Category Archives: Karen Jewitt

Labour dumps their hard-working Thornton Heath councillor

THE TOSS-CARS 2026, Part 2: Inside Croydon reveals the borough’s hardest-working councillors. PLUS: Which Town Hall figure managed just 12 reports to the council’s smartphone app all year? The Labour Party goes in to Thursday’s local elections with the hardest-working … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Samir Dwesar, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Local Labour members angry at ‘travesty’ of selection process

Uncharacteristic ‘openness’ from the Labour Party exposes their latest sham selection process, with candidates for next year’s local elections being named without grassroots members in most wards getting any say at all. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The fix is in. … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Appu Srinivasan, Bensham Manor, Brigitte Graham, Catherine Wilson, Chrishni Reshekaron, Christopher Herman, Croydon East, Croydon West, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Fairfield, Janet Campbell, Jeet Bains, Jess Hammersley-Rich, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Leila Ben-Hassel, Louis Carserides, Maddie Henson, Matt Griffiths, Mohammed Islam, Natasha Irons, Norbury, Norbury Park, Patsy Cummings, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Selhurst, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Corbyn’s new party to stage first public event in Croydon

Big numbers, and some big figures from Croydon politics, are expected at Ruskin House next Tuesday, reports Political Editor WALTER CRONXITE Anyone wanting to get themselves a seat had better turn up early at Ruskin House next Tuesday, when the … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, David White, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Karen Jewitt, Patsy Cummings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Four black women among six councillors rejected by Labour

Six of Labour’s 34 sitting councillors have been deemed not good enough to be candidates for the party at the 2026 local elections – including a council shadow cabinet member and a 2024 parliamentary candidate. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Alisa Flemming, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Karen Jewitt, Norbury Park, Patsy Cummings, Sherwan Chowdhury, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Labour axes at least two sitting councillors in brutal process

At least two of Labour’s sitting councillors have been deselected by party chiefs in a brutal process that has opted to discard the combined experience of 40 years’ service at the Town Hall EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor The … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Karen Jewitt, Patsy Cummings, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

‘Traumatic’ reaction to Spurgeon’s College’s abrupt closure

Spurgeon’s College, based in grand buildings on South Norwood Hill and one of the country’s oldest theological institutions, with a history that goes back almost 170 years, yesterday announced that it was closing with immediate effect because of insurmountable financial … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Karen Jewitt, South Norwood, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Jewitt tops councillor charts for a second successive year

After the brickbats for the work-shy do-littles who populate our Town Hall Chamber, today we celebrate those elected representatives who keep busy by keeping council officials busy They will be dancing down Sauchiehall Street tonight, as proud Scot Karen Jewitt … Continue reading

Posted in Amy Foster, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Gayle Gander, Karen Jewitt, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Robert Ward, Rowenna Davis, Samir Dwesar, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Thornton Heath, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour councillors do a runner over investments in Israeli arms

A ‘mystery illness’ swept through the ranks of elected representatives at the weekend, just when a campaign group was about to pay them a visit in Thornton Heath All three of Thornton Heath’s Labour councillors were overcome by an outbreak … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Croydon Council, Karen Jewitt, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Time to end cash-strapped council’s £1.5m political subsidies

CROYDON IN CRISIS: There’s cuts planned to all kinds of services in the borough in the coming months. The only thing local politicians aren’t planning to cut-back on are their own jobs, as WALTER CRONXITE reports The holidays are over. … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Alasdair Stewart, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, Endri Llabuti, Esther Sutton, Jade Appleton, Karen Jewitt, Mario Creatura, Matt Griffiths, Mayor Jason Perry, Park Hill and Whitgift, Simon Fox, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Jewitt sacked while Newman Numpties scramble back to power

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Lazy’ Clive Fraser and Sean Fitzsimons, long-time loyal supporters of the Labour leadership which crashed the council’s finances, did not have to wait too long before being handed jobs under new(ish) leader Stuart King. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Brigitte Graham, Christopher Herman, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Karen Jewitt, Leila Ben-Hassel, Louis Carserides, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, Patsy Cummings, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Tony Pearson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jewitt says there was no wrong-doing – by her charity’s boss

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Many senior figures in the local Labour Party continue to try to deny that there was anything wrong with the way the former leaders behaved in the lead-up to the borough’s bankruptcy, as a speech at the … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Croydon Council, CVA, Karen Jewitt, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You can depend on Croydon Labour: they always let you down

By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon In the end, it was all so sadly predictable. Yet even old cynics didn’t believe it was really going to happen in such a swift and shabby manner until they actually saw it all … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Ria Patel, Stuart King, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

And here are the Labour councillors who broke their word over the 15% tax hike and abandoned the people of Croydon

STUART KING. Leader of the opposition Councillor King took over as Labour group leader in May 2022. Had spent previous eight years mostly holding senior positions, including cabinet posts, in the Labour council administration of Tony Newman, Alison Butler and … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Brigitte Graham, Callton Young, Catherine Wilson, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Christopher Herman, Clive Fraser, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Enid Mollyneaux, Humayun Kabir, Humayun Kabir, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Kola Agboola, Leila Ben-Hassel, Louis Carserides, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, Mohammed Islam, Nina Degrads, Patricia Hay-Justice, Patsy Cummings, Sean Fitzsimons, Sherwan Chowdhury, Stella Nabukeera, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor), Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Mayor candidate Shawcross’s ‘new’ direction not so new at all

Any ‘clean break’ with the incompetence and graft of the past at Croydon Town Hall that is being offered by Labour Mayoral candidate Val Shawcross appears doomed by her own campaign’s deep-rooted connections with discredited Tony Newman and some of … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Alisa Flemming, Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Business, Callton Young, Children's Services, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Fly tipping, Hamida Ali, Humayun Kabir, Karen Jewitt, Maddie Henson, Manju Shahul Hameed, Meals on Wheels, Planning, Refuse collection, Sarah Jones MP, Schools, Sean Fitzsimons, SEND, Sherwan Chowdhury, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Going, going… Labour council flogs off parkland for £600,000

The toxic legacy of Alison Butler, Hamida Ali, Tony Newman and the rest of his numpties was hammered home this morning, with an auctioneer’s gavel. Heath Lodge, the long-neglected park keeper’s cottage in Grangewood Park, Thornton Heath, was sold by … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Business, Callton Young, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Grangewood Park, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

MP Reed’s letter to save park lodge ignored by Labour council

The campaign by the Friends of Grangewood Park to save a Victorian park keeper’s lodge from being sold by the cash-strapped council has attracted the support of the local MP. But even Steve Reed OBE doesn’t get replies to his … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon parks, Friends of Grangewood Park, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Property, Steve Reed MP, Thornton Heath, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Labour group’s response to £73m scandal? Sack the auditors!

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Having been caught out with another multi-million-pound scandal, the councillors who have been running the Town Hall for the past eight years have now decided to pass the buck to accountants Grant Thornton. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Business, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 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

Reports on Fairfield Halls and BxB missing from audit meeting

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tonight’s meeting of the council’s GPAC – General Purposes and Audit Committee – will mark the end of a error, as Labour councillors risk handing even more control to council executives. By STEVEN DOWNES Karen Jewitt, the … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Buss, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Tim Pollard, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Police investigating cause of blaze at Thornton Heath flats

Around 40 residents of a block of flats in Thornton Heath had to be evacuated last night when fire raged up the outside of the building. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to Crystal Court, on Woodville … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Karen Jewitt, London Fire Brigade, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Audit shows £9m shortfall in Hall’s property speculation deals

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Internal audit report will make very uncomfortable reading for the council leader and his finance chief, and shows worrying budget problems for most of the council-run schools. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor It is barely a week … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Children's Services, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Jo Negrini, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Schools, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adrian Dennis: ‘A legacy of honesty, integrity and decency’

Tributes to the life and works of Adrian Dennis, the former Thornton Heath Labour councillor who died last week, have flooded in from a wide range of former colleagues and friends, including a former Deputy Mayor of London. Dennis, who … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Victory for Friends’ group as council abandons park land sale

Thousands of objections from residents have forced Croydon Council into a U-turn on its scheme to flog off a Victorian park lodge and a strip of Grangewood Park. But as our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, has discovered, despite declaring … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Callton Young, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Grangewood Park, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Property, Simon Hall, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jackpot for Thornton Heath campaign as slots arcade rejected

Extraordinary scenes in Thornton Heath tonight, where the council has broken the habit of a lifetime and actually listened to residents. Croydon Council announced today that it has refused permission to an operator of “adult gaming centres” to open a … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Callton Young, Community associations, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Thornton Heath, Thornton Heath Community Action Team | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Newman and Scott given a free pass on Woodside selection

WALTER CRONXITE reports on a week of surprises and disappointments (for some) as Croydon Labour’s candidate selection process limps on Tony Newman and Paul Scott, half of the Town Hall “Gang of Four” who have an iron grip on the … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Rendle, Callton Young, Clive Fraser, Fairfield, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Karen Jewitt, Matthew Kyeremeh, Pat Clouder, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, West Thornton, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment