Category Archives: Streatham and Croydon North

We need serious solutions to tackle the capital’s crime crisis

A Labour front-bench spokesman was told this week that his suggestion to ‘name and shame’ recreational drugs users was ‘nonsense’. In his latest column, ANDREW FISHER looks at his party’s recurring problems when they try to flex their law and … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Crime, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Travers quits Lambeth after housing watchdog’s 30 complaints

It’s all change up the road at Brixton Town Hall, where £185,000 per year chief exec Andrew Travers has announced he is standing down, probably after May’s local elections. “Working for Lambeth Council has been a great experience,” Travers tweeted. … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Local Labour party withholds campaign funds in Pelling dispute

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: There are just 99 days to go until the local elections, but after a members’ meeting last night the party in power at the Town Hall will be forced to campaign with much less cash than … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Broad Green candidate was ruled by judge not fit to be trustee

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The botched and bungled selection process appears to have chosen as an election candidate someone whose conduct was found to be ‘wholly incompatible with his duties…’ with a charity and ‘a blatant breach of trust’. EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Broad Green, Charity, Croydon North, Manju Shahul Hameed, Ramaraj Rajagopal, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour councillor submits bullying complaint to Labour Party

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Efforts to de-select Waddon councillor after he was democratically selected by members in his ward have been described as a ‘witchhunt’ and have now been raised by the party nationally. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Labour, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Croydon North, Joy Prince, Robert Canning, Steve Reed MP, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour failed to conduct checks on councillor’s racist tweets

Labour’s dodgy candidate selection process has come under scrutiny once again after the party chose to blame Philip Normal for failing to disclose his “offensive and discriminatory” tweets when he was selected as a councillor in 2017. It is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, David Evans, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lewis gets another chance as selection process grinds to halt

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The party’s membership has dropped by 50% in some wards since 2020, and officials didn’t have enough women applicants to complete their selection process in what was supposed to be a target ward. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Jamie Audsley, London-wide issues, New Addington South, Norbury, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, Sarah Jones MP, Sherwan Chowdhury, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour in new crisis over Lambeth councillor’s hate tweets

Croydon North MP Steve Reed’s old stomping ground of Brixton Town Hall is in turmoil today, after one of that borough’s highest-profile Labour councillors was forced to report himself to the party over historic racist,  Islamophobic and transphobic tweets. Councillor … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Croydon North, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon 2021: voter apathy, petrol queues and dodgy deals

DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: In our final instalment of our annual review of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2021, we reach the season of missed opportunities and not much fruitfulness, as far as Croydon Labour … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Wendy's | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Nine months on and council tenants are still being ignored

CROYDON IN CRISIS: If 2020 was Croydon Council’s year of Negreedy and bankruptcy, 2021 has been the year of leaks, mould and a local authority exposed as incompetent and uncaring about those living in its properties. And there are worrying … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Alison Knight, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Housing, London-wide issues, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour members angry over ‘Orwellian’ deselection of Pelling

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Not content with bankrupting the borough and then ignoring the will of their members by opposing the move to an elected Mayor, the rump of Newman’s numpties has embarked on a petty vendetta which seems intent … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Clive Fraser, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Robert Canning, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

‘Managed democracy’ stifles members’ interest in the Mayor

In his latest column, ANDREW FISHER (left) zooms in on the inward-looking and slow process for Labour to choose the party’s candidate to stand for election as the borough’s first executive Mayor Having stifled members’ options, the selection panel in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Jamie Audsley, Ken Livingstone, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council axes its annual grant to flagship Legacy Youth Zone

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the latest casualty of the council’s financial mismanagement The Legacy Youth Zone, a flagship development of Tony Newman’s Labour council, built with £3.25million capital investment from the Town Hall, is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Business, Callton Young, Charity, Children's Services, Crime, Croydon Council, Knife crime, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Youth Services | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Audsley has nowhere to run after Labour selection stitch-up

The insular and inward-looking local Labour Party is limping towards the finish line of a foregone conclusion, weeks after the Tories and Greens began campaigning to get their candidates elected as Croydon Mayor. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Labour’s laborious selection … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Croydon North, Croydon South, Jamie Audsley, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Manju Shahul Hameed, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Air pollution is a real killer, but council has caved in to cars

In his latest exclusive column for this website, ANDREW FISHER says that Croydon has capitulated to the Tories and a local MP over its traffic-reduction measures “Think globally, act locally” was one of the first slogans used by Friends of … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Muhammad Ali, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Norwood residents ask MP Reed to act over estate demolition

After a year-long, rear-guard action from residents of a council-built estate on the Croydon-Lambeth borough boundary, Truslove House and the mature trees in the grounds around it have in the past week been bulldozed completely. Lambeth Council has been accused … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cabinet member Lewis is cut adrift by New Addington selection

CROYDON IN CRISIS: A leading Newman Numpty was effectively deselected last night, as he and ceremonial deputy mayor failed even to make it on to his ward’s candidates shortlist; meanwhile, chaos in Norbury Park when Labour organisers book too small … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Fairfield, Felicity Flynn, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Jose Joseph, Kola Agboola, Louisa Woodley, Mary Croos, New Addington North, New Addington South, Norbury Park, Oliver Lewis, Patricia Hay-Justice, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Veteran councillor Ryan is deselected while in hospital bed

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest casualties of the council’s financial collapse Pat Ryan, a Croydon councillor for nearly 30 years, was last night deselected by members at a Labour Party meeting in his home ward of Crystal Palace … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Amy Foster, Bensham Manor, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Jerry Fitzpatrick, John Wentworth, Kola Agboola, Leila Ben-Hassel, Mike Bonello, New Addington North, New Addington South, Nina Degrads, Norbury, Pat Ryan, Patsy Cummings, Shafi Khan, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Newman backers say they want to be Labour’s Mayor candidate

Next week marks one year since the council was forced to declare itself effectively bankrupt. For some senior Labour councillors, it’s almost as if they played no part in the borough’s financial collapse. By STEVEN DOWNES Three members of Tony … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Jason Perry, Manju Shahul Hameed, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Boycotts and resignations in rows over Labour selections

‘The conduct of Labour Party affairs locally does seem to be almost tailored to create continuing unease and disaffection’. WALTER CRONXITE,  political editor, with the latest round-up of shenanigans “Croydon North’s in meltdown” was how one angry Labour member put … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe West, Callton Young, Catherine Wilson, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Elliott-Jay Munroop, Felicity Flynn, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Louis Carserides, Mohammed Islam, New Addington North, New Addington South, Nina Degrads, Norbury, Norbury Park, Pat Ryan, Patsy Cummings, Selhurst, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed MP, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour to pick their Mayor candidate just in time for Christmas

EXCLUSIVE: Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reveals how Labour is giving potential mayoral candidates barely a week to put themselves forward for a selection process which appears to have Steve Reed’s fingerprints all over it Anyone wanting to be considered as … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Carole Bonner, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Jason Perry, Leila Ben-Hassel, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Regina Road scandal sees two more councillors de-selected

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest round of results in Labour’s sometimes shambolic local elections candidate selection process Labour members in South Norwood tonight de-selected two of Newman’s numpties, Clive Fraser and Patsy Cummings, senior councillors who had been … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Bensham Manor, Bernadette Khan, Broad Green, Clive Fraser, Croydon North, Humayun Kabir, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Louis Carserides, Manju Shahul Hameed, Muhammad Ali, Patsy Cummings, Selhurst, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council flogs off hotel for less than £29.8m it cost to buy

CROYDON IN CRISIS: While one Labour MP dines out with a notorious property lobbyist whose employees include the council’s deputy leader, one of the firm’s clients has snapped up the Croydon Park Hotel at a bargain basement price. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, College Green, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Improvement Board, London-wide issues, Planning, Property, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Cummings and Lewis start the ‘chicken run’ for safe wards

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the unedifying scramble among some Labour councillors to find a safe ward to stand in at next May’s local elections The chicken run is underway among the borough’s Labour councillors, with at least one  current … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Jeet Bains, Louisa Woodley, Maddie Henson, Mike Bonello, New Addington South, Oliver Lewis, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Raj Rajendran, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments