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Croydon Classic Car Show, Rotary Field, Purley, Jun 25
Posted in Activities, Charity, Croydon Rotary Club, Purley
Tagged Croydon Rotary Club, Purley, Rotary Field
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St Antony’s Community Day, Hamsey Green, Jul 2
Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Sanderstead
Tagged Sanderstead
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Incinerator operator sends threatening letter to bird watcher
Peter Alfrey: threats from Viridor
An environmentalist who has worked for more than a decade on the Beddington Farmlands site, monitoring the wildlife in an area which was supposed to be transformed into a nature reserve, has been sent a threatening letter by incinerator operators Viridor for taking a guided tour of visitors to the site.
Viridor have been given a £1billion contract by four London boroughs, including Croydon, to operate an industrial-scale incinerator on Beddington Lane for at least 25 years, which will see them burning millions of tons of rubbish in the midst of a highly populated residential area. The land on which the incinerator is being built was supposed to be designated Metropolitan Open Land, MOL, and therefore had some protected status, until this was signed away by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London. Continue reading
St Paul’s Tea Party, Croham Park Avenue, Jun 24
Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, South Croydon
Tagged South Croydon
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One month in, and Labour’s candidate campaigns in ‘Coulsden’
KEN LEE, our political reporter for the south of the borough, has been on the election trail in ‘Coulsden’
Labour has found an election winner in true-blue Croydon South.
Only trouble is, it isn’t the rarely seen candidate who has been parachuted into the constituency by Blairites at the party’s headquarters.
Brathwaite has finally acknowledged her election status
The Oasis academy in Coulsdon invited all the General Election candidates to a hustings attended by around 100 pupils this week, just ahead of half-term. Chris Philp, the Conservative candidate defending a humongous majority on June 8, turned up, as did Catherine Shelley, from the Greens.
But Jennifer Brathwaite, who is supposed to be Labour’s candidate in Croydon South, was a no-show.
She may have thought that participating in a community event in a large school in the constituency talking to the voters of the future was a waste of her valuable time.
Not that Brathwaite has been spending much of her valuable time campaigning in the constituency which she agreed to contest.
Old Coulsdon Village Fair, Grange Park, Jul 1
Posted in Activities, Charity, Community associations, Coulsdon
Tagged Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon
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Scott’s account doesn’t tally with video record of meeting
CROYDON COMMENTARY: At Paul Scott’s planning meetings, the public, even MPs, are sometimes denied an opportunity to put their case, while the committee chairman is observed acting as an advocate for his architect colleagues.
Inside Croydon recently published Councillor Scott’s explanation of his actions at one meeting in particular – which are subject to a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.
Here, ANDREW SADDINGTON takes issue with several aspects of the councillor’s version of events
In his comments on the Norman and Derrick Avenue development, Councillor Paul Scott concedes that, “…there is no doubt that it is a challenging site. It sits adjacent to the railway in an area that is prone to flooding. These issues were carefully considered by the officers, and I have no doubt that all the members of the planning committee considered them carefully too when deciding how to vote”.
Residents disagree with the assertion that officers and all members of the planning committee considered the issues carefully when deciding how to vote. Continue reading
Dinner at the Hilton looks to be good for builders’ business
BELLA BARTOCK, our resident culture vulture, slipped on her best frock and sling-backs for a night on the town with a motley crew of councillors
Some of the world’s best-paid leaflet deliverers took the night off yesterday, as Croydon’s councillors were out in force in the midst of the General Election campaign to attend the annual inaugural dinner for the Mayor of Croydon.
Yum. And it wasn’t a rubbish dinner, even if it was sponsored by Veolia
Toni Letts, the councillor for Selhurst ward, is to serve a second term in the ermine and chains of mayor, when as well as cutting ribbons to open new supermarkets or school fetes, she will also have to preside over the handful of Town Hall meetings which may get a little heated in the run-up to the council elections in 12 months’ time.
At 35 quid a head, the event at the Croydon Hilton was hardly a massive extravagance, but it was good to see Tim “Austerity Begins At Home” Pollard, the leader of the Croydon Tories, treating his wife, Helen, also a councillor, for their 26th wedding anniversary. Continue reading
Planning chair Scott uses election to gag objections from MP
Brick by Brick is concreting over the borough, block by block, and one senior councillor is not going to let anyone get in the way of the council’s housing company. But as BARRATT HOLMES reports, the council’s affordable homes target is slipping badly
This week’s planning committee meeting at the Town Hall caused uproar again as a Labour councillor, in the Labour-controlled council, refused to allow a Labour shadow minister speak on behalf of his constituents.
Steve Reed OBE: the MP for Croydon North since 2012 was denied the chance to address a committee on ‘a technicality’
Paul Scott, the chair of the planning committee, was up to his tricks yet again as he helps to drive through developments on council-owned property which appear to benefit the businesses of house builders and architects, while ignoring the interests of residents.
Scott is married to Alison Butler, the Labour-run council’s cabinet member for housing. Scott’s day job is as an architect.
Among the applications for planning permission considered on Wednesday was another batch submitted on behalf of Brick by Brick, the council-owned development company which has been set a target of 1,000 homes on publicly owned sites. Among these was a scheme to build between existing council-built homes near Church Road, Auckland Rise and Sylvan Hill in Upper Norwood.
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Steve Reed MP
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jo Negrini, Labour, Member of parliament, Paul Scott, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed OBE, Tory
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With two weeks to go, this typical voter remains unconvinced
ELECTION COMMENTARY: Outside the ‘bubble’ inhabited by the evangelistic political activists, ‘ordinary’ voters are often left unmoved by all the campaigning. With two weeks until election day one Croydon voter, KIRSTIE SMITH, remains undecided
Undecided? Kirstie Smith remains unconvinced by the campaigns so far
You can’t have failed to notice. On June 8, we get to decide who runs the country for the next term.
Early polls suggested that it’s a one-horse race with Tories in the lead, but polls can be misleading and I think there are many people, like me, who are undecided how they will be voting for this time.
I consider myself working class but Middle England. A family of four; two adults, two children, homeowners, both parents working full-time and having a complicated childcare arrangement consisting of nursery, pre-school, grandparents and flexible working arrangements. We are privileged in that we can (just about) afford a family holiday each year, but we work hard and life is a constant juggle. Continue reading
Take a walk in the woods back to the time of the mammoths
While Croydon Council appears to be on a mission to concrete over every last remaining pocket of green space in the borough, there are some groups which continue to study, cherish and preserve the scraps of south London’s environmental heritage.
The London Wildlife Trust is again staging a series events across south-east London to celebrate the Great North Wood, and to delve back into its history of woodlands, dinosaurs and mammoths.
The events are mostly free, though they do seek donations towards the cost of running the project. Continue reading
Hair care now on offer from cancer charity based at Purley
The South East Cancer Help Centre, based at Tesco’s, Purley, has a new service to help patients care for their hair during and after their cancer treatment.
Michelle Faust: offering help to cancer patients
Not all cancer treatments result in hair loss, but when this does occur SECHC’s in-house hairdresser can make a patient’s hair more manageable by either cutting it or shaving it. She can also advise about how to care for hair when it starts to grow back.
Volunteer Michele Faust, who has been a qualified hairdresser for 33 years, said, “Quite often people go to their hairdressers to have their head shaved without realising that it is going to happen in front of other customers and they suddenly find that they are on show. At SECHC a room is set aside offering privacy and confidentiality and it is up to the individual to decide whether they want someone to accompany them to give them support.”
Posted in Charity, South East Cancer Help Centre
Tagged Purley, SECHC, South East Cancer Help Centre
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Tories delivered election leaflets during campaign suspension
KEN LEE, our political correspondent, on the new depths of cant and hypocrisy plumbed by election candidates in two of the area’s most tightly fought constituencies
Tom Brake: out campaigning during this week’s suspension
Theresa Mayhem, the unelected Prime Minister, had called for the suspension of campaigning ahead of the June 8 General Election for an “indefinite” period, something the other party leaders agreed to do.
There was to be no canvassing, leafleting or even speaking to people in the street to try to advance the cause of a particular candidate.
But residents in Carshalton and Wallington, where the Tories are challenging long-standing LibDem MP Tom Brake, and in Fairfield ward in Croydon Central, where career politician Gavin Barwell is fighting for to save his political career, have both reported receiving Conservative Party leaflets in the past two days, in the middle of the campaign suspension. Continue reading
Volunteers sought for some balsam bashing in country park
The damage plastic is causing to the environment is one of the themes of the 3 Rivers Clean Up, the annual three-week blitz to remove litter and invasive species in the catchment area of the River Ravensbourne, one of the Thames tributaries in south London.
Running from June 3-24, the 30 clean-ups attract hundreds of volunteers to help remove Himalayan balsam, in particular, plus rubbish from the rivers Ravensbourne, Pool and Quaggy.
The event concentrates on about 20 sites in four boroughs – Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley and Croydon – and is run by Thames21, London’s leading waterways charity, the London Borough of Lewisham and The Quaggy Waterways Action Group.
The Croydon clean-up will be taking place in Norwood Country Park on Wednesday, June 14.
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Wildlife
Tagged Norwood Country Park, River Ravensbourne, Thames21
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Saffron Central wants to go out with one last burst of colour
Croydon’s town centre saffron farm is again appealing for donations and volunteers for one last summer spree of colour before the builders move in on Queen’s Gardens and the site of the former council offices.
This year’s theme is to be “Hearts and Rainbows”, with Croydon Pridefest taking place in Queen’s Gardens on July 15, the 17,000 crocus sativus corms which were once bedded down on the building site have made way for what the organisers hope will be “a stunning display of colour and creativity in the heart of Croydon”.
Donations of plants and artworks are needed in the colours of the rainbow as seen in the Pride flag: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple.
“With half-term and heat waves imminent, it’s a great time to be outdoors and what better way to show some love and pride for Croydon than to share plants, arts and good conversation in this very special yet unusual community garden,” said Ally McKinlay, Croydon Saffron Central’s founder. Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Fairfield, Gardening, Taberner House
Tagged Croydon Saffron Central, Queens Gardens, Taberner House
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Free multi-sport courses on offer for youngsters over half-term
Youngsters aged 5 to 21 in Croydon and Sutton get their chance to enjoy some great action during May half-term, when another programme of multisport and football will be on offer through the popular L&Q One Goal holiday programme of activities.
Following its hugely successful programme in April, the free activity will again be led by the Palace for Life Foundation at venues in New Addington and Broad Green.
One Goal is a sports and creative arts programme that motivates young people to be physically active, make healthy lifestyle choices and enjoy creative pursuits during the school holidays. The Easter programme attracted a record 3,641 young people around London and the south-east .
The scheme is delivered by eight professional football clubs across the capital: Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham.
Posted in Activities, Athletics, Broad Green, Crystal Palace FC, Football, New Addington, Sport
Tagged Broad Green, Crystal Palace, New Addington
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As Momentum mobilises, Barwell has a fight on his hands
With the General Election campaigning getting underway once more, political editor WALTER CRONXITE finds that the Tory incumbent is right to be behaving as if he faces a real threat to his political career
The larger political parties are getting their campaigns under way again today, officially at least, following the respectful pause after the Manchester bombing outrage.
Is this the secret of his success? Gavin Barwell with unelected Prime Minister Theresa Mayhem
Tory Gavin Barwell is contesting the Croydon Central seat on June 8 as if he is genuinely under threat from a Labour Party seeking to overturn his ultra-thin 165 vote majority from two years ago.
Barwell has good reason to be worried for five specific reasons. Labour’s good poll standings in London, demographic changes in the constituency that hurts the local Tories, Labour’s City Hall and now more embedded Town Hall incumbency, the dangers of his ministerial “achievements” in housing being so limited as to leave hard pressed Croydon Central renters unimpressed and, finally, something which was not a factor in 2015, the number of Labour and Momentum supporters coming to aid the cause of Sarah Jones. Continue reading
£1.4bn Westfield keeps planning committee waiting, yet again
There is, of course, one much-anticipated development application missing from tonight’s meeting of the Croydon Council planning committee: the £1.4billion Westfield project to re-mould the centre of town into a shiny new supermall.
This is at least the second time that the resubmission for planning permission by Westfield and Hammerson, aka Hammersfield, has been postponed.
The developers were originally brought to Croydon at the behest of the landowners the Whitgift Foundation, with Tory MP Gavin Barwell and then London Mayor Boris Johnson pulling some strings, in 2012. But they have since been slow and indecisive in quite how to progress the scheme to redevelop the existing Whitgift Centre and Centrale, owned by Hammerson on the opposite side of North End.
Posted in "Hammersfield", Boris Johnson, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Housing, Planning, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation
Tagged Barwell, Boris Johnson, Conservative, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation
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NUT cancels education debate after second Tory pulls out
An education Question Time event for the General Election, organised by the NUT, the teachers’ union, and to have been staged tonight, has been cancelled after the Tory candidate on the panel pulled out, just 12 hours after saying that he was “still very much looking forward” to taking part.
There will be no education questions posed at tonight’s planned event, after a second Tory candidate pulled out
When contacted by the event organisers last night, a Tory campaign assistant wrote that Kasumu was “still very mich [sic] looking forward to thr [sic] event tomorrow as long as its [sic] still on”. All election campaigning was suspended yesterday, following the dreadful events of Monday night in Manchester. Continue reading
Complaint filed to Ombudsman over Scott’s planning conduct
The latest round of Brick by Brick planning applications will be considered at a meeting to be chaired by a councillor who is under investigation by the Ombudsman. BARRATT HOLMES reports
Paul Scott, the controversial chair of the council’s planning committee, will tonight oversee another set of applications from Brick by Brick, the council’s development company, even though there is now a formal complaint about his conduct lodged with the Local Government Ombudsman.
Alison Butler: councillor in charge of housing, married to the chair of the planning committee
The council’s chief executive, Jo Negrini, last week bowed to public pressure and mounting complaints about Scott by agreeing to have council planning meetings webcast.
Full council meetings, cabinet meetings and scrutiny committee meetings held in the Town Hall chamber have all been webcast since 2014, but for some reason Scott’s planning committee has never been subject to such wider scrutiny and public record. Until, that is, last week, when the council webcast a planning committee meeting for the first time. This was just weeks after Chris Philp, as MP for Croydon South, complained about the chairman’s “whipping” of his committee along party lines to achieve a particular outcome at a previous meeting.
Scott has since provided a detailed account of his behaviour over that particular planning application – submitted by a private developer, for homes close to the railway lines at Purley Cross, on a site which previously had been refused permission as unsuitable for habitation. Elements of Scott’s version of events are contradicted by accounts from numerous witnesses in the public gallery, and by a recording taken by a resident on their phone. Continue reading
Mayday Hospital whistleblower vindicated by Appeal Court
A senior cardiologist who was sacked from his job at Mayday Hospital after he complained that decisions over staffing had led to the death on the operating table of one of his patients has won his six-year battle against the NHS management, following a ruling yesterday by three senior judges at the Court of Appeal.
Vindicated: Kevin Beatt
Kevin Beatt had been “hounded out of work in an insulting and humiliating manner”, according to evidence heard by the Court of Appeal, which overturned a previous decision by an Employment Appeal Tribunal.
The original Employment Tribunal decision, in 2014, had ruled that Croydon University Hospital Trust had made a calculated attempt to damage Dr Beatt’s reputation. Dr Beatt has claimed throughout that his case provides a damning demonstration of the Trust’s attempts to cover up failings.
Yesterday’s Appeal Court ruling will put extreme pressure on John Goulston, now Croydon Health Services NHS Trust’s chief executive, who presided over early stages of Dr Beatt’s dismissal and who in 2014 was criticised by the Employment Tribunal for inconsistent evidence. The ET ruling said that he had “failed to carry out a fair process”.
The health minister, Jeremy Hunt, refused to intervene in the case, saying that it was a matter for the local NHS Trust, which continued to spend £5,000 per day on court fees for expensive lawyers at every stage of the process.
Health service campaigners who fight for the right of whistleblowers in the NHS last night described the judgement as the “win of the decade”, and criticised the massive sums of taxpayer money which has been “squandered” in an effort to protect NHS managers’ decisions.
Posted in Croydon NHS Trust, Health, John Goulston, Mayday Hospital
Tagged Croydon NHS Trust, John Goulston, Mayday Hospital
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