Category Archives: Karen Jewitt

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 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 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, New Addington North, Nina Degrads, Norbury, Norbury Park, Pat Ryan, Patsy Cummings, Selhurst, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed MP, Tamar 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

‘Invisible’ Selva suffers knock-out blow from Muhammad Ali

Seconds out! Round four… Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest twists in Labour’s selection saga Alison Butler, the deputy leader of the Labour group on Croydon Council, survived a re-selection scare when members in Bensham Manor this week duly … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Karen Jewitt, Manju Shahul Hameed, Matthew Kyeremeh, Mike Selva, Muhammad Ali, Pat Clouder, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour deputy leader Butler is under threat of de-selection

Croydon Labour’s long-delayed local election candidate selection process is beginning to look like a cross between House of Cards and Game of Thrones, as WALTER CRONXITE reports Alison Butler, the all-powerful deputy leader of the Labour group on Croydon Council, … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe East, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Andrew Rendle, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Humayun Kabir, Jamie Audsley, Jane Avis, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Louisa Woodley, Maggie Mansell, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mike Selva, New Addington, Norbury, Oliver Lewis, Shafi Khan, Sherwan Chowdhury, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘I’ll lie in the doorway to stop chicken shop’ vows councillor

A Thornton Heath councillor has vowed to lie down in the doorway of a landmark pub to stop any redevelopment of the site into a fried chicken outlet. Karen Jewitt, one of Thornton Heath’s two Labour councillors, was responding to … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Karen Jewitt, Pat Clouder, Property, Pubs, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Cummings selection video highlights fault-lines in local Labour

WALTER CRONXITE reports on the latest public arm-wrestle among the Blairites and Corbyn supporters in the party in Croydon Labour’s selection of a candidate to stand for the council vacancy in South Norwood in a by-election to be staged in … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Croydon North, Jane Avis, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Patsy Cummings, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Little Progress in Croydon, as Newman backs another loser

WALTER CRONXITE says there were plenty of Croydon mentions at the Labour conference, but few signs that those in charge of the local party are about the embrace enthusiasm for the leadership any time soon As Croydon’s Labour politicians and … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, David White, Housing, Jane Avis, Jo Negrini, John Wentworth, Karen Jewitt, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New pub donates old pictures to locals at Stanley Halls

The Antic Pub Co, which recently acquired the William Stanley pub in South Norwood from Wetherspoons, has been as good as its word, donating a wide collection of old photos and pictures which used to adorn the wall of the … Continue reading

Posted in Karen Jewitt, Norbury, Pubs, South Norwood, South Norwood Tourist Board, Stanley Halls | Leave a comment

Robbed Norwood charity sends thanks to community donors

An appeal from a Norwood lunch club to replace stolen food and equipment has hit its target in less than 24 hours – thanks in part to a donation from one local businessman who read about the charity’s plight on … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Karen Jewitt, Nick Mattey | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thieves steal £500-worth of food intended for charity meals

Thieves have broken into a hall in South Norwood which provides lunches for the elderly and adults with learning difficulties, and stolen around £500-worth of food and equipment, much of it paid for through donations raised by the community group’s … Continue reading

Posted in Karen Jewitt, South Norwood | Tagged | 1 Comment