Memorial event for tram crash to be held at New Addington

Posted on October 31, 2018 by insidecroydon

The second anniversary of the Sandilands tram derailment will be marked at a civic ceremony in New Addington next week.

Seven people died and many more suffered life-changing injuries at Sandilands in 2016

Croydon Council has organised a short event at Central Parade in New Addington at 11am on Friday November 9.

The event will be attended by the Mayor of Croydon, Bernadette Khan, and will include those directly affected by the derailment, as well as representatives of agencies, charities and volunteers who helped in the aftermath.

More than 60 people were injured and seven – Dane Chinnery, Donald Collett, Robert Huxley, Philip Logan, Dorota Rynkiewicz, Philip Seary and Mark Smith – died  after an early-morning tram from New Addington derailed near Sandilands station on November 9, 2016.

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Dombey gets Sutton in the Eye over Incinerator Academy

Posted on October 31, 2018 by insidecroydon

Ruth Dombey’s relentless drive to have Sutton regarded as the rottenest borough in south London got another boost today, as her Liberal Democrat-run council got yet another dishonourable mention in Private Eye magazine.

The scurrilous satirical fortnightly features on its cover Croydon’s finest, “Sir” Philip Green, the retailing billionaire at the centre of abuse and bullying allegations  (The Ed writes: Septimus Grabbit, of our lawyers Sue, Grabbit & Runne, points out that a small army of very well-remunerated lawyers for the south London businessman strenuously deny their client’s involvement in any alleged misconduct. And that they will continue to maintain legal injunctions to stop anyone reporting the allegations for as long as possible, too).

The magazine’s coverage of the Green situation continues inside.

But it is in the Rotten Boroughs column that Dombey, the LibDem leader of Sutton Council, can take pride, as her local authority again features prominently. Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, London-wide issues, Refuse collection, Ruth Dombey, Schools, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honeywood Museum Mini Explorers, Carshalton, Feb 20

Posted on October 31, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Croydon Council hits Labour Party donor with £32,000 fine

Posted on October 30, 2018 by insidecroydon

Labour-run Croydon Council has slapped more than £30,000 in fines on… one of Croydon Labour’s biggest, if not the biggest, donors.

Anwar Ansari’s office-to-resi development at Sydenham Road where all flats are now licensed

The council last week announced that two property companies, AA Homes and Housing and Anabow Services Ltd, have been fined a combined £32,000 under Croydon Council’s landlord licensing scheme, although both companies had – albeit belatedly – licensed their properties with the council.

Unmentioned in the council’s press release, or in “local” newspaper reports, was that the man behind the properties is Anwar Ansari, a former chair of the Croydon Central Constituency Labour Party who has over the past decade or more handed over thousands of pounds to the Labour Party and senior Labour politicians, including Alan Johnson, Yvette Cooper and Sadiq Khan.

Indeed, in May 2014 Ansari even hosted Labour’s celebration party after Tony Newman led the party to control of Croydon Town Hall. Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Landlord licensing, Planning, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We are many, they are few, and battles still to be won

Posted on October 30, 2018 by insidecroydon

The David Lean Cinema is finishing 2018 with a flourish, with a selection of screenings through to the end of the year and into 2019, which are certain to ensure that the arthouse movie auditorium in the Croydon Clocktower will have sold all its available seats very quickly.

These include Steve McQueen’s latest directorial offering, Widows (which translates the 1980s British TV drama of the same title to the streets of Chicago in the 21st century), which is being screened in January, but for which tickets go on sale now, preceded with a couple of blockbusters with social conscience: The Hate U Give and Peterloo. Continue reading →

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Friends of Honeywood Museum Book Club, 2019 dates

Posted on October 30, 2018 by insidecroydon

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There’s a real art to life drawing in a draughty church hall

Posted on October 29, 2018 by insidecroydon

For a borough whose politicians claim that ‘art is at the heart of regeneration’, it seems that the world’s biggest drawing festival has passed Croydon by. But KEN TOWL managed to track down a well-established group of artists who show that drawing well is not easel

Croydon’s life drawing group attracts a wide range of dedicated artists

October has been the month of The Big Draw, the “world’s biggest drawing festival”, made up of thousands of events, none of which appeared to be happening in Croydon when I searched.

None of them that is, until I discovered the Croydon Life Drawing Group. It has been around, it turns out, for some 30 years and is currently run by a friendly chap called Francis Wardale.

A short conversation via their Facebook page helped me to ascertain that:
a. everyone was welcome, whatever their level of drawing skill or lack thereof;
b. recommended materials for a starter were cartridge paper and 2B and 4B pencils;
c. It was £10 a session or £5 for students. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Addiscombe West, Art, East Croydon, Ken Towl | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Half of tram crash safety recommendations remain undone

Posted on October 29, 2018 by insidecroydon

Half the safety recommendations put forward after the 2016 Croydon tram crash have not been put in place, it is being reported today.

Sandilands, Nov 2016: but a safety report published 12 months ago remains largely unimplemented

Next month marks two years since the worst tram crash in this country for more than half a century, when seven people were killed and more than 60 others were injured.

It was early on November 9, 2016, when the tram, heading to Wimbledon from New Addington, was travelling faster than the local speed limits, and left the tracks just outside the Sandilands tram stop.

Last December, an investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch made 15 recommendations to the industry to make it safer. But broadcaster LBC is reporting today that seven of those recommendations remain incomplete. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Norbury Christmas Fayre, Norbury Manor Primary, Nov 25

Posted on October 29, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Norbury Juniors Chess Club, Cassandra Centre, from Nov 19

Posted on October 29, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Beauty And The Beast, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon, Dec 8-16

Posted on October 29, 2018 by insidecroydon

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The Coulsdon family who lost three of their four sons to war

Posted on October 28, 2018 by insidecroydon

As we approach the centenary of the Armistice that finally ended World War I, real-life stories of the sacrifices of local people continue to emerge.

This year’s Remembrance Sunday is on November 11.

The memorial in St John’s churchyard in Coulsdon to the three Coldwell sons killed in World War I

The latest edition of the Old Coulsdon Residents’ Association’s magazine tells the story of one family grave where three sons from one family have a memorial after they each died on the Western Front.

The memorial stone in the churchyard of St John’s the Evangelist tells the story of what might almost claim to be Coulsdon’s version of Saving Private Ryan, the Stephen Spielberg epic in which an American officer is despatched in the later stages of World War II to locate and bring home safely the fourth son of a family which had already sacrificed three brothers.

Might there have been an earlier version? A Saving Private Coldwells? Probably not: this was total war, not Hollywood.

In the account for OCRA by resident Brian Hudson, the Coldwells family from Croydon had four sons fighting for King and country during World War I.

Three of them were killed in action. Continue reading →

Posted in Church and religions, Coulsdon, History, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Age UK’s Creative Art classes, Scratchley Hall, every Thu

Posted on October 28, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Sign up today as an iC patron and save £5 on concert tickets

Posted on October 28, 2018 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon is delighted to team up with the Croydon Bach Choir to announce another great, money-saving offer – exclusive for supporters of this award-winning news site.

Registered Inside Croydon supporters can get £5 off each ticket booked for the Croydon Bach Choir’s Baroque Masterpieces concert being staged at St Matthew’s Church, Chichester Road, on December 1.

Concert details, and links to the bookings page, can be found by clicking here.

All you have to do when booking your tickets is include a special code, which has been sent to all iC Patrons.

We hope that this excellent choir’s concert appeals to our discerning and loyal reader. Continue reading →

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Croydon Art Society Exhibition, Clocktower, Nov 20-Dec 8

Posted on October 28, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Coulsdon councillor exposed as advising corporate lobbyists

Posted on October 28, 2018 by insidecroydon

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest little sideline of one of Croydon’s leading Tories

Downing Street adviser Creatura has been caught out agreeing to advise lobbyists

Coulsdon Conservative councillor Mario Creatura, who has a job at No10 Downing Street as a Special Adviser to Prime Minister Theresa Mayhem, may have broken the Civil Service code after he agreed to speak at a private event for a corporate lobbyist and their wealthy clients.

The oleaginous Creatura used to work as bag carrier to gaffe-prone Gavin Barwell when he was an MP.

When Barwell was rejected by the electors of Croydon Central at the 2017 General Election, he was appointed as chief of staff at No10. Barwell then quickly set about creating a Croydon clique in Downing Street, recruiting a number of his old mates to well-paid Civil Service jobs, including Creatura, who washed up in Whitehall on a SPAD’s generous salary of up to £70,000, basically for looking after the PM’s Twitter feed.

Now the Red Roar website has obtained evidence that shows Creatura lined up as a speaker for a private event organised by lobbyist FleishmanHillard Fishburn this Wednesday.

“The invitation promises to teach attendees how to ‘reach politicians and impact policy’,” the website reports.

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More retailers in peril as Green scandal hits the High Street

Posted on October 27, 2018 by insidecroydon

It may yet become known among retailers as “Black Thursday”, the day when the doomed fate of Britain’s High Street was sealed.

Croydon-born Philip Green: adverse publicity may yet impact his retail empire

It was certainly a day when the business case for the long-delayed £1.4billion redevelopment of the Whitgift and Centrale shopping centres became even weaker.

While the controversy surrounding Croydon-born Philip Green – the one-time “King of the High Street” – was dominating the newspaper headlines and broadcast news bulletins, less attention was being afforded to another announcement which would have sent a chill down the spine of those invested in retailing.

Department store chain Debenhams on Thursday posted record annual losses of £491.5million and said it will close up to 50 stores, putting 4,000 jobs at risk. That amounts to almost one-third of all its stores, and is five times as many closures as the business had previously planned. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Belmont election shock #1: ‘I didn’t want to quit as councillor’

Posted on October 27, 2018 by insidecroydon

Our Sutton reporter, BERTIE WORCESTER-PARK, on a stunning admission which fuels speculation that some of the borough’s Tories were keen to find a way to get their deputy leader back on the council

In a remarkable admission made to Inside Sutton just before the polls closed on Thursday, Patrick McManus, the Conservative councillor who resigned his seat in Belmont ward, claimed that he had not wanted to quit at all.

The by-election was called by Sutton Council after McManus’s resignation at the end of August, barely four months after he had stood for and been re-elected to the council in May.

The vacancy was a conveniently early opportunity for Neil Garratt to return to Sutton Council. “Father Jack” Garratt had been Sutton Tories’ deputy leader until he lost his Beddington South ward to the LibDems in May.

Garratt was duly elected in Belmont ward this Thursday, after a sometimes acrimonious little spat of a by-election. Continue reading →

Posted in Neil Garratt, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Watch the London to Brighton car run, Norbury Green, Nov 4

Posted on October 27, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Croydon Bach Choir Baroque Masterpieces concert, Dec 1

Posted on October 27, 2018 by insidecroydon

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Croydon social workers ‘demoralised’, say Ofsted inspectors

Posted on October 26, 2018 by insidecroydon

One year on and Ofsted inspectors are still seriously dissatisfied with the pace of improvement in Croydon’s children’s services department.

Slow progress: Tony Newman and Alisa Flemming have failed to implement the required changes in children’s services

Croydon’s children’s services were declared “inadequate” in an Ofsted inspectors’ report in September 2017, and today the inspectors have issued their latest update, following their visit – their fourth – which took place earlier this month.

According to Ofsted, morale among social work staff is very low, while a high turnover of staff continues to be a problem in providing stability, for the staff and the children they work for, and continuity of service.

This is despite Croydon’s Labour-run council throwing an extra £5million (at least) at the children’s services department in the past 12 months, mainly to recruit more social workers.

Yet social workers’ caseloads remain excessively high, leading to low frequency of visits to clients, the inspectors note. Their report states, “Social workers … report an unsettled period. This is reflected in staff turnover and some staff report that they feel demoralised about working in the service.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Eleni Ioannides, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fare rises and jerk chicken: Tory Bailey hasn’t much to offer

Posted on October 26, 2018 by insidecroydon

Shaun Bailey, left, with some other bloke

Shaun Bailey, recently named as the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, was in Croydon last night for what the local Tories tried to bill as a Black History Month event.
KEN TOWL went along to see what Bailey had to say for himself

First, let me say that the jerk chicken was great.

I mean really good, so much so that I took a photo of it. Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 London elections, Addiscombe East, Black History Month, Joseph Lee, Ken Towl, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Southern could have acted to avoid £2 cash machine charges

Posted on October 26, 2018 by insidecroydon

Southern Rail, possibly the world’s least popular train operators, could have taken steps to ensure that their passengers would not be subject to £2 transaction charges at the cash machines by East Croydon and other stations – but they chose not to do so.

That’s the latest, startling revelation arising from enquiries prompted by the cash machine charges being imposed in the past week at East Croydon, South Croydon and other stations on the Govia Thameslink network, which includes Southern trains.

The head of a banking think-tank called the charges – for rail passengers wishing to access their own money – “A very worrying trend.” Continue reading →

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Tories retain Belmont council seat after needless by-election

Posted on October 26, 2018 by insidecroydon

CARL SHILTON, our Sutton reporter, on the outcome of a council by-election which was entirely unnecessary

After a six-month absence, Neil “Father Jack” Garratt is back as a councillor in Sutton.

Garratt, the deputy leader of the Conservatives in Sutton until he  lost his council seat in May’s local elections (“Feck! Bollocks!” he is widely assumed to have said at the time), seized the opportunity presented by the apparently unnecessary resignation of one of his erstwhile council colleagues in Belmont ward and was duly elected in yesterday’s resultant by-election to resume the collection his £11,000 allowances with immediate effect.

On a 36 per cent turn out, Garratt took 47 per cent of the vote, with Jean Duster, the candidate for Sutton’s ruling LibDems, on 37.6 per cent. Labour’s Marian Wingrove, despite canvassing efforts by activitists from across Sutton and Croydon, trailed a long way back in third, on 10.7 per cent.

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Posted in Neil Garratt, Niall Bolger, Nick Mattey, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dinner winners look to move into Portland Road building

Posted on October 25, 2018 by insidecroydon

After 18 months of serving up thousands of delicious meals, using what would otherwise be unwanted and surplus food, the South Norwood Community Kitchen could soon be on the move. But rest assured, they won’t be going far…

Dinner winners: the Community Kitchen team with their recent council civic award

The community initiative is the idea of local couple Laura Whittall and Paul Mitchell, started in April last year, and has been operating out of a church hall in Oliver Grove. Using donations from supermarkets and allotment-holders, it has been providing hot meals and the chance to come together for a laugh and a natter for a couple of hours each Saturday.

But they have been seeking larger, dedicated premises to enable them to expand their operations, and even provide even more free meals for the community.

After months of negotiations, they may be close to getting to use the council-owned Socca Cheta building on Portland Road. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Charity, Community associations, South Norwood, South Norwood Community Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment