It’s hard to find signs of the borough’s musical heritage trail

Posted on July 21, 2023 by insidecroydon

So just what do we get for the £220,000 of Lottery cash splurged on Croydon’s Music Heritage Trail? We sent LOUISA GAUTREY along to road-test the trail and its accompanying app

Recognisable: but who are the others on the mural?

As a teenager who listens to a wide range of music, I was intrigued when I heard about the Croydon Music Heritage Trail, and hoped that it might give me some insight into the area’s musical history.

I set out for Queen’s Gardens, because according to the map in the trail’s app, that’s where it is all supposed to start. I walked past the mural in the gardens. I didn’t know what it was, nor that it is in any way connected with the trail. I thought it was just well-drawn graffiti.

I couldn’t find anything about it on the app, beyond that it is called “Croydon Symphony”. So I Googled it. According to something on the Croydon Council website, it was designed to represent the “diverse musical culture” in the artists’ hometown.

Of the nine artists featured on the mural, I could only recognise one: grime rapper Stormzy. Of all points on the Heritage Trail map, it is probably the easiest to find. But I didn’t see anything in the Gardens or on the app to explain what the mural is there for, or to tell me who the various people in the mural might be. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Croydon School of Art, Fairfield Halls, Music, Queens Gardens | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Swinton’s surprise appearance boosts David Lean volunteers

Posted on July 21, 2023 by insidecroydon

Joanna Scanlan, the award-winning actress and recently appointed patron of Croydon’s David Lean Cinema, delighted the audience at a screening of The Girl with a Pearl Earring this week when she arrived accompanied by friend and Oscar-winning colleague, Tilda Swinton.

Cinema stars: Joanna Scanlan and Tilda Swinton (right) at the David Lean this week

The two luminaries were full of praise for the volunteer-led establishment, part of the Croydon Clocktower arts complex, commending its warm and welcoming atmosphere and expressing admiration for its dedication to fostering a community of film enthusiasts.

Scanlan appears in the 2003 movie in which she delivered a captivating performance as the cook, working alongside Scarlett Johansson as Griet, the girl in Vermeer’s famous painting which gives the film its title.

The film, brought to life by Colin Firth’s rendition of Vermeer, masterfully captures the essence of art and passion. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cinema, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Croham Hurst golfer among 600 hopefuls for Senior service

Posted on July 21, 2023 by insidecroydon

The 19th hole: the clubhouse at Croham Hurst Golf Club, whose Timothy Trod is hoping to qualify to play at next week’s Senior Open

While Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy take on the world’s top pro golfers at Hoylake in the Open Championship this week, two of the best players from local clubs have been getting in their last practice rounds before trying to qualify for next week’s Senior Open.

To stand a chance of competing alongside the likes of golfing legends Darren Clarke, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie at Royal Porthcawl next week, Banstead Downs Golf Club’s Jonathan Collier and Timothy Trodd, a member at Croham Hurst GC, must first qualify at one of a series of tournaments being staged on Monday. Continue reading →

Posted in Golf, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7% swing not enough in Uxbridge after Reed’s mixed messages

Posted on July 21, 2023 by insidecroydon

ANDREW FISHER on yesterday’s by-election results, and the key role played by a Croydon politician in Labour’s flawed campaign in an outer London seat

Mis-step: Labour candidate in Uxbridge, Danny Beales (right), was guided by Croydon MP Steve Reed

Yesterday’s three parliamentary by-elections tell us that the Conservatives will lose the next General Election.

But it is the better-than-expected Conservative result in Uxbridge and South Ruislip that is dominating the headlines. That result has important lessons for Croydon, too, not least because a leading figure in Labour’s campaigning in Uxbridge was Croydon North MP Steve Reed.

In the local council elections held in May, the Conservatives suffered catastrophic defeats – losing councils and councillors to Labour, the LibDems and Greens. Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, Andrew Fisher, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon North, Croydon South, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

CODA’s Alice Through Wonderland, Wandle Park, Jul 26-29

Posted on July 21, 2023 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, CODA, Theatre, Wandle Park | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Government panel given extra powers and new commissioners

Posted on July 20, 2023 by insidecroydon

Council to remain under the supervision of government-appointed panel, which has been given extra statutory powers, until 2025.
By STEVEN DOWNES

Not in charge: Jason Perry

No matter how many times, or in how many different ways, that Jason Perry, Croydon’s piss-poor, part-time Mayor, stamps his feet and says “I’m in charge!”, the reality is that he really is not.

Michael Gove, the Conservative Government’s minister in charge of local government, made that abundantly clear today with a statement to Parliament that doubled down on his decision to extend the statutory intervention powers of his improvement panel. Continue reading →

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Gove’s ministerial statement on state of Croydon finances

Posted on July 20, 2023 by insidecroydon

At lunchtime today, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, dropped a written statement to the House of Commons – just before the start of the summer recess – on the progress, or otherwise, made in the last two years since the Government’s intervention over Croydon’s financial collapse.

Here is that statement in full:

Update on the Intervention in the London Borough of Croydon

On 16 March 2023, the Minister for Local Government updated the House on the work of Commissioners and Improvement Panels at three councils, including the London Borough of Croydon. Whilst acknowledging the significant steps that had already been taken by the Council over recent months, given the depth of the historical challenges and the extent of improvement required, that we were minded to move the existing Improvement and Assurance Panel, chaired by Tony McArdle OBE, to a statutory footing.

This proposal followed the evidence provided in the Improvement and Assurance Panel’s latest assessment that the Council under the leadership of Mayor Perry has made good progress in laying the foundations for its recovery. At the same time, historic issues continue to be unearthed at Croydon and their potential impact on the Council and the progress made to date cannot be underestimated, particularly given its continuing precarious financial position.

I concluded that the Authority was not meeting its Best Value Duty – a requirement set out in the Local Government Act 1999 to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Gift to Croydon Arena uncages range of questions over track

Posted on July 20, 2023 by insidecroydon

Cage fighter: Croydon Harrier Lawrence Okoye in action at last year’s Commonwealth Games. The same Birmingham throws cage is being installed at Croydon Arena

In the very week when the future of the Commonwealth Games was thrown into doubt by the abrupt withdrawal of Victoria as 2026 hosts, so a piece of Games legacy is being installed in Croydon.

The athletics throws cage from where Croydon Harrier Lawrence Okoye launched his discus to claim Commonwealth silver at the 2022 Birmingham Games is being officially installed at Croydon Arena at a ceremony tonight attended by various dignitaries, as well as a couple of star athletes – former Commonwealth champion Lorna Boothe and Inside Croydon podcast star Donna Fraser. Continue reading →

Posted in Athletics, Croydon Harriers, Donna Fraser, Lawrence Okoye, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The battle to save ticket offices – and Croydon’s private army

Posted on July 20, 2023 by insidecroydon

Our latest podcast includes among our guests former Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser.

It’s the first time on our podcast we have had the pleasure of the company of someone who holds the Freedom of the Borough, as Donna does. Continue reading →

Posted in Athletics, Croydon Insider, David Morgan, Donna Fraser, History, Inside Croydon, London-wide issues, Sport, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council’s urgent move to exit flawed £5m traffic camera deal

Posted on July 19, 2023 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Officials look to cancel supply contract with American-owned tech firm after discovering they could not provide parking enforcement cameras required

Big Bother: drivers in some parts of the borough have dodged fines because the council’s ANPR cameras don’t work

Croydon Council has moved to cancel a contract for ANPR cameras – Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras – after discovering that the equipment intended for use in parking enforcement… does not work.

Council papers suggest that the contract may have been worth as much as £5million.

Inside Croydon broke the news in May of the latest procurement omnishambles at Fisher’s Folly. The council is taking great care to avoid saying publicly how much this latest sorry saga might be costing the borough’s long-suffering residents, although the amount will be at least six months’ worth of lost fines from motorists. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Mayor Jason Perry, Schools, Steve Iles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Tories plump for Trump-supporting hairdresser to run London

Posted on July 19, 2023 by insidecroydon

Harrow hairdresser Susan Hall will be the Conservative Party’s candidate for London Mayor next May, up against Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan.

Born to run: Susan Hall, the Conservatives’ London mayoral candidate

The Trump-supporting Hall ran for selection on the slogan “Safer with Susan”. Safer than what, or whom among her Conservative Party colleagues, she never quite explained.

The result of a membership poll was revealed this morning, with Hall, who until recently was the leader of the small Tory group at City Hall, getting 57per cent of the vote in a two-candidate field following a controversial selection process.

Paul Scully, the Sutton and Cheam MP who is the Tories’ Minister for London, was not even included in the shortlist, while another candidate, Daniel Korski, dropped out after he was accused of groping a woman, allegations which he denied. Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Susan Hall | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Teachers’ union officials recommend accepting 6.5% offer

Posted on July 19, 2023 by insidecroydon

Faced by four teaching unions staging co-ordinated strike action from September, the Government has provided funding for an improved pay offer

Decision time: striking teachers gather outside Croydon Town Hall after their march

Since February, Croydon’s teachers have taken eight days of strike action, affecting 80per cent of schools in the borough.

But now they have a decision to take over whether to continue striking into the autumn term, or to accept the latest government pay offer of a 6.5per cent rise.

Officials at the National Education Union have made a strong recommendation for members to accept the pay offer.

During the dispute, Croydon NEU has staged a series of public demonstrations, including delivering a petition to the Croydon Conservative headquarters in Purley for passing on to Tory minister Chris Philp, and hundreds of teachers marching to the Town Hall. Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Schools | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dewey pleads guilty to possessing indecent images of children

Posted on July 19, 2023 by insidecroydon

Serious questions over safeguarding raised as Labour Party election candidate now faces sentencing

On bail: former Croydon Labour staffer Tom Dewey

The Labour Party’s former borough organiser for Croydon has admitted serious charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Tom Dewey appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to five separate charges.

He admitted a charge of making five Category A indecent images of children on April 29, 2022 in Hackney, a further charge of making four Category B indecent images on the same date, as well as making 203 Category C indecent images of children on the same date.

Dewey also admitted a charge of possessing 78 extreme pornographic images of children on April 29, 2022, and having 1,523 prohibited images of children in his possession on or before January 20, 2022.

The dates entered with the charges are key in the case of Dewey and the manner it has been handled by senior figures in the Labour Party, including the Mayor of Hackney, a local MP, a parliamentary candidate and even David Evans, the party’s General Secretary. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Green councillor criticises lack of action over climate crisis

Posted on July 19, 2023 by insidecroydon

Four years since the council established a commission to report on the environmental threats, its recommendations have not been implemeted, according to Cllr Ria Patel. By LOUISA GAUTREY

Climate crisis: firefighters tackle a wildfire in northern Spain, as temperatures reached record levels across much of Europe

Ria Patel, the leader of the Greens at Croydon Town Hall, has criticised the council’s lack of action over the climate crisis, saying that proposals to reduce the borough’s impact on global warming have “sat on a shelf” for four years.

The council has been slow to respond to the growing threats caused by the ecological crisis, despite establishing a climate commission in 2019, Councillor Patel said. “Very minimal action has happened, and if it has happened it’s not been very well coordinated in a big wider plan,” she said. Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Fairfield, Ria Patel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Councils’ collapse should have been halted by Sunak or Gove

Posted on July 18, 2023 by insidecroydon

Croydon is far from alone as a cash-strapped local authority. And bit by bit, evidence is emerging from the series of financial crashes of councils that implicates not only Michael Gove but also Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
By STEVEN DOWNES

Asleep at the wheel: Rishi Sunak was in charge of local government finance

The normally staid and sober pages of the Local Government Chronicle, the trade paper for the nation’s civic servants, never usually stray far from the uncontentious, and almost make a virtue of being downright dull.

So when in the aftermath of the latest financial collapse of a local council, LGC editor Sarah Calkin published an editorial and posted it outside her website’s usually sacrosanct paywall, she clearly had a message that she wanted to be seen as widely as possible.

This was the voice of local government fighting back, after a decade in which the government had outsourced pain to councils, by cutting grants to authorities across the country while luring them into an addiction to borrowing, like a street-corner crack dealer. Continue reading →

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wandle Park to be transformed into a summertime Wonderland

Posted on July 18, 2023 by insidecroydon

Something a little weird and a bit wonderful will be appearing around the bandstand in Wandle Park next week.

In the round: Alice Through Wonderland is coming to Wandle Park next week

In its 80th year, CODA, the Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, is performing Alice Through Wonderland, an innovative production of Lewis Carroll’s beloved tale of discovery, curiosity and madness, from Wednesday, July 26.

Adapted by Peter Davis from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Though The Looking-Glass, and directed by Peter Davis and Charlie Allen, this “sparkling and dynamic outdoor theatrical production combines the stories of Lewis Carroll’s classic books”.

This is will be CODA’s seventh summer outdoor production staged in and around Wandle Park’s restored Victorian bandstand. “Expect madness, curiosity, challenge – and lots of jam tarts,” they say. Continue reading →

Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, CODA, Theatre, Wandle Park | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Future sporting stars get £500 boost from GLL Foundation

Posted on July 18, 2023 by insidecroydon

Rising stars: members of the Allen Taekwando Academy, based in Thornton Heath, demonstrate their martial art at the Greenwich Leisure awards staged at Ashburton Hall

Greenwich Leisure, the council’s leisure and sports facilities contractor, has made awards to 84 young Croydon residents “to help them along their sporting journey”.

Grants of up to £500 – mostly in the form of free passes to public-owned facilities – are being given by the GLL Sport Foundation to the young sportspeople, who will also be able to use their grants towards physiotherapy, “lifestyle mentoring” and mental health support. Continue reading →

Posted in GLL - Better, Leisure services, Sport | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Diz and the Doormen, Jazz at the Oval, Addiscombe, Jul 23

Posted on July 18, 2023 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Pubs | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Brexit problems cause delays to TfL’s tram network repairs

Posted on July 17, 2023 by insidecroydon

A shortage of trams due to serious damage to the rolling stock’s wheels has forced Transport for London to suspend service on the branch line between Croydon Arena and Elmers End.

No service: the Elmers End branch line of the tram network is closed until more trams are repaired

Inside Croydon reported yesterday how one-third of the network’s trams – seven out of 21 – were out of operation due to wheel damage, causing delays and crowding on those services which have continued to operate.

According to TfL today, the lack of available trams have not only seen the suspension of service to and from Elmers End – with extra buses on routes 64, 289 and 466 at peak times to provide an alternative for passengers – but also delays between New Addington and West Croydon due to a shortage of trams. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Courtroom moves in China to wind-up owners of Nestlé Tower

Posted on July 17, 2023 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: More problems for stalled £500m development of town centre landmark

Stuck in time: there’s been no work carried out on the Nestle Tower since early 2020

Guangzhou R&F Properties Co Ltd, the Chinese development company which owns the Nestlé Tower, the adjacent St George’s Walk and other buildings in the town centre, is in discussions with creditors over a winding-up petition, according to Chinese media reports over the weekend.

The collapse of what was once among China’s biggest development companies looks likely to spell the end for any prospect of the £500million Nestlé Tower project ever being completed, in another massive set-back for hopes to regenerate Croydon town centre.

The Croydon landmark building – as seen on national television every evening as part of ITV’s idents – has been empty since Nestlé quit Croydon in 2012. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Nestle Tower, Planning, Property, Segas House, St George's Walk | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Dick Barton and The Carnival of Chaos, Coulsdon, Jul 26-Aug 5

Posted on July 17, 2023 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Coulsdon, Theatre, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Damaged wheels force TfL to take seven trams out of service

Posted on July 16, 2023 by insidecroydon

EXCLUSIVE: Damage to tram wheels has again forced TfL to take one-third of its fleet out of service for urgent repairs

Trams

Light rail: seven of the network’s trams have had to be taken out of service for repairs

Tram passengers face weeks of delayed journeys and crowded carriages, after Transport for London confirmed to Inside Croydon today that one-third of its fleet of trams are out of service for urgent repairs.

It is the second time in little more than a month that trams have been taken out of service for such repairs. In early June, TfL removed seven trams from service for repairs to damaged wheels. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Spectacular history of Addiscombe college is required reading

Posted on July 16, 2023 by insidecroydon

Private army: cadets in the mid-1800s posing in front of the Addiscombe Military College, which trained officers for the East India Company

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: It played a significant part of the history of Croydon, and of Britain, yet today is largely forgotten. DAVID MORGAN reviews an important and surprising new book about Addiscombe Military College

Kate Birbeck’s new book Addiscombe Military College and the Cadets Who Forged an Empire is a treasure of a publication which will delight local historians and provide a wealth of information for a wider audience.

The Military College at Addiscombe was a significant institution which, after its closure in 1861 and subsequent demolition by 1864, has largely disappeared from Croydon’s collective memory. This book will bring back to life many long-forgotten stories and personalities.

The result of Birbeck’s lengthy research is spectacular. She has put her material together into a format that can be easily read and accessed.

One group of people who will find the book particularly fascinating are those who now live in the Addiscombe area and whose roads and properties are built over the former college grounds. Continue reading →

Posted in Addington Palace, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History, Museum of Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Summer SEND holiday camps, Flip Out Croydon, Jul-Aug

Posted on July 16, 2023 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Community associations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

CODA’s Alice Through Wonderland, Wandle Park, Jul 26-29

Posted on July 16, 2023 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Continue reading →

Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, CODA, Theatre, Wandle Park | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment