Category Archives: Simon Brew

Rubbish councillor Roche finally sacked from Mayor’s cabinet

Jason Perry’s ‘top team’ for his second term in charge of the Town Hall sees a belated call-up for a 76-year-old pensioner, and an overdue axing for a work-shy colleague. KEN LEE reports Scott Roche, the Conservative councillor for Shirley … Continue reading

Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fly tipping, Housing, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Luke Shortland, Lynne Hale, Margaret Bird, Mayor Jason Perry, Ola Kolade, Refuse collection, Richard Chatterjee, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Scott Roche, Selsdon and Addington Village, Shirley South, Simon Brew, Veolia, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Purley’s landmark clock ‘blown over in wind’ say councillors

Work is underway to look at ways to fund the repair and restoration of the ornamental, landmark clock in Purley, which according to the local councillors, had its metal pole bent right over by storm-force winds last week. For the … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Purley, Purley BID, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Labour deputy leaders Young and Collins to stand down in 2026

At least 15% of Croydon’s sitting councillors won’t be seeking election in 2026, while some are doing the ‘chicken run’ to stay on the council gravy train. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Nearly a dozen of Croydon’s current 70 … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe West, Brigitte Graham, Broad Green, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Clive Fraser, Coulsdon Town, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Louis Carserides, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Old Coulsdon, Patricia Hay-Justice, Paul Ainscough, Purley, Ria Patel, Richard Chatterjee, Rowenna Davis, Shirley North, Simon Brew, Simon Fox, South Croydon, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Sue Bennett, Thornton Heath, Waddon, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Tory councillor’s Commissioner video nasty is another wild rant

Simon Brew, a Conservative councillor in Croydon for the past 11 years, hasn’t had the best of luck with his campaigning on local issues when he has tried to use modern communication techniques – like videos. Remember how he lobbied … Continue reading

Posted in Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley, Section 114 notice, Simon Brew, Stabilisation Plan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Residents scathing of report on Purley retirement flats

The fix is in. Council planning officials who describe the ‘harm’ that 220 retirement flats would do to Purley have still recommended approval ahead of a committee meeting next week. And there could yet be hidden costs for Croydon with … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, Croydon South, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Holly Ramsey, Housing, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Samir Dwesar, Selsdon Residents' Association, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Purley councillors in whip-round to save the police a bus ride

When a cluster of residents’ associations lodged concerns and reservations recently about proposals for the massive Purley old people’s housing development – with a public swimming pool attached – there was just one area which opted out of this lobby … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Crime, Croydon South, Policing, Purley, Purley and Woodcote RA, Samir Dwesar, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Panicked Purley Pool developer in appeal for public support

BARRATT HOLMES, our correspondent covering shadowy wealthy-developers-based-in-off-shore-tax-havens, reports on the panic that has broken out among the company behind the massive retirement homes scheme proposed for Purley Polaska, the shadowy development firm which is ultimately owned by an even more … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Purley Pool, Samir Dwesar, Selsdon Residents' Association, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Residents ‘deeply concerned’ over developers’ parking claims

A £100m scheme to build nearly 250 retirement homes could strip hundreds of car parking spaces from Purley town centre – with no alternatives available as claimed by developers. By STEVEN DOWNES Purley residents are “deeply concerned” over plans for … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council backs Purley Pool tax dodge by off-shore company

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry and MP Philp give their backing for a scheme to build £100m-worth of flats by a shadowy company registered in the British Virgin Islands. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s Tory Mayor, Jason Perry, and Chris … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Housing, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Residents backlash over Perry’s 200-flat scheme at Purley pool

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Even the usually placid residents associations in the south of the borough have begun to realise that they were sold a pup by Jason Perry over the fate of the leisure centre at Purley, where the Conservative … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, GLL - Better, Jeet Bains, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley, Purley Pool, Simon Brew, Swimming | 8 Comments

Here’s the Mayor and 33 Croydon Tory councillors who THREE times voted in favour of hitting you with a 15% Council Tax hike

JASON PERRY. Mayor of Croydon Elected in May 2022 with a margin of fewer than 600 votes. Is paid £82,000 per year by the council. His office answers the phone just 20 hours per week. Stood on a election promise … Continue reading

Posted in Adele Benson, Andrew Stranack, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fatima Zaman, Helen Redfern, Ian Parker, Jade Appleton, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Joseph Lee, Lynne Hale, Margaret Bird, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Ola Kolade, Richard Chatterjee, Robert Ward, Scott Roche, Simon Brew, Simon Fox, Sue Bennett, Tony Pearson, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

#Macarnage: Higher Drive devastated as developers move in

Residents on a plush suburban street on a hillside in Purley have been thrown into a panic since the weekend after demolition workers showed up and started grubbing up trees and clearing the site of not one… not two… not … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Kenley, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Purley, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Purley residents consider judicial challenge to planners

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the gathering storm over the council’s housing targets, with the administration accused of allowing ‘planning policy in this borough to be hijacked by one or two individuals’ The Town Hall’s under-fire planning department could soon … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Planning, Purley, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The mystery of Purley’s disappearing Conservative councillor

KEN LEE reports from the Town Hall, where the continued absence of a new councillor could prompt a local by-election There is mounting concern among Croydon Tories that they may be forced to defend one of their council seats in … Continue reading

Posted in Badsha Quadir, Oni Oviri, Purley, Simon Brew, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Potter named winner of £30,000 Rotary Fields art competition

Alan Potter, a sculptor based in Scotland who specialises in public art, has won Croydon Council’s £30,000 competition to design and install a sculpture in Purley’s Rotary Fields to commemorate the Surrey Iron Railway, which ran through the town at … Continue reading

Posted in History, Purley, Simon Brew | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Public’s Town Hall questions on Binmageddon get censored

KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, sat through nearly four hours of Monday’s Town Hall meeting, so that you didn’t have to… A mere 90 days since the last full meeting of the council, and most of the borough’s councillors … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Bernadette Khan, Brick by Brick, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Jo Negrini, Joy Prince, London-wide issues, Niro Sirisena, Refuse collection, Robert Canning, Simon Brew, St Andrew's, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman, Veolia, Waddon, Wandle Park, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour councillors defy Scott over Queen’s Hotel expansion

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, on an against-the-odds victory for residents over the council’s planning machine For the second time in little more than six months, councillors sitting on Croydon’s planning committee have thrown out proposals for a giant-scale redevelopment … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Felicity Flynn, Jason Perry, Oni Oviri, Parking, Pat Ryan, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Queen's Hotel, Scott Roche, Simon Brew, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed MP, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tories Brew up a nice little earner with £26,000 party subsidy

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the thousands of pounds of public money given by the council to the local Tory and Conservative parties Meet Simon Brew. You may never have heard of him before, but through your Council Tax over … Continue reading

Posted in Pat Clouder, Purley, Simon Brew, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Speakman quits Tory party and launches attack on ageism

EXCLUSIVE: WALTER CRONXITE on the latest recriminations over party selections for the local elections next month Donald Speakman, a Tory councillor in Purley for the past 16 years, has resigned from the Conservative Party and has started a campaign to … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Badsha Quadir, Donald Speakman, Purley, Purley Pool, Simon Brew, Tim Pollard | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment