Rape-shamer Slator gets elected to Tories’ top job in Bromley

Posted on February 20, 2025 by insidecroydon

They are a forgiving lot in the Conservative Party under Kemi BadEnoch.

Rape-shamer: Tory councillor Shaun Slator

The Tories have not only taken a “scumbag rape apologist” back into the party fold, they’ve even restored him to a senior position in the Bromley and Biggin Hill constituency of newbie MP Peter Fortune.

Although, perhaps a little oddly, after questions were asked about Shaun Slator’s current role, someone has erased all mention of him from Fortune’s social media profile… Have they got something to hide?

As previously reported by Inside Croydon, in 2023, Bromley councillor Shaun Slator had been deemed so toxic that he had his Conservative Party membership suspended following “despicable” and “dangerous and stupid” remarks about a rape victim.

Slator had posted comments on Twitter that suggested that the victim of a rape in a park was likely a sex worker. Underneath a link to an online news story reporting the rape in Plumstead, the Conservative councillor aired his opinion: “More likely that it’s a punter that didn’t pay.”

As well as an elected councillor, at the time Slator was the chair of the Bromley and Chislehurst Conservative Association, where the MP then was long-serving Sir Bob Neill. Continue reading →

Posted in Bromley Council, Colin Smith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council looks to flog listed Heathfield House – for just £1m

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

Going cheap…: one Victorian era Italianate villa, one careless owner, lovely views, possible development project, nudge-nudge, wink-wink, could be yours for just £1m

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Jason Perry’s efforts to sell the borough’s last remaining heritage buildings has now turned to a Grade II-listed Victorian villa that sits at the top of Gravel Hill – with an asking price well below what ought to be ‘best value’ for tax-payers

Croydon’s cash-strapped council’s efforts to flog off anything that isn’t nailed down has continued, with Heathfield House now put on the market – and with an asking price at a fraction of what it could be worth.

The sales spiel has appeared on Savills website, asking for bids by March 7, and suggesting a guide price of £1million. Viewings begin this Friday…

Heathfield House is the  listed building at the top of Gravel Hill, set in what was once impressive gardens and parkland with views across agricultural land towards New Addington. Last year, it was turned into an HMO – house of multiple occupancy – at the council’s behest, but without having a proper licence or any planning permission. Continue reading →

Posted in Addington, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Heathfield House, History, Property, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

‘Environmental disaster’ on Wandle after diesel spills into river

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

A Sutton MP has called the latest pollution spill into the River Wandle an “environmental disaster”, after an estimated 4,000 litres of diesel was released into the rare chalk stream yesterday.

Coot short: wildlife has been seen covered in diesel on the River Wandle

Officials from Merton Council, crews from the London Fire Brigade and staff from the Environment Agency were on site, leading efforts to remove the polluting fuel and assist stricken wildlife that have been slicked in the diesel.

The public has been asked to stay clear of the river.

The leak has been reported as coming from a bus depot in Thornton Heath. Thornton Heath is two miles from the River Wandle, while there is another bus depot much closer to the river, at Beddington Lane. Continue reading →

Posted in Bobby Dean, Carshalton and Wallington, Environment, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Steve Reed MP, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Site sold by council for £20m might now be worth £200m

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

Proposals to build 676 flats in tall towers overshadowing the Fairfield Halls are out for public consultation until the end of this week, from developers who nabbed a multi-million bargain in the cash-strapped council’s fire-sale

Windy city: the plans for Tapestry don’t seem to show much green space below the tall towers

Croydon’s long-suffering residents will be left seriously out-of-pocket once again, as plans being brought forward for a controversial site in the town centre look like benefiting a private developer with a sales value for flats at least 10 times what they paid to the cash-strapped council for it four years ago.

What the developers are calling “Tapestry Croydon” was better known as the College Green site, which was sold four years ago as part of the council’s initial fire-sale of assets, and for no more than £20million. The site had previously had planning permission for 400 homes – with a potential “retail value” of more than £100million.

Inside Croydon predicted at the time that the low-ball sales price on this site and the Croydon Park Hotel site would allow private developers to get rich very quick.

The latest proposals for Tapestry Croydon look to build 676 flats, in towers rising to 41 floors, which if they were all put up for private sale might raise close to £200million.

The developers are proposing a build-to-rent scheme, which going by current market rates could see even the smallest of bijou, high-rise apartments on the private market for £20,000 per year in rent. Across the whole development, it would generate enough in rental income to pay off the site’s original purchase price in just two years. Kerrrching! Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Delta Properties Ltd, Fairfield, Housing, Planning, Property, Tapestry Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Woman charged over 1978 death of Thornton Heath child

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

A 66-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the death of a five-year-old girl in Thornton Heath in 1978.

Janice Nix, of Rodenhurst Road in Clapham, was charged yesterday following an investigation by the Met’s homicide cold case team.

Nix is due to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court today.

Nix was 19 years old when Andrea Bernard was hospitalised following an assault at address in Ashley Road, Thornton Heath, on June 6, 1978. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Policing, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Football clubs helping obese men score their weight-loss goals

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

A health group based at a football club in Sutton helped local men to lose half a ton of unwanted weight during 2024.

Offside! Outsized!: a men’s health group in Sutton has been weighing in with some impressive results

Sutton’s MAN v FAT Football club, which meets every Wednesday at Goals Sutton on London Road, saw 80 participant lose more than 1,000 pounds of excess weight – or 73st between them.

They included 27-year-old Tom Grundon who shed over 4¼st, improved his mental health and made new friends at MAN v FAT.

MAN v FAT is a weight-loss initiative that aims to help men with a body mass index – BMI – above 27.5 lose unwanted weight through weekly football and lifestyle coaching sessions.

It’s effectively a form of WeightWatchers for blokes… Footballers are weighed before a 30-minute game of six-a-side football. Goal bonuses are awarded to teams based on their weight loss. A team’s total weight loss and match scores then contribute to its position within a league table.

According to the Royal College of GPs 28.6% of adults in Sutton are physically inactive and 62.8% are overweight or obese.

Tom Grundon joined MAN v FAT Sutton in June 2023 when he weighed 19½st. He’s now down to 15¼st. “All my life I have been a bigger person. I am 6ft 3in and I was always told myself that I ‘wore it well’. Continue reading →

Posted in Football, Health, Sutton Council, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Low cancer screening rates in London prompt NHS campaign

Posted on February 19, 2025 by insidecroydon

Simple procedure: early detection of breast cancers through NHS screening saves lives

The NHS in London is encouraging more women to attend potentially life-saving breast screening appointments, as national figures show almost half – 46.3% – of women invited for the first time don’t act on their invitation.

Around 400,000 women are invited for breast screening in London every year. Following a decline in screening rates as a result of the pandemic, attendance has increased by 10% (55.4 to 64.8%) over the last two years. Continue reading →

Posted in Health, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Council computer errors and £195 driving fine that never was

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: A year ago, the council shrugged off complaints from thousands of motorists who received £195 ‘final notice’ Penalty Charge Notices without ever receiving the initial notification. They said it was just a ‘computer glitch’. As PETER GILLMAN has discovered, the council’s ‘glitch’ is still happening…

‘Dysfunctional’: a technical glitch with the issue of PCNs in 2023 and 2024 cost cash-strapped Croydon tens of thousands. And it appears it is still happening

The letter looked like bad news even before I opened it. It had a “Croydon Council” address on the back of the envelope, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon. I moved from Croydon 12 years ago and now live a short distance across the borough boundary in Bromley.

So what did Croydon want with me?

When I opened the letter, it confirmed my worse fears. It was a “Charge Certificate”, undated, which made a double allegation against me. First was, “Failure to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicles.” Said failure to comply was not specified further, only that was supposed to have taken place at the junction of Albert Road and Harrington Road in South Norwood. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Croydon Council, Karen Agbabiaka, Mayor Jason Perry, Parking, South Norwood, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rail investigation launched into schoolboy’s death at Kenley

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has announced that it will conduct an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of a Year 7 schoolboy who was hit by a train on a pedestrian footpath crossing in Kenley when on his way to school last month.

Fatal scene: the Bourne View level crossing. Some locals have said it is a danger to the public

The fatal incident happened just after 8am on January 23 at Bourne View footpath crossing, between Whyteleafe and Kenley.

The boy’s school, Riddlesdown Collegiate, has named him as Jaiden Shehata.

At the time, British Transport Police ruled the incident as “non-suspicious”.

According to the RAIB’s announcement, the train was travelling at about 50mph at the time of the accident. Continue reading →

Posted in Kenley, Riddlesdown, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hundreds sign petition to protest at Carers’ Centre closure

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry accused of ‘shallow hypocrisies’ as the borough’s carers question whether council has conducted proper equalities impact assessments over the switch of contracts from local charities

Saving a few bob: as CEO Katherine Kerswell and Mayor Jason Perry decided to cut contracts for carer service providers, they were awarding themselves huge pay rises

A petition set up by users and supporters of the Croydon Carers’ Centre is close to reaching its target of 1,000 signatures, enough to force Mayor Jason Perry to face a public debate in the Town Hall over his decision to hand chunks of the borough’s carers’ budget to companies based outside the borough.

Inside Croydon broke the news last week that the Croydon Carers’ Centre on George Street is to close, after the Whitgift Foundation, which manages the centre, lost its contract with the council to provide certain services for carers. Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Social Care, Business, Charity, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Whitgift Foundation, Youth Services | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Alexander promises watchdog with teeth as she rewires rail

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

Plans for a landmark bill to reform and revive Britain’s railways, including setting up a powerful passenger watchdog to hold train operators to account, have been unveiled today by the government.

Rewired: East Croydon is one of the busiest stations in the south-east, but promised improvement works have been stalled by a decade of dither, delay and disinvestment

The reforms will “will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on”, transport secretary Heidi Alexander promised today.

According to the Department for Transport, “This once in a generation overhaul will establish Great British Railways, a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and catalysing growth across the country.”

Outlined in a consultation released today, the plans will “smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, and end major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis”, a statement issued from Whitehall said.

Talking about “rewiring the railways” – a curious choice of language – Alexander and the Labour government say that they want to put “an end to outdated and inefficient processes which have resulted in poor performance, timetable chaos and complex fares and ticketing”. Continue reading →

Posted in East Croydon, Norwood Junction, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Meridian opens new doors for pupils with oracy excellence

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

Meridian High School in New Addington has been accredited as an Oracy Centre of Excellence by Voice 21, a national charity, for its work developing students’ speaking and listening skills.

Something to talk about: staff and pupils at New Addington’s Meridian High School have been celebrating their oracy achievements

Meridian High, on Fairchildes Avenue, is one of only 24 schools across the country, chosen from more than 1,000, to have their oracy achievements recognised with this “gold standard” accreditation.

As an oracy centre of excellence, Meridian will support other schools, showcasing how oracy teaching can impact their students’ future education and employment opportunities. Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Meridian High, New Addington, New Addington North, Schools | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Teens charged with attempted murder for Park Street shooting

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

Three teenagers – only one of them old enough to be named in reports – have been charged with attempted murder following the shooting in Park Street in central Croydon last week and are due to appear at the Old Bailey on March 13.

Crime scene: Croydon High Street and Park Street were cordoned off following last week’s shooting

Another youth, aged 17, has been left with “potentially life-changing injuries” following the shooting.

Park Street and parts of Croydon High Street were cordoned off as a crime scene last week while the Metropolitan Police carried out their investigation.

The Metropolitan Police say that at 7.37pm on Monday, February 10, they responded to reports “of firearms discharge at Park Street, Croydon, and a male having been shot”.

When officers arrived, “they found the victim, who had been shot in the leg”. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Fairfield, Policing | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Croydon’s successful Southern 50 team praised by Chief Scout

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

Scouts and volunteers from Croydon have been praised by Chief Scout Dwayne Fields for completing the 30-kilometre challenge event at this year’s Southern 50.

Exhausted but delighted: the Croydon Scouts team after finishing this year’s Southern 50

The Southern 50, which has been staged annually since 1980, is one of the longest-running events of its type in Scouting.

The Southern 50 is an orienteering, navigation and hiking challenge staged in the Chiltern Hills, with routes going through Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire.

There are three routes: the 50-mile challenge which teams try to complete in 24 hours, and 50km, which are open to all, and the 30km – nearly 19 miles – exclusively for Explorer Scouts. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Community associations, Scouts and Guides | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Take a deep breath this half-term with Oxygen’s special offers

Posted on February 18, 2025 by insidecroydon

Reach for the heights: there’s plenty to keep youngesters busy and active this half-term at Oxygen, with special offers on tickets

Oxygen, the trampoline and activities park at the Colonnades off the Purley Way, is offering a five-day bounce pass, which includes one hour of open play on each day of the half term, for just £30.

From tiny tots to teen jumpers can burn off energy as they hit the 50 interconnected trampolines, foam pits, battle beam and high dive. And instead of driving mums and dads up the wall, there’s a climbing wall to keep the youngsters focused, too. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Purley Way | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Plans submitted for 288 homes on Norbury sports ground

Posted on February 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

Seen better days: after almost a century of cricket, tennis, bowls and football at the NatWest Sports Ground, it has been disused for almost 20 years, the pitches and courts left in a sorry state

Housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, looks at a planning application for a £75m scheme that the developers hoped you might never notice

What do you mean, you had no idea that there have been plans submitted for a massive development of nearly 300 homes and a 84-bed care home on a 21-acre sports ground in Norbury?

We’ve got plans: the scheme for ‘Norbury Village’ on Turle Road – with just a single access point for 288 homes

That’s probably because while the site borders Croydon, the old NatWest Sports Ground on Turle Road, Streatham, comes under Merton Council.

And while residents in Merton have been dutifully leafleted about the scheme, no one in the Croydon bit of Norbury or the part of Streatham Vale that’s in Lambeth seem to know very much about such a significant project.

And that’s just the way the developers appear to want it, as local schools, GP practices and even a government quango have been quietly excluded or had their role in the public consultation process diminished to such a degree that they have been denied any real say in the matter. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Merton, Nicola Townsend, Norbury, Norbury Park, Planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Motoring penalty charges to increase to £160 in Croydon

Posted on February 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

Conservative councils in London – which potentially incudes Croydon’s Tory Mayor Jason Perry – wanted to hike the cost of parking tickets to £180 a pop.

Stung: fines for bad parking and other offences are about to increase to a maximum of £160 in Croydon

That’s according to a report by the London Standard, as the capital seeks to resolve the scourge of pavement parking and anti-social driving with the first increase in Penalty Charge Notice fines in 15 years.

Croydon, unlike many other outer London boroughs and some inner city councils, operates as a “Band A” PCN area across the whole borough, and under a scheme that has been agreed by the London Councils organisation, parking and other motoring fines will increase from £130 to £160. These will apply to serious offences, such as parking on yellow lines or causing an obstruction. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, London Councils, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Parking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Police watchdog to investigate death of South Norwood man

Posted on February 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the policing watchdog after a man died following a call-out to an address on South Norwood High Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Scotland Yard said that officers were called to reports of a child being assaulted. They entered a property around 1.27am on Sunday and “found a 45-year-old man having a medical emergency”.

The Met said the man was “very agitated and actively resisting against officers”. Continue reading →

Posted in Andy Brittain, Crime, Policing, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

LMP’s Changing Seasons concert put a real spring in my step

Posted on February 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

Three lucky Inside Croydon subscribers each won a pair of tickets to enjoy the London Mozart Players’ Vivaldi-inspired Changing Seasons concert at the Fairfield Halls on Saturday. One of them, PAUL AINSCOUGH, shares his thoughts on the evening

I was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets for Changing Seasons – “a multi-genre spectacular… that reimagines Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for today’s changing world”.

It was close enough to my birthday to make the visit that little bit more special, so I thought, why not make it a party? A quick email and a couple of calls to the box office ensured that the additional seats we bought were all seated together. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Dance, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Metrobus rolls out zero-emission hydrogen fleet into Sutton

Posted on February 17, 2025 by insidecroydon

Gas-powered: one of Metrobus’s new fleet of hydrogen-powered 420 buses started in service last week

Sutton’s cooking on gas.

Metrobus has been rolling out a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, and last week its first double deckers, operating the 420 route from Sutton town centre to Gatwick Airport and Crawley, were brought into service.

Metrobus is planning on having more than 40 hydrogen-powered buses, in a partnership with West Sussex, Surrey and Kent county councils and Gatwick, in a £24million investment by the partners including a £10million grant from the Department for Transport.

When fully operational, it will be one of the biggest fleets of hydrogen-powered buses in the country, and the only one operating in rural areas. Continue reading →

Posted in Caterham, Outside Croydon, Redhill, Surrey, Sutton Council, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

From Brooke Bond vans to Bubblecars, Trojan was in top gear

Posted on February 16, 2025 by insidecroydon

New sport: the owners of the Trojan motor works on the Purley Way were behind the introduction of go-kart racing to Britain in the late 1950s

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Croydon, with a site just off the Purley Way, was once the home of a leading motor manufacturer, which innovated on transport throughout its history. By DAVID MORGAN

Innovator: Leslie Hounsfield, founder of the Trojan car and van business

In 1931, a grand competition was held in the Davis Theatre to mark the third anniversary of its opening. As befitting Croydon’s major entertainment venue of the day, the prizes were eye-catching.

There were return tickets for two to Paris, courtesy of Imperial Airways who operated out of Croydon Aerodrome. There was a pair of boots and ice stakes donated by the Imperial Ice Rink in Purley. And there was plenty to go round, too: 500 prizes had been donated by Croydon traders.

Everyone who passed through the doors of the theatre on their gift day received a small prize. They were then entitled to enter the main competition by correctly guessing how many people would attend the theatre on this day of days.

The star prize was a car. And not just any car, but a locally made Trojan five-seater saloon, described as “graceful in appearance and advanced in design”. The winner of the car was a Mrs Francis, of Elmers Road, Woodside. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon man given 21 years in jail for sexual abuse of children

Posted on February 16, 2025 by insidecroydon

Predatory paedophile Keith Edun has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, following a meticulous investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

‘Dangerous’: Keith Edun

Edun, 47, of Strathmore Road, Croydon, was jailed for encouraging the rape and sexual assault of a baby, distribution of indecent images of children, two counts of making indecent images of children and perverting the course of justice.

Detective Constable Phill Govett, the case’s investigating officer, said: “Keith Edun has proven himself to be a dangerous sexual offender and a clear risk to children.

“Edun went to great lengths to hide his offending, even deleting a messaging app from his phone before answering the front door to officers ready to search his address. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Gaza Fights For Freedom, Ruskin House Film Club, Feb 21

Posted on February 16, 2025 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, History, Ruskin House | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Croydon Bach Choir, Mar 22

Posted on February 16, 2025 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Bach Choir, Music, Park Hill and Whitgift | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

We’ll all be paying for ‘Thatcher’s Hangover’ for years to come

Posted on February 15, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council does not have enough homes to house the homeless. But the Labour government created a ‘gold-rush’ torrent of applications for Right to Buy that may have forced the transfer into private ownership of every council flat ever built by Brick by Brick 

There’s a reason there is a housing crisis: Thatcherism and the Right to Buy. And according to one report this week, Keir Starmer and his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves – you know, the “former Bank of England economist” – appear to have just made an already bad situation worse. Much worse.

Selling out: Margaret Thatcher, accompanied by Tory GLC leader Horace Cutler, handing over keys to a council house in 1980

Shouldering the brunt of yet another significant financial hit will be the country’s hard-pressed local authorities, again. Including cash-strapped Croydon Council.

Research published in The Guardian shows that so far this financial year councils in London have already received 3.5 times more Right to Buy applications than they received in the whole of last year, as people scrambled to grab a last, juicy slice of what has been described as Thatcher’s “single biggest privatisation”.

Right to Buy was the flagship policy of Thatcherism. Images from almost half a century ago of Prime Minister Thatcher sitting having a cup of tea in the kitchen of what had overnight become an ex-council flat, or handing over the keys to a family “taking the first step on the housing ladder”, have by today acquired an almost sepia tint to them.

But those images represent something that has proved to be the most powerful political vote-winner for decades, images so strong that neither Tony Blair nor Gordon Brown would take action to sweep away Right to Buy. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments