As Tube and London Overground fares are set to rise in March by more than inflation, millions of south Londoners travelling by bus or tram will get a three-month reprieve as an ’emergency cost of living measure’
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is freezing Croydon’s tram and bus fares until July 2026.
Keeping bus fares across the capital at £1.75 is being seen at City Hall as an “emergency cost of living measure”, as fares on London’s Tube network, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and Elizabeth line were confirmed as increasing by above-inflation 5.8% from March.
The freeze in national rail fares announced last month will not apply to Transport for London, where the inflation + 1% increase on Tube, DLR and Overground has been agreed with government to get TfL’s finances on a firmer footing after the economic shock of the covid pandemic. Continue reading
Nationally, the number of patients in hospital with influenza has risen more than 50% in the past week.
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Addiscombe campaigner and former councillor JERRY FITZPATRICK, says that after a 13-year wait, it time for some answers and honesty from Network Rail and the Croydon Mayor about East Croydon Station
ANDREW FISHER, in his final iC column of 2025, considers the past year in Croydon, and how that might affect next May’s Town Hall elections.
There’s a bewildering choice of wines on offer this festive season. Croydon wine expert ROZ LAWSON offers her best picks from local supermarket shelves – all priced at £10 or less, and starting with a Champagne 
This Champagne from Lidl is highlighted as a “Best Buy” and “Great Value” in a Which? review of supermarket fizz. It is a Champagne – produced in the Champagne region by the traditional method (with the second fermentation in the bottle, giving it fizz and flavour).
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Careless comments made at a public meeting by the Tory Mayor over LTNs – Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – have already cost the borough’s residents dearly.
German supermarket chain Lidl has been trying to get consent to add Warlingham to their list of sites across the country. But they have been rejected at every turn.
CROYDON CHRONICLE: Christmas is coming, as the old saying goes, and the goose is getting fat…
Declan George-Candiani, 26, a self-proclaimed Satanist who claimed he made a pact with a “red-horned devil”, was given a 23-month sentence at the Old Bailey last week, where the judge ordered he serve an additional year on licence. He will also be subject to notification requirements for 10 years.
