Pidgeon plucked as Mayoral candidate from flock of one

Posted on September 20, 2015 by insidecroydon

The Labour Party has selected its candidate, voting is on-going for the Tories, and down in Bournemouth, where the FibDems annual conference is being staged in a telephone box, Caroline Pidgeon is rehearsing her pitch for London Mayor.

Caroline Pidgeon: the LibDems picked her as the London Mayor candidate from a field of ... one

Caroline Pidgeon: the LibDems picked her as the London Mayor candidate from a field of … one

The General Election left the third party with just a single MP in London. When it came to picking a Mayoral candidate, the FibDems could find only one willing to offer themselves for a 21st century version of human sacrifice, with Assembly Member Pidgeon willing to stand.

The paucity of choice of viable candidates aside, like the Greens (who have chosen Sian Berry, who we will profile later this week), the FibDems have been reasonably astute in nominating someone for the Mayoral vote who will also be on their list for election to City Hall as a London Assembly Member. With campaign funds tight, they get two bangs for their buck. And both parties have managed to select candidates who do actually know something about how City Hall works. Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 London elections, Caroline Pidgeon, Environment, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The 2015 Garbage Gallery: Have the bin men been?

Posted on September 19, 2015 by insidecroydon
Boulogne Road, Croydon, last week. Nice

Boulogne Road, Croydon, last week. Nice

SEP 19 UPDATE: There is a problem for Croydon’s Labour-run council. Having got elected to the Town Hall in 2014 on a platform that promised to clean-up the borough of the blight of fly-tipping, it’s becoming increasing clear that, however much the councillors might want something to improve, however many sloganising T-shirts they might hand out, the state of our streets is still, frankly, crap.

Imagine taking your toddler off to school on a Monday morning along Boulogne Road, Thornton Heath, and having to wheel the pushchair around other people’s mess, as shown in the picture above from last week. Is that acceptable? Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Julie Belvir, Nathan Elvery, Refuse collection, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Crowe’s feat to ensure incinerator inquiry is avoided

Posted on September 18, 2015 by insidecroydon

After venturing into Sutton on Wednesday evening, WALTER CRONXITE reports on the latest efforts by the council to avoid a proper inquiry into the awarding of a £1 billion incinerator contract

What a surprise.

Jessica Crowe: did she deliberately misinform Sutton's Standards Committee, or was she simply incompetent?

Jessica Crowe: misinformed Sutton councillors over legal challenges to incinerator

Liberal Democrat councillors on what we might now call the “Sutton’s not-got-any-Standards Committee” decided at its meeting on Wednesday evening that there is absolutely nothing at all worth investigating in respect of the over-generous “gift” of £275,000 to a Wallington church often used by the local LibDems, the donation made by the charity arm of an incinerator company which has just been handed a £1billion public contract thanks, in part, to the influence of Sutton LibDems.

And the “Sutton wouldn’t-know-what-Standards-are-if-they-walked-into-them Committee” also decided that allegations that a senior LibDem tried to influence at least one councillor on the planning committee to grant permission to the same incinerator is also not worth having a look at, either.

“We’re not interested in allegations on a blog,” one of the committee members announced, apparently revelling in their ignorance. Inside Croydon has never been more flattered.

Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Jessica Crowe, London-wide issues, Niall Bolger, Nick Mattey, Refuse collection, Stephen Fenwick, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spread Eagle starts autumn season with touch of burlesque

Posted on September 18, 2015 by insidecroydon

The Spread Eagle pub theatre begins its autumn season next Friday with a historic performance, for adults only.

Fruity: is performing in Croydon next week

Fruity: Ginger Blush is performing as Nell Gwynne in Croydon next week

In her debut solo show, award-winning burlesque performer Ginger Blush is sexing up the 17th century. Ginger takes her audience on a whirlwind tour through the life and times of the most famous mistress of her time, Nell Gwynn.

“From humble beginnings as a London orange-seller, to sharing the bed of King Charles II, Nelly was England’s original spice girl sex bomb, and the perfect muse for Ginger Blush’s fabulous and inimitable style. Full of risqué parodies, absurdist pastiches and Ginger’s famous curves, Nell Gwynn’s History Laid Bare will bring the 1660s sexy back,” say the promoters.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Spread Eagle Theatre, Theatre | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

£10,000 appeal target set to re-open Crystal Palace Subway

Posted on September 18, 2015 by insidecroydon

A public appeal has been launched to raised more than £10,000 to enable the Crystal Palace Subway to be open on a near-permanent basis.

Could the Subway be opened permanently?

Could the Subway be opened permanently?

The subway was built 150 years ago to link to a railway station, now long-closed, which once served a modern wonder of the world: Paxton’s Crystal Palace.

This Victorian architectural marvel will be open over this weekend, as part of the Open House London annual event which provides access to places and buildings of particular architectural merit, or curiousity. But only those with pre-booked tickets will get access to the subways.

The subway runs under Crystal Palace Parade, close to the television transmitter.

The appeal organisers say: “The subway has a lively history from being built in 1865 as a subway from the high level station to the Crystal Palace to becoming an air raid shelter, a venue for ‘Subway Superdays’, illegal raves and filming for movies and TV.

“In recent decades health and safety has meant the subway is only open once a year for London Open House weekend. The demand for our pre-booked free tickets is always huge. This year just over 900 were ‘sold’ within three hours.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Community associations, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, Environment, History | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Friends of the Earth get busy to create a better world for bees

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

PETER UNDERWOOD offers a vitally important lesson on the birds and, especially, the bees

The Friends of the Earth Croydon branch will be busy at this weekend's Green Heritage Festival at Heathfield House

The Friends of the Earth Croydon branch will be busy at this weekend’s Green Heritage Festival at Heathfield House

Bees, and other pollinators, are in crisis. Their numbers are in severe decline.

They’ve lost much of their natural habitat since the middle of the last century.

Changes to how people look after their gardens (many now paved over) and reductions in urban green spaces have reduced food sources for bees in towns and cities.

In the countryside, changes in farming practices mean that we have lost 98 per cent of wildflower meadows since 1955.

On top of all this, bees and other pollinators are also threatened by the industrial-scale use of pesticides.

Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Charity, Community associations, Croydon Friends of the Earth, Education, Environment, Gardening, Heathfield, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Green Heritage Fair, Heathfield House, Sep 19-20

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

Heathfield Heritage Fair Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Charity, Environment, Gardening, Heathfield, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pottery classes at Coffee Craft, Stanley Halls, from Nov 4

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

Coffee Craft at Stanley Halls in South Norwood is hosting a new midweek pottery course, starting on Wednesday November 4.

Crafts pictureBeth Mander, the course leader, said: “Join me on my Introduction to Pottery Course running for six weeks on Wednesdays, from noon to 2.30pm.

“On this course you will create a set of tiles, a lidded box, a coil built bowl, a vase, pinch pots and several sample pieces.

“I will introduce you to many glazes and decorating techniques too.” Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Yoga classes at Coffee Craft, Stanley Halls, from Oct 3

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

Stanley Halls yoga classes Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Crafternoon Tea dressmaking session, Stanley Halls, Oct 1

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

The next Crafternoon Tea session at Stanley Halls will take place on the evening of Thursday October 1, from 6.30pm.

alterationsCome along to this creative and fun sewing workshop. Bring a couple of items of clothing you’d like to transform, and learn some alteration skills.

This is the perfect class for you if you have any items of clothing which you no longer like or that no longer fit you. The ones that sit in your wardrobe and you think “if only I could change a few details”; like take it in or let it out in a few places, shorten or lengthen it, change the sleeves or shape.

Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Summer’s success sees Coffee Craft booked for next year

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon

Coffee Craft, the pop-up cafe which opened at Stanley Halls in South Norwood over the summer, is to continue trading there, offering its home-made bakes and craft courses, for at least the next year.

Coffee Craft logoMichelle and Nick Shaw, the couple behind Coffee Craft, said this morning, “We are delighted to announce that Stanley Halls have asked us to stay on for a year! Thank you to all the customers that have supported us so far – we couldn’t have done it without you.”

The presence of Coffee Craft provides the Stanley Halls with an important, weekday and day-time activity in the venue, which is now being run as a community-based arts centre. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, People for Portland Road, Restaurants, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

MP Reed clings to shadow job under ‘unelectable’ Corbyn

Posted on September 17, 2015 by insidecroydon
Steve Reed OBE: bandying around threats. Again

Steve Reed OBE: keeps his shadow job

Never let it be said that Steve Reed OBE isn’t a… hmm… let’s call him a pragmatic politician.

Although many others might regard him as a political chameleon or, worse, a hypocrite.

Just a few weeks after declaring that Jeremy Corbyn would make Labour “unelectable again”, Reed has eagerly accepted a job working for the new party leader.

The Progress MP for Lambeth South/Croydon North [delete as appropriate] ended five days of not so fevered speculation this morning when he declared: “I’m delighted to accept Jeremy Corbyn’s offer to be Labour’s shadow minister for local government. Now we take the fight to the Tories.”

Yeah.

This is the same Steve Reed who just a few weeks ago was abusing Labour Party members who supported Corbyn, accusing them of being “detached from reality” and part of a “lunatic” fringe. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon North, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sutton committee needs to read Inside Croydon, says top Tory

Posted on September 16, 2015 by insidecroydon

The Tory leader of the opposition on Sutton Council has called for the postponement of tonight’s Standards Committee discussion on the Beddington incinerator, to enable the committee members to consider the latest reports publish today by Inside Croydon.

Tim Crowley: Sutton Tory asking who the Sutton incinerator deal really benefits

Tim Crowley: leader of Sutton Tories

With the Sutton chief executive absent on leave, Tim Crowley, the Conservative councillor for Carshalton South and Clockhouse, has sent an urgent email to Jessica Crowe, the council official responsible for governance.

Crowley writes: “In light of the new evidence gathered by this article [Crowley includes the link to Conflicts of interest exposed over councillor’s old pals’ act], I believe it is only right and proper that agenda item 7 is pulled from the Standards Committee for tonight.

“I know an addendum has been published but if you ignore the compelling evidence here then the committee will not have all the relevant information.

In the addendum you refer yet again to the Judicial Review, but this also was not privy to this new evidence.”

Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Conflicts of interest exposed over councillor’s old pals’ act

Posted on September 16, 2015 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE has uncovered evidence which proves that former Sutton counciller John Drage failed to declare his friendship with Viridor’s Colin Drummond on occasions when public contracts worth billions were being awarded to his friend’s business

John Drage: over the course of five years, forgot to mention he knew Viridor’s CEO

In five years on the committee of the South London Waste Partnership, the then Sutton councillor John Drage was involved in the awarding of four major contracts to Viridor but never made any formal declaration of interest regarding his long-standing personal friendship with Colin Drummond, the chief executive and later chairman of Viridor.

Ultimately, SLWP – of which Croydon is one of the four member boroughs – awarded the Beddington incinerator contract to Viridor, worth £1 billion over 25 years.

The then Councillor Drage, who worked as an international financial policy specialist at the Bank of England, was appointed to represent Sutton Council on SLWP from its inception, in 2007. SLWP’s task was to find best-value for public contracts for its four south London boroughs – Kingston, Merton, Sutton and Croydon – on waste disposal and recycling.

SLWP’s first contracts were awarded to Viridor in March 2008, with a £120-million, 14-year household recyclables deal. Over the next few years, Viridor was awarded three out of four SLWP contracts – and the other supplier, EWC, was bought out a few years ago. Viridor is now the only service supplier to the SLWP.

Drage continued to attend meetings of SLWP until Viridor was given preferred bidder status for the £1 billion incinerator deal, in September 2011. Drage officially left SLWP in 2012.

In all that time, there is no record of Drage ever formally declaring to SLWP his 40-year friendship with Drummond.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, London-wide issues, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Refuse collection, Shasha Khan, Stephen Fenwick, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ex-councillor says he was ‘coerced’ on incinerator decision

Posted on September 16, 2015 by insidecroydon

The chairman of Sutton Liberal Democrats could face criminal prosecution if a complaint that he sought to interfere with the Beddington Lane incinerator planning process can be proved.

Former LibDem councillor Stephen Fenwick: claims to have been coerced into changing his vote

Former LibDem councillor Stephen Fenwick: claims to have been coerced into changing his vote

Former Sutton councillor Stephen Fenwick has issued a statement which makes the serious allegation that John Drage and another LibDem party colleague approached him to change his vote from opposing the £1 billion Viridor scheme to supporting it at planning committee meetings in 2013.

Fenwick’s changed vote helped give the go-ahead to the controversial scheme which will see more than 300,000 tons of rubbish trucked through Croydon every year, to be burned at the Beddington plant.

Fenwick’s complaint is now subject to investigation by Sutton Council.

Drage, who is no longer a councillor, was previously one of Sutton’s representatives on the South London Waste Partnership, the four-borough body, which includes Croydon, which awarded the 25-year deal to Viridor.

Drage also happens to be a life-long friend of Viridor’s former chief executive and chairman, Colin Drummond. Elaine Drage, John Drage’s wife, is godmother to Drummond’s son. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Greens, Environment, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon, Refuse collection, Stephen Fenwick, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Two months late, Minister rubber-stamps Westfield CPO

Posted on September 16, 2015 by insidecroydon

The government inspector has finally delivered his report on the Compulsory Purchase Order for a vast swathe of central Croydon, giving the go-ahead for the £1 billion Hammersfield shopping mall to be built.

Local Government minister Greg Clark on a visit to Croydon earlier this year. Was he laughing with Tony Newman, or at him?

Local Government minister Greg Clark on a visit to Croydon earlier this year. Was he laughing with Tony Newman, or at him?

The Department for Communities and Local Government described the scheme, rather tweely, as “a revamp”. Suppose that’s better than calling it a £1billion Croydon facelift.

You could hear the sighs of relief in Fisher’s Folly over the traffic noise of the Flyover this morning as the inspector’s report was finally released, two months later than had been promised. But hey, what’s a few weeks? Back in 2012, we were told the new supermall was going to open in 2017…

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, issued his decision this morning to confirm the CPO following the recommendation of the inspector, Paul Griffiths.

“This is a day of celebration for Croydon residents,” according to Tony Newman, the leader of the supposedly Labour-run council which, since it took office 18 months ago, has done little to influence the scheme, which is overseen by Australian-owned shopping mall developers Westfield and will see the demolition of the Whitgift Centre.

Much of the 1960s-built Whitgift Centre is expected to be closed for at least three years while the building works take place. The demolition work is not expected to begin until early 2016, although even that may yet be delayed; Inside Croydon understands that all traders within the Centre have been told that they can expect to trade for two full Christmases – that is, 2015 and 2016 – under their new “flex leases”.

In Bradford, site of a previous Westfield venture, the city centre location of a proposed new mall stood vacant, untouched, for a decade before the developers eventually abandoned the scheme. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Jo Negrini, John Burton, Planning, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Labour picks Assembly candidate with fewer than 600 votes

Posted on September 15, 2015 by insidecroydon

Amid all the “excitement” and “euphoria” (those are not entirely the right words, but you’ll know what we mean) surrounding Corbynmania over the weekend and the election of Labour’s party leader and London Mayoral candidate, one other selection took place, that to choose a candidate to take on Tory incumbent Steve O’Connell for the London Assembly seat of Croydon and Sutton next May.

Marina Ahmad: a mandate from 557 voters...

Marina Ahmad: a mandate from 557 voters…

Labour was rightly delighted that around 250,000 party members, “affiliates” and the three-pounder supporters voted for Jeremy Corbyn. In London, an impressive 88,000 took part in the election of Sadiq Khan as Labour’s Mayoral candidate.

And in Croydon and Sutton, fewer than 1,000 bothered to vote to select Marina Ahmad over Emily Brothers to run for the London Assembly.

Desultory. Now that is the right word.

The “turn-out” in Croydon and Sutton (the votes were conducted by post or online) was worse than for any of the other four Assembly selections being contested: Lambeth and Southwark, the safe Labour seat where Lambeth councillor Florence Nosegbe won the right to replace Val Shawcross, had 2,800 party members and affiliates take part. Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 London elections, Croydon North, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Louisa Woodley, Marina Ahmad, Mayor of London, Sarah Jones MP, Steve O'Connell, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Warlingham honours England’s Robshaw ahead of World Cup

Posted on September 15, 2015 by insidecroydon
England captain Chris Robshaw doing some coaching at his old club

England captain Chris Robshaw doing some coaching at his old club

Warlingham rugby club is to confer on two of its former players the ultimate honour: it is naming the club bar and main hall after them.

In the week that former Warlingham junior player Chris Robshaw, the England captain, gets the host nation’s Rugby World Cup campaign underway, hundreds of members at his first club at Hamsey Green are expected to be watching Friday night’s opening against Fiji in the re-named Chris Robshaw Room. The fan zone main hall will be called the Kay Wilson Hall in tribute to the former Warlingham wing who last year was part of England’s World Cup-winning team. Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Robshaw, Kay Wilson, Rugby Union, Sport, Warlingham RFC | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Youth groups have fun to fund-raise in Surrey Street, Sep 19

Posted on September 15, 2015 by insidecroydon

Two organisations working with young people on different scales, 12 young people and a team of enthusiastic staff. The result? A Family Fun Day in Croydon North End on Saturday to raise money for a great cause.

JAGS fund raiserJAGS Foundation and The Challenge are joining forces to bring a great community fund-raising event to the people of Croydon this Saturday, September 19, where proceeds will go to JAGS Foundation.

JAGS Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation based in Croydon, with the motto “keeping hope alive in young people”, providing opportunities in the community. The Challenge is a national programme under the National Citizen Service (NCS) working with 16-to-17-year-olds. The programme is broken down into four parts, and the event day in which the collaboration takes place comes under the social action day of the programme. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, JAGS | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Upper Norwood Library Trust chairman in shock resignation

Posted on September 14, 2015 by insidecroydon

Community groups in Crystal Palace were stunned this afternoon by the shock announcement from Robert Gibson that he has resigned as the co-chair of the Upper Norwood Library Trust.

Robert Gibson: shock resignation

Robert Gibson: shock resignation

Gibson has worked tirelessly, often in rear-guard actions, to keep the century-old library, uniquely funded by both Croydon and Lambeth councils, open and functioning despite swingeing grant cuts by Tory and Labour administrations on both sides of the borough boundary over the past five years.

On Gibson’s watch, the UNL has forged a role as a community hub, providing children’s educational activities, a venue for Norwood Society history talks, and a rallying point for a range of other community groups. Continue reading →

Posted in Carillion, Charity, Community associations, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Community Association, Libraries, Norwood Society, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

South London Jobs Fair, Fairfield Halls, Oct 22

Posted on September 14, 2015 by insidecroydon

Hundreds of jobs, dozens of training opportunities plus a huge range of varied business openings are up for grabs at the Fairfield Halls on Thursday October 22.

Jobs FairThe occasion is the South London Jobs Fair – the biggest and most popular free event of its kind, focusing on local contracts local businesses and local jobs for local people.

Last year dozens of fair-goers found jobs and many more took up training and apprenticeships. Housing Associations and businesses including lift engineers and property maintenance contractors also reported brisk business, making valuable contacts.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon FSB, Fairfield Halls | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Ballistic’ Bolger stands accused of trying to gag elected councillor over Beddington waste incinerator

Posted on September 14, 2015 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE has obtained confidential council documents which provide yet another twist in the Beddington incinerator saga

The fall-out from the Beddington incinerator continues with an alarming claim that the chief executive of Sutton Council exceeded his authority with an elected councillor, using a “barrage of abuse and intimidation” as he attempted to gag the councillor from discussing the issues surrounding the £1 billion Viridor scheme in public.

Sutton-20120215-00413The Standards Committee of LibDem-controlled Sutton Council is due to discuss the Viridor incinerator on Wednesday, and how Viridor Credits, the company’s charity arm, came to make a donation of £275,000 to a church in the borough which is a favourite venue for political meetings and events staged by local Liberal Democrats, including MP Tom Brake.

Croydon is one of four south London boroughs in the South London Waste Partnership which will jointly pay for the Viridor incinerator.

Inside Croydon has now seen the minutes of a formal meeting that took place in July 2014 which shows Sutton’s senior local government official, CEO Niall Bolger, seeking to gag Nick Mattey, a councilor for Beddington North, and to prevent him commenting on the incinerator ahead of High Court legal review of the decision.

Mattey says that Bolger “went ballistic” at their meeting.

The minutes, taken by a council official and signed off by Bolger, include this: “NB [Niall Bolger] stated to Cllr NM [Nick Mattey] that the council is currently defending a Judicial Review and that Cllr NM actions are completely inappropriate and unacceptable”. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, London-wide issues, Niall Bolger, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Planning, Refuse collection, Shasha Khan, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Surrey Harmony stages Thriller Nights, Coulsdon, from Sep 23

Posted on September 13, 2015 by insidecroydon

SurreyHarmony-Thriller-A5 Continue reading →

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

UKIP supporters to face demands for legal costs from council

Posted on September 12, 2015 by insidecroydon

Croydon Council has begun legal proceedings against a UKIP-dominated group which has refused to return thousands of pounds in an unspent grant. Council officials have decided to pursue the group’s committee members for the costs incurred for recovering that money.

Elizabeth Ash, as seen from towards the back of a not very full hall, struggling with her paperwork as she presides over the meeting

Elizabeth Ash at a CCC meeting. She will have to pay the council’s legal costs

According to a senior source at Fisher’s Folly, the chief executive, Nathan Elvery, is determined that Croydon Communities [sic] Consortium will receive no support from council officials “now or in the future”.

A £5,000 council grant was made to CCC in 2013.

Embroiled in a racism row involving one of its officers in 2014, since then CCC – dubbed the Croham Clux Clan by Inside Croydon‘s loyal reader – it has had leading positions taken over by UKIP members and supporters.

These included Peter Staveley, who was CCC’s deputy chair in 2014-2015 when a UKIP election candidate, and Coulsdon resident Janet Stollery, who was recently installed as CCC’s secretary.

The chairwoman of CCC, Elizabeth Ash, recently claimed that she held a letter from the council which showed that the term of the grant was for two years. Challenged to publish this document, Ash has failed to do so. Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Julie Belvir, Nathan Elvery, Peter Staveley | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Boyan Ensemble returns to perform in Shirley, Oct 21

Posted on September 12, 2015 by insidecroydon
The Boyan Ensemble, bringing their performances of sacred Orthodox music to Croydon

The Boyan Ensemble, bringing their performances of sacred Orthodox music to Croydon

The Boyan Ensemble of Kiev returns to Croydon to perform next month.

Members of the Boyan Ensemble have narrowly missed being conscripted into the Ukrainian army amid the turmoil of an ongoing civil war afflicting their country.

The singers are drawn from Ukraine’s top professional male choir, The Revutsky Academic Male Capella, and we are delighted that the tour, the Ensemble’s 23rd, can go ahead with Shirley again included in their busy schedule. Full tour details including audio samples can be seen on: www.vocalclassics.co.uk/boyan

The Ensemble will be singing at St John the Evangelist Church, Shirley, on Wednesday  October 21 from 7.30pm.

Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Croydon Male Voice Choir, Music, Shirley North | Tagged , , | Leave a comment