Category Archives: Patsy Cummings

May 6? Maybe not, as Johnson prepares for new lockdown

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the implications of any extension to the coronavirus restrictions for the borough’s leafleting cult and the London elections Westminster observers are already predicting that the London Mayoral and Assembly elections, which were postponed from … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strange Cummings and goings as protests begin over library

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The battle has begun to save the borough’s libraries, under threat because of the council’s financial collapse. GENE BRODIE reports from yesterday’s well-attended protest in South Norwood More than 100 residents, including many parents with youngsters in … Continue reading

Posted in Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Libraries, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Section 114 notice, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Labour agree to hold mayoral referendum in October 2021

EXCLUSIVE: Council leader votes for a ballot that could cost as much as £1m, as agreement is finally reached to listen to the wishes of 20,000 Croydon residents. By STEVEN DOWNES The Labour group which controls Croydon Town Hall has … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

BxB-built library which has never opened is now to be closed

The story of South Norwood Library is just the latest example of how thoroughly screwed-up and costly the council’s relationship with its loss-making house-builders has become. GENE BRODIE, our bookish gyms correspondent, reports This could only happen in Croydon. The … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Education, Jane Avis, Libraries, Lisa Taylor, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Section 114 notice, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Croydon in crisis: Emergency budget cuts may not be enough

EXCLUSIVE: There’s simmering discontent among the Town Hall’s ruling Labour group over their leadership’s inconsistent messaging, secretiveness and bungling, while the council’s new chief exec has made a good first impression. By STEVEN DOWNES “It’s like a fresh breeze through … Continue reading

Posted in Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Patsy Cummings, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Scott called out over ‘gentrification’ of housing in Croydon

JANE NICHOLL reports on how Black Lives Matter activists responded to councillors’ ‘meaningless words’ at a community-led event at Park Hill Croydon Council’s failing housing policies cannot escape criticism, even at a Black Lives Matter protest which some leading Labour … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Housing, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Newman bans Labour councillors from ‘liking’ Inside Croydon

WALTER CRONXITE reports on the ludicrous lengths that the council leadership is going to in order to avoid scrutiny of their failing administration Tony Newman, the increasingly absurd leader of Croydon Council, has ordered his fellow Labour councillors not to … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Inside Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Stuart Collins, Toni Letts, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Newman hand-picks ‘Secret Seven’ to check on finance panel

EXCLUSIVE: The beleaguered council leader has moved to avoid  being held responsible for the borough’s massive £1.5bn debt and huge over-spend, reports KEN LEE A group of councillors, secretly hand-picked by Tony Newman, will meet tonight to discuss the council’s … Continue reading

Posted in Caragh Skipper, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Wood, Leila Ben-Hassel, Patsy Cummings, Simon Hall, Stephen Mann | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Negrini faces showdown meetings over finances next week

A consultant ‘parachuted in’ to salvage the council’s rocky finances will deliver a vital report next Tuesday, STEVEN DOWNES reports, as Croydon’s £1.5bn borrowings have been described by a local MP as ‘reckless’ and its financial position ‘unsustainable’  The dire … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Jo Negrini, London Assembly, Patsy Cummings, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Newman appears increasingly desperate as referendum nears

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the far-reaching consequences for Croydon’s Town Hall leadership of yesterday’s deferral of May’s local elections According to some Town Hall sources, several of the borough’s elected councillors were in a state of shock this morning … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Patsy Cummings, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Labour council threatens £1m of cuts over mayor referendum

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, watched Monday night’s full council meeting so you didn’t have to Croydon Council will spend £1million on staging, and contestng, a referendum over whether the borough should have a mayor directly elected by all Croydon’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, Alison Butler, Community associations, Croydon Council, London Assembly, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Davis will fight on – ‘You don’t need to be elected to do that’

Rowenna Davis, the candidate who missed out by 25 votes to stand for Labour in Croydon and Sutton in May’s London Assembly elections, says she will continue with her campaigning activism “to make a difference to people in… our capital”. … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis | 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

Central’s Starmer-Rayner choice hints at shift from Corbyn

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the outcome of local Labour meetings and how their leadership nominations might reflect the direction of the party There’s more than a touch of EuroVision about it. “And the decision of the Croydon Central … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, London Assembly, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Windrush performer accuses councillor of failing to pay bills

A Labour councillor who is seeking selection to be her party’s candidate for Croydon and Sutton in May’s London Assembly elections has been accused of failing to honour fees amounting to hundreds of pounds agreed for a Windrush Generation stage … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Copley appointment puts City Hall selection in the mixer

The announcement that Tom Copley is to be London’s deputy mayor for housing will stir up Labour’s selection and election battles for the London Assembly, with the city going to the polling stations in May. Copley, who has been an … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, James Murray, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayfair property developers fence off Woodside play space

Greedy property developers, who are trying to bully a group of neighbours off the community gardens they have created in South Norwood, have erected a six-foot fence around a children’s play area in Love Lane without seeking any planning permission. … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Gavin Barwell, Hamida Ali, Heather Cheesbrough, Jane Avis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Planning, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 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

Time’s up for Davis as Labour narrows Assembly field to one

Labour’s laborious process of selecting their candidate for the Croydon and Sutton London Assembly seat might finally reach some conclusion tonight, as both the Croydon and Sutton Co-op and the Croydon Central Constituency Labour Party delegates decide whether or not … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Croydon Central, Croydon South, London Assembly, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, South Norwood | 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

Cummings in poll position with all-woman Assembly shortlist

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on how Labour has finally got round to selecting candidates for next May’s London Assembly elections The fix is in. Labour announced yesterday morning that the selection of a candidate to stand for the party in … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Andrew Dismore, Florence Eshalomi, Jamie Audsley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Labour names Euro candidates as City Hall selection undecided

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, reports on the glacial progress in Labour choosing its candidates for London elections which are now barely 12 months away The Labour Party thought they had sorted a major selection dilemma last night when they … Continue reading

Posted in 2019 European elections, 2021 London elections, Andrew Dismore, Fiona Twycross, Jamie Audsley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Woodside councillors go missing from rubbish walkabout

Just two weeks after residents organised a walkabout in South Norwood and part of Woodside ward with some councillors and management from Croydon’s rubbish contractors, and the photograph (right) shows the state of one of those streets again yesterday. Residents … Continue reading

Posted in Clive Fraser, Environment, Fly tipping, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Refuse collection, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, Veolia, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cummings goes public with bid for London Assembly selection

KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on an email to Croydon Labour group from a South Norwood councillor that seems to suggest she has the backing of Tony Newman Patsy Cummings wasted little time after the Christmas holidays to confirm … Continue reading

Posted in Bensham Manor, Jamie Audsley, John Wentworth, Kenley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Patsy Cummings, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hundreds march through South Norwood to support Grenfell

More than 300 people, plus TV crews and newspaper reporters, turned out in South Norwood last night to show solidarity with Grenfell and reject racism. But who was the only one to talk to the reporter from The Sun? KEN … Continue reading

Posted in Clive Fraser, Community associations, Ken Towl, Niro Sirisena, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments