ELECTION SPECIAL: With just hours to go before the polling stations open, WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, offers some important advice to make  sure that your votes count After a turgid campaign that has lasted, off and on because … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Croydon Greens, Kenley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, New Addington North, Park Hill and Whitgift, Patsy Cummings, Peter Underwood, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, South Norwood, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tory Assembly candidate in racism row over stop and search

Election candidates have not been subject to the kind of public scrutiny they might have expected pre-covid, and online hustings last week demonstrated why such questioning is so necessary. By STEVEN DOWNES Neil “Father Jack” Garratt, the Conservative candidate for … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Crime, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Peter Underwood, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Garratt and Cummings finally agree to debate climate crisis

It took them a while but, finally, the two frontrunners in the race to be Croydon and Sutton’s London Assembly Member have agreed to take part in an online hustings organised by the Friends of the Earth’s Croydon Climate Action … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Climate Crisis Commission, Community associations, Croydon Friends of the Earth, Environment, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Peter Underwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crowley stands down as Tory opposition leader in Sutton

EXCLUSIVE: Our Sutton reporter CARL SHILTON on the latest leadership change in a south London borough All change! Tim Crowley today became the fourth leader of a Town Hall political group in south London in the past few weeks to … Continue reading

Posted in London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tin-eared Tories look to dump Bailey’s lacklustre Mayor bid

Our political editor WALTER CRONXITE on how the Conservatives are beginning to panic over their gormless candidate for London Mayor Reports emerged overnight that the Tories are giving serious consideration to dumping their candidate for London Mayor, Shaun Bailey. As … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Boris Johnson, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Rory Stewart, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tories play politics over covid emergency funding for TfL

The emergency cash bail-out for London’s transport system sees the capital’s Labour Mayor hand much control to the Tories running the government, reports WALTER CRONXITE The Tories have put political point-scoring ahead of public health, after the government last night … Continue reading

Posted in London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Link, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cummings wins Labour’s Assembly selection race by 25 votes

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on a close-run thing Patsy Cummings, the councillor for South Norwood, will be Labour’s candidate in Croydon and Sutton for the London Assembly elections in May after winning a ballot of party members in the two … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Rory Stewart, Rowenna Davis, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Sian Berry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Decision time for Labour comes too late for Davis or Cummings

Our political editor WALTER CRONXITE, on how a drawn-out selection process has hampered any prospects of electoral success for Labour in Croydon and Sutton in May’s elections to City Hall In a primary contest that has lasted longer than that … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Elliot Colburn, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What the election means for Croydon, Westfield and St Helier

After a long and sleepless night, our political editor WALTER CONXITE sifts through the wreckage of the General Election, and what it might mean for Croydon, and Sutton The fourth General Election since 2010 is significant because it is the … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2019 General Election, Adult Social Care, Boris Johnson, Brick by Brick, Centrale, Children's Services, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Elliot Colburn, Health, Housing, Jo Negrini, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mario Creatura, Mayday Hospital, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Paul Scott, Paul Scully MP, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Shaun Bailey, St Helier Hospital, Steve Reed MP, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Tony Newman, Waste incinerator, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Last-minute nominations get Davis on Labour’s ballot paper

Labour Party members in Sutton and Croydon will get to choose the candidate to represent their party in next May’s London Assembly elections after all, with both Patsy Cummings and Rowenna Davis receiving more than the required five nominations from … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Southwark councillor joins Labour selection battle for City Hall

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE suggests that only three entries for the race to be a candidate in Croydon and Sutton at next year’s London elections is being seen as a sign that few reckon there’s much of a chance of … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, London Assembly, Marina Ahmad, Neil Garratt, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, South Norwood, Sutton Council, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Only five Croydon Tory councillors listed as ‘Backing Boris’

Croydon Town Hall’s Conservatives are not backing Boris. That’s according to a listing published today by the Boris Johnson leadership campaign which includes just five of Croydon’s 29 Tory councillors, from among 1,000 Conservative elected representatives at local authorities around … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Boris Johnson, Jason Cummings, Mario Creatura, Neil Garratt, Steve O'Connell, Tim Crowley, Tim Pollard, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Blue Labour royalty’ steps forward for Assembly selection

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest developments in the race to become Croydon and Sutton’s next London Assembly Member Rowenna Davis, a Croydon Labour Party member with a national profile, is to seek selection to be her party’s candidate … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Jamie Audsley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Neil Garratt, Rowenna Davis, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment