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Philp’s Easter Sunday photocall could prompt an unholy row
Croydon South MP Chris Philp, centre, stands aimlessly beside a road in Sanderstead on Easter Day. Apparently, the Tories felt it was essential to be done really urgently
After a week in which he had already been accused of being a Tory “toady”, an “exemplary arse-kisser” and of “brown-nosing”, Chris Philp, the relative new-comer as the Conservative MP for Croydon South, has now opened himself up to being accused of acting in an un-Christian manner, and being anti-business, too.
Philp and a small gaggle of Croydon Tories – led by their group leader on the council, Tim Pollard – and some concerned local residents turned out at 9 o’clock yesterday morning, Easter Day, the holiest day in the Christian calendar, for a photo-shoot to protest against plans by supermarket chain to develop the site of the former Good Companions pub at Hamsey Green.
Philp had seemed a little dubious about the stunt – “Not my idea”, the MP tweeted on Saturday night. Perhaps he ought to have put his foot down and refused to go through with the pretty gormless photo, or at least had his Tory colleagues delay it for a day or so. Continue reading
Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, Sanderstead, Tim Pollard
Tagged Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Sanderstead, Steve O'Connell, Tim Pollard, Tory, Warlingham, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
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Purley Tory Speakman’s Labour past emerges 50 years on
March 31 this year will be the 50th anniversary of the 1966 General Election, when Harold Wilson’s Labour enjoyed a landslide victory over the Conservatives.
Donald Speakman: Tory councillor with a Labour past
The BBC has been marking the occasion with a day-long transmission of their election night coverage from half a century ago, when among the key election issues were immigration, Labour’s management of the economy and Britain’s membership of Europe’s Common Market. Sound familiar?
Allowed to pass almost unremarked in the marathon broadcast was the Conservative win of the safe Tory seat of Bromley, where John Hunt enjoyed a near-10,000 vote majority over Labour’s Donald Speakman…
Yes, the very same Donald Speakman who has been a Tory councillor in Purley for the last 14 years.
According to the Croydon Conservatives’ website, “Donald has, for many years, been enthusiastically involved in the life and development of Purley.”
Posted in Donald Speakman, Maria Gatland, Purley
Tagged Donald Speakman, Maria Gatland, Purley, South Croydon
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Blow me over: Croydon clears up after being hit by Storm Katie
Timber! Lee Townsend’s photograph of the fallen tree on Wickham Road today
LEE TOWNSEND witnessed this collapsed tree on one Croydon road today, as London felt the effects of the overnight storm
Croydon was dusting itself down today after a battering from the 100mph winds of Storm Katie hit overnight.
The London Fire Brigade reported more than 100 emergency calls across the capital, with incidents including falling scaffolding, a collapsed crane in Greenwich and a Battersea boozer having its roof blown off.
Posted in Addiscombe West, Shirley North
Tagged Addiscombe West, Shirley, Storm Katie
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Library trust to put books on wheels and seek £100 donations
Our bookish gyms correspondent GENE BRODIE hears that the Upper Norwood Library Trust’s plans for the brave new future of a volunteer-run public library might not be as definite as you might expect, with their takeover of the building due in little more than one month
The Upper Norwood Library Trust, the organisation of volunteers which is taking over the running of the building on Westow Hill from May 1, issued a statement over the Easter holiday weekend in which they called for donations of £100 towards the running of the facilities.
Upper Norwood Library, as it appears on the Trust’s website
The Trust also confirmed that they would be running a series of fee-charging events – and have the library’s bookcases placed on castors so that they might be wheeled out of the way for money-raising activities.
Upper Norwood Library has been run jointly by Lambeth and Croydon councils for more than a century as a professionally staffed, largely free service for the residents of the Crystal Palace area. Lambeth and Croydon are continuing to fund Upper Norwood Library, each providing £85,000 per year for the next two years. But as part of Labour-run Lambeth Council’s controversial programme of cuts, it announced a fortnight ago that professional staff would be withdrawn after April 30, and the building handed over to be a volunteer-run, self-service facility. Three other libraries in Lambeth face closure or conversion into “bookish gyms”.
In Croydon, which is staging its second library consultation in four years, events at Upper Norwood are regarded by senior Labour councillors as “an exciting experiment”. You can guess what that means.
MP Philp: ‘Brown-nosing is first, second and third nature’
Chris Philp’s obsequiousness knows no bounds. And that’s not according to us.
Widely ridiculed: Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South
Yesterday, Inside Croydon reported how the newish MP for Croydon South had been torn to shreds by The Times – The Times of all papers! – for his fawning display before Chancellor Gideon Osborne at Thursday’s Treasury select committee.
On a committee which was expected to challenge one of the most disastrous Budgets in recent political history, Philp delivered a performance which saw him described in turn as a “toady” and an “arse-kisser”.
But his craven conduct has been noted elsewhere. Soon, Philp will get a reputation. For instance, that “brown-nosing is first, second and third nature” to him.
Street trader licence is an excuse for a pavement cleansweep
Surrey Street market in the sunshine: traders are paying for a market manager, but what are they getting for their money?
Are Croydon’s high street retailers, pubs and cafes being asked to cough-up extra cash under a street trading licensing scheme when the council doesn’t have any staff to enforce it?
Sources working in Fisher’s Folly certainly believe so.
Council staff working in Croydon’s head offices have been in touch to highlight the back story over the recent fuss over the “Sunshine Tax”, where one or two people behind a struggling cafe business, egged on by their mates in the local Tory Party, came up with wildly exaggerated claims about the charges which the council wants to impose on traders who utilise the pavements outside their premises.
Yet again, the Labour-run council came in for a kicking largely because it mishandled the presentation of the policy. Huge percentage increases in licensing charges to businesses who were occupying public space made the council seem to be out to make a fast buck. The argument was as good as lost before senior councillors got to state the case that traders had for years been getting a cheap – if not entirely free – ride for their use of Croydon pavements.
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Surrey Street
Tagged Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Surrey Street, Tory
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Cummings and Young head Labour by-election shortlist
Labour has whittled down its candidates to stand for election to the council in West Thornton ward to a shortlist of five, all of whom are from a black or minority ethnic background, and three of whom are women.
Callton Young, centre, is among Labour’s five-strong shortlist for West Thornton ward
The by-election, which is expected to be held on May 5 alongside the London Mayoral vote, has been called following the resignation of The Hon Emily Benn, who is flitting off to New York to pursue her career in a merchant bank.
The local Labour Party is understood to have received applications from more than a dozen members, keen to be picked to stand in the ultra-safe ward in Croydon North. Continue reading
Times accuses ‘toady’ Philp of ‘exemplary arse-kissing’
Political satirists can make or break an MP’s career.
Chris Philp has long been enthusiastic about Gideon Osborne
Think David Steel in the pocket of Spitting Image’s David Owen. Or Steve Bell’s cartoons of John Major and his underpants.
So it’s not a good idea to get on the wrong side of the diarists, as Croydon South MP Chris Philp appears to have done with Patrick Kidd, who writes The Times sketch which for many years was the preserve of Matthew Parris and Hugo Rifkind.
It’s not as if the political diary in Murdoch’s Times is unsympathetic to the Tories usually. But as Philp approaches his first anniversary as an MP, he has undergone his first gentle skewering after a performance in a select committee yesterday which Private Eye would no doubt label “arslikhan”. Writing for The Times, Kidd was much more polite. He said Philp endulged in arse-kissing. Continue reading
Croydon MPs’ declarations of interest 2015: Chris Philp
Chris Philp MP: West Country pubs have been particularly generous
A grand total of:
£33,500
“Toady” Philp (according to Rupert Murdoch’s The Times today; it’s behind a paywall, but don’t bother handing over your credit card details – we’ll share the best bits later) hasn’t had the benefit of any cash donations from his local Tory councillors, unlike Gavin Barwell in Croydon Central.
But since arriving in Parliament in May, he’s received a similarly hefty wedge of dosh, from several donors in common with his Croydon Central Tory colleague.
Why a pub and B&B in the West Country would be quite so generous as to donate 20 grand to a Commons new boy who represents a south London suburban seat, only Philp can say…
Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon South
Tagged Barwell, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell, Labour, Steve Reed OBE, Tory
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Croydon MPs’ declarations of interest 2015: Gavin Barwell
MP Gavin Barwell: generous top-up to his whip’s salary
A grand total of:
£34,101
Croydon’s Tory group on the council have stumped up £5,000 for Gav from their allowances. That’s Council Tax-payers’ money, being handed over to the Conservative MP to further his political career. Bet he never mentions that when complaining about the increase in Council Tax.
Among other donors, local Tamils have been very generous towards Gav. As has a company based in Newcastle and which specialises in kitting out offshore rigs. Wonder what a Tory Government whip has been doing for them?
And good to see Liverpool-supporting Gav, the man who single-handedly saved Crystal Palace FC, enjoyed a day out with his lad at Selhurst Park to see David Cameron’s favourite football team.
Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell
Tagged Barwell, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell, Labour
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Croydon MPs’ declarations of interest 2015: Steve Reed OBE
Steve Reed OBE: just one wealthy donor
Here’s the official December 2015 update of the declarations of interest from the MP for Croydon North/Lambeth South (delete to taste).
A grand total of:
£10,080
This is for the period since May’s General Election. There doesn’t appear to have been any money received by Reed from Croydon’s Labour group on the council. Continue reading
Mind In Croydon Positive Steps 2016, Lloyd Park, Jun 26
Posted in Activities, Charity, Mind in Croydon
Tagged Lloyd Park, Mind, Mind in Croydon
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Addiscombe and Shirley Park Residents’ Jumbletrail, Apr 24
Posted in Addiscombe and Shirley Park RA, Ashburton
Tagged Addiscombe West, Ashburton, ASPRA, Shirley Park
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Viridor boasts of incinerator support from ex-BNP member
The latest piece of Viridor PR bumpf, with ex-BNP member Terry Paton in the right of the picture bottom right
The latest “community update” from Beddington incinerator operators Viridor gives pride of place to a former member of the BNP.
The news update for what Viridor insists on passing off as an “Energy Recovery Facility” – it will burn thousands of tons of rubbish, but doesn’t yet have any customers for the heat it will generate – features a photograph of three blokes in hard hats and hi-viz jackets doing their best Bob the Builder impersonations, the third of whom is now a Kingston councillor, Terry Paton.
But Paton has a dark secret, that before the ex-copper signed up as a true-blue Tory and became a local councillor, he was a paid-up member of the racist British National Party.
What politicians say and what they do: Gavin Barwell, Part 94
Conservative MP Gavin “The Pulitzer Prize is in the post” Barwell this week issued one of his regular email bulletins to his constituents in Croydon Central.
Gavin Barwell: Voted to withdraw PIP from disabled people
“The one Budget measure that I’ve received lots of negative feedback about was a proposal to reform Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) that help disabled people with the extra costs they face as a result of their disability.
“I spoke to the Chancellor as people asked me to and, as you may have heard, the Government has now announced that it will not be going ahead with the changes. Not only that, it has also made it clear that it has no plans to make any other savings in the welfare budget during the course of this Parliament.”
Posted in Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell
Tagged Barwell, Conservative, Croydon Central, Disability Living Allowance, Gavin Barwell, Tory, welfare benefits
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Newman calls on his justice cabinet deputy to quit council
Croydon could soon be facing a second council by-election, after the ruling Labour group today withdrew the party whip from Matthew Kyeremeh and urged him to stand down as a councillor for Thornton Heath following a very messy divorce case and critical statement issued by the presiding judge.
Matthew Kyeremeh: speaking to his lawyers
According to a Redhill-based newspaper, council leader Tony Newman said of his now suspended Labour Party colleague, “I hope he resigns sooner rather than later.”
Newman might be seen as speaking somewhat prejudicially, as Kyeremeh is considering an appeal against the judgement and possible complaint over the conduct of the court.
Family court proceedings usually remain private, but Croydon District Judge Coonan was extremely critical of Kyeremah, saying that he had “fraudulently” hidden assets from his mentally ill wife, leaving her destitute and forced to sleep rough in a local park.
The judge decided to publish the judgement due to Kyeremeh’s role as the council’s deputy cabinet member for communities, safety and justice. Continue reading
Pietersen could still help Surrey to have a Blast this summer
HOOK SHOT: The World T20 is underway and the county cricket season is just a few weeks away at The Oval. So, we need to talk about Kevin…
MARCUS HOOK opens the batting on a new column
Kevin Pietersen: not even a triple century could get him back into the England Test team
Even if Kevin Pietersen remains true to his word and sits out the 2016 county cricket season, Surrey will head into this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast as firm favourites.
When Twenty20 cricket took off well over a decade ago, it fitted Surrey’s brand of cricket at the time like a well-worn batsman’s glove, with innovative captain Adam Hollioake pulling the strings, Alistair Brown given even more licence to play his shots and Saqlain Mushtaq’s “doosra” undoing batsmen for whom waiting for the bad ball was no longer an option. Even Mark Ramprakash revealed another side to his game. In 2016, that “fit” is looking very good, and there’s still a possibility (albeit an outside one) that Pietersen could be part of it. Continue reading
Posted in Cricket, Kevin Pietersen, Marcus Hook, Sport, Surrey CCC
Tagged cricket, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara, Marcus Hook, Surrey CCC, The Oval
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Mayor’s fundraising comedy night, Fairfield Halls, Apr 17
Posted in Comedy, Fairfield Halls, Patricia Hay-Justice
Tagged Fairfield Halls, Kevin Day, Mark Steel, Patricia Hay-Justice
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Animals at War exhibit, Whitgift School, Mar 30 and Apr 6
Posted in Activities, Education, History, Schools, Whitgift School
Tagged Amazing Animals at War, Whitgift, Whitgift School
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MP Reed accuses library campaign of ‘disgusting’ lobbying
Library campaigners confront Labour’s Mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan (left), Harriet Harman (right), Peter John OBE, the Labour leader of Southwark Council (with scarf), and Florence Eshalomi (second right) in Camberwell at the weekend. According to Steve Reed OBE, such protests are “disgusting” and “bullying”
Steve Reed OBE, the Progress MP for Lambeth South/Croydon North (delete according to taste) has entered the row over the closures of four Lambeth libraries, including Upper Norwood Library losing all its professional staff at the end of April, by describing those who want to protest against such cuts as “disgusting”.
So much for political discourse.
Reed was responding to a protest planned for tonight at a political fund-raising event for his former colleague on Lambeth Council, Florence Eshalomi, who is running in the London Assembly election as Labour’s candidate for the safe seat of Lambeth and Southwark. Continue reading
Bishop issues Holy Week response to Brussels bombings
Jonathan Clark, the Bishop of Croydon, tonight issued a Holy Week message which called for hope to triumph over the hate provoked by the terrorist bombings in Brussels.
Bishop Jonathan Clark: issued special Holy Week message after Brussels bombings. Picture by Lee Townsend
Hatred, Bishop Clark wrote, “leads to the success of the suicide bomber”.
He added: “The more difficult path is for anger to become the passionate search for justice, and its cousin peace.”
By 11pm on Tuesday, the death toll in the Belgian capital had reached 31, with hundreds more innocent people seriously injured after explosions at the airport and at a metro station in the city.
Holy Week is the most important time in the Christian calendar, culminating in Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and Bishop Clark referenced the message of Easter in an article posted on his personal blog. Continue reading
Posted in Bishop of Croydon, Church and religions
Tagged Bishop Jonathan Clark, Bishop of Croydon, Brussels, terrorism
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