Banstead Rotary 2025 Charity Walk, North Downs, May 11

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Surrey Street traders give Mayor Perry their own shopping list

After a botched £1.2m Croydon facelift just eight years ago, market traders have outlined what they say they need to make the place safer and more attractive to visitors

Bustling: Surrey Street on a busy Saturday is still the place for good value fruit and veg

Traders working in Croydon’s historic street market have given Mayor Jason Perry a shopping list of their own, in the hope of improving Surrey Street and make it a much safer and more pleasant place to visit.

It is less than eight years since the council spent £1.2million on giving Surrey Street a Croydon face-lift, which involved shutting the normally busy market for three months for a bit of resurfacing work and equipping traders with some new, flimsy stalls.

While market customers drifted away, there was an exodus of stall-holders, with a drop of 87% in the number of casual market licences issued after the refurbishment.

But now Mayor Jason Perry, unable to exercise any real influence over Westfield’s continuing development blight around the Whitgift Centre, has decided to turn his attention to the unsuspecting businesses of Surrey Street. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Community associations, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Jose Joseph, Knife crime, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Very interesting: councillors often slow to update their registers

EXCLUSIVE: Our Town Hall number-cruncher, SANDRA STEAD, has checked out the updates to the register of interests of all 70 Croydon councillors and Mayor Perry – from 50p passion fruits to hundreds of pounds’ worth of free tickets to Selhurst Park

Keeping in check: iC has gone through councillors’ declarations of interests, because the council staff paid to do so have not been up to the job

After spending millions of Council Tax-payers’ pounds on the Town Hall’s drive to become “digital first”, and millions more on expensive consultants to tell them how to cut even more jobs (while Mayor Perry and Katherine Kerswell were awarding themselves with juicy pay rises), Inside Croydon has discovered what Fisher’s Folly really needs is… a simple spreadsheet.

This website has done the council’s Monitoring Officer’s job for him by exposing three councillors who failed to fulfil the requirements of the law and the council’s Code of Conduct by not updating their register of interests as required. Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Birch (Selsdon), Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Margaret Bird, Mayor Jason Perry, Norbury Park, Ria Patel, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

YouTuber Miniminter delights primary pupils with shoe delivery

Pupils at a West Croydon primary got a huge surprise when they were visited by YouTuber Miniminter with a delivery of new trainers for each of them – ensuring that they all have proper footwear to wear this winter.

Christmas presents: pupils at Chestnut Park Primary show their delight at their new shoes

Miniminter, who is part of KSI’s group of content creators and has over 10million followers, and his charity M7Education partnered with the GLF Schools Foundation and retailer Kick Game to deliver an unforgettable surprise to Year 6 pupils at Chestnut Park Primary School and the school’s rap club members.

Every pupil in these groups received a new pair of trainers as part of this heartwarming initiative spearheaded by Miniminter as part of a promotional campaign with Kick Game.

Captured in a special YouTube video, the reactions were priceless as they unwrapped their trainers in front of Miniminter – real name Simon Minter. Continue reading

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Elianne’s death left ‘a void in our lives that can never be filled’

Murdered schoolgirl’s parents say today’s verdict should be treated as a step toward change: ‘We will continue to fight against the violence’

The parents of Elianne Andam, who was killed in a frenzied knife attack in Croydon town centre in September 2025, today spoke of their “fight for justice” at the Old Bailey murder trial of Hassan Sentamu, which ended today.

United in grief: the candlelit vigil at the scene of Elianne Andam’s killing in 2023. Tonight, her parents spoke out following the conclusion of the murder trial

The jury came to a majority verdict that Sentamu was guilty of the murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl Elianne Andam.

In a statement on behalf of her parents, Dorcas and Michael Andam, and read outside the Central Criminal Court where the trial had just concluded, her father said: “On September 27, 2023 our world was shattered and our hearts were broken by the senseless and violent loss of our beloved daughter, Elianne Andam.

“At just 15 years old she had her whole life ahead of her, filled with hopes and dreams for the future – all cruelly taken away from her and from us.

“Her death has left a void in our lives that can never be filled.

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Posted in Andy Brittain, Crime, Knife crime, Policing, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon teen Sentamu guilty of murder of Elianne Andam

The jury in the Old Bailey trial, by a majority verdict, this afternoon found New Addington teenager Hassan Sentamu guilty of the murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl Elianne Andam.

Murdered in the street: Elianne Andam

The jury had been deliberating its verdict since Tuesday afternoon, and earlier today the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Gibb, had directed them that they could give a majority verdict on which at least 10 of the 12 were agreed.

Hassan Sentamu, 18, attacked Elianne with a large knife in “white-hot anger at having been disrespected” after she stood up for his ex-girlfriend, Court 15 at the Central Criminal Court had been told in the trial, which had begun before Christmas.

It was on the morning of September 27, 2023, when Sentamu chased and stabbed Andam repeatedly in a “frenzied” attack, which was caught on CCTV and seen by dozens of horrified passers-by and bus passengers.

Andam was stabbed 10 times, including fatally through the neck.

Sentamu had opted against taking the witness stand to give evidence in his defence, or to be cross-examined. He claimed in his defence that his autism spectrum disorder had caused him to lose control during the meeting to exchange belongings with his ex-girlfriend, who was Andam’s friend. Continue reading

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Council Tax proposal to hit Sutton’s disabled and unemployed

Sutton Council is set to introduce measures which will force some of the poorest in the borough, including the disabled and unemployed, to pay Council Tax for the first time.

Punchy proposal: Barry Lewis, Sutton’s council leader

It is an effort by the Liberal Democrat-controlled council under leader Barry “Basher” Lewis to deal with the financial pressures of the soaring costs of providing housing and social care which are pushing local authorities across the country to the brink of bankruptcy.

Croydon and Sutton are among 31 of the 32 London boroughs expected to increase Council Tax in April by the maximum allowed – 4.99% (the 32nd borough, Newham, has asked for permission for a 10% Council Tax hike to avoid going bust). For Croydon residents, the 5% increase this year will mean that their Council Tax bills have risen 27% since 2023 under Conservative Mayor Jason Perry.

With the new Labour government of Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Steve Reed unable, or unwilling, to provide a resolution to the financial crisis in local social services, councils are getting increasingly desperate to find ways of plugging their budget black holes. Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Barry Lewis, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Overground and Thameslink disruption for up to six weekends

Red lines: parts of the London Overground network will be disrupted by engineering works this weekend, and for five weekends thereafter

More disruption for Thameslink and London Overground passengers this weekend and into next week due to engineering works.

The London Overground network is affected by Network Rail and Tube engineering works, with no service on the Weaver, Mildmay and Lioness lines, and with the Windrush line from West Croydon also affected.

Some engineering works could affect services on these lines for the next six weekends – so always check before you set off. Continue reading

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Jessie J backs BRIT appeal as school is rated ‘Outstanding’

What a performance: BRIT School pupils rehearsing their lines – Ofsted inspectors found the school to be ‘Outstanding’ in all aspects

After its first inspection for 10 years, Ofsted say the performing arts school in Selhurst has its pupils “set up for success”

The BRIT School is outstanding.

Well, we already knew that the performing arts-focused secondary in Selhurst, the place where the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Raye and Tom Holland all went to school, was really quite exceptional.

Today, the BRIT School has had its status confirmed by Ofsted, whose inspectors rated it as “Outstanding” in all five categories of their latest report.

The Ofsted report is bittersweet, though, as the school is facing a funding crisis, with a multi-million-pound budget shortfall.

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South Norwood councillor quits as special advisor at DEFRA

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Louis Carserides is a third councillor forced to alter their register of interests after questioning from Inside Croydon, as the long-time aide of MP Steve Reed quits his government job.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Late to update: former DEFRA SPAD Louis Carserides

An Inside Croydon investigation has uncovered a third Croydon councillor who has broken the Town Hall’s Code of Conduct by failing to update their register of interests promptly.

In this latest case, the councillor had started and quit a new day job before any council officials had even noticed, without any apparent admonishment from those responsible, such as the Monitoring Officer whose job includes maintaining standards at the cash-strapped council.

It was only late yesterday afternoon that Louis Carserides, the Labour councillor for South Norwood, managed to update his register of interests to reflect his current status (which is unemployed). But that was only after Inside Croydon had raised questions with the council’s senior legal official, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, and with Carserides himself. Continue reading

Posted in Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Louis Carserides, Scott Roche, Shirley South, South Norwood, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

‘Local’ councillor now based 1,000 miles from Hackbridge

INSIDE SUTTON: After finally winning seats on the council for the first time in 20 years, half of what’s left of Sutton’s Labour group appears to have moved out of the borough. And some senior local party officials say that they were never told. EXCLUSIVE by our Civic Centre reporter, ROSE HILL

Working from home: Labour councillor Sheldon Vestey has been looking to move for more than a year

In January 2023, just eight months after becoming a councillor in his home ward of  Hackbridge, Labour’s Sheldon Vestey was making enquiries about moving to Spain.

Councillor Vestey has now relocated though, oddly, a senior Sutton Labour official told Inside Sutton that they were unaware that he was leaving.

Last November, Vestey put his family’s four-bedroom home on Hackbridge’s New Mill Quarter up for rent, although by the start of this week he had not had any takers – despite a rent reduction to £3,100 a month.

Perhaps potential tenants are put off by the reputation of the high bills and failing heating system used at New Mill Quarter, which is supplied by the council’s dodgy SDEN network. Campaigning against the costly injustices of SDEN played a big part in Vestey’s election in May 2022, when he was one of three Labour councillors elected, the first from his party to be elected in Sutton since 2002.

But now, the Labour group in Sutton looks at risk of being reduced by two-thirds before the term is even three-quarters finished.

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Posted in Dave Tchil, Sheldon Vestey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marks and Spencer’s Purley store set for planning green light

EXCLUSIVE: After an 18-month planning hiatus, proposals to adapt a heritage building on the Brighton Road are about to be granted permission by the council. By STEVEN DOWNES

Marks and Spencer have confirmed that the retailers’ proposals to convert the former Unigate dairy and offices on Brighton Road into a Foodhall and “creative enterprise hub” are “still progressing”, with planning approval from Croydon Council expected very soon.

Developers unveiled their proposals for the locally listed former Milk and More buildings in June 2023, with M&S signing a contract with developers for the project in an area – Purley – where they have long wanted a presence. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Planning, Property, Purley | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Croydon man charged after trying to raise lockdown army

Paul Martin, from South Norwood, has been charged with terrorism offences and possession of dangerous weapons, and was released on bail ahead of an Old Bailey trial at the end of this month

A 59-year-old crossbow-owning man from South Norwood has been charged with encouraging terrorism, possessing articles for the purposes of terrorism and possessing a stun gun.

Paul Martin, from Suffolk Road, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday, where he was accused of encouraging terrorism by using social media to call for an armed uprising during the covid pandemic.

Martin appeared in court wearing a blue tie and dark coat and had his grey hair in a ponytail.

Martin was initially arrested in September 2021 and released under investigation. Continue reading

Posted in Crime, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mozart Players return to Fairfield with community-style Vivaldi

The London Mozart Players are to make a rare concert appearance at the Fairfield Halls next month, with what they call “a new cross-genre performance” of Changing Seasons.

Changing Seasons is “a multi-genre spectacular”, London Mozart Players say, “that reimagines Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for today’s changing world”.

The performance will “blend” Vivaldi with works from four local arts groups – Queer Croydon (“experimental dance and disruptive staging”), charity arts group Club Soda, Subrang Arts and Croydon Music and Arts – in collaboration with composers Fiona Brice and Sarah Freestone.

“Inspired by Vivaldi’s seasonal themes, these performances reflect on the climate emergency through a vibrant mix of genres and art forms,” the publicity for the event on Saturday, February 15, states.

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Get down to some ‘compost disco-ing’ at Sutton farm’s wassail

Sutton Community Farm will be staging its Winter Wassail 2025 on Saturday February 1, reviving a traditionally English, medieval celebration aimed at blessing the upcoming harvest season.

Farm pitch: a bit of Wassailing with visitors at Sutton Community Farm’s winter event

All the family can enjoy the day, where the centerpiece is the wassailing ceremony at 1pm, when visitors will join local musicians in the ancient custom of singing to apple trees to ensure a bountiful harvest. This traditional practice, dating back centuries in agricultural communities, demonstrates the farm’s commitment to preserving cultural heritage while engaging the local community.

The farm is open for wassailing from 11am to 3pm. Continue reading

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Coulsdon shop owner hits out at BBC over ‘souped-up’ bikes

E-easy rider: legitimate e-bikes, like this one, require the rider to pedal before the battery-powered motor engages

An angry Croydon retailer has told the producers of Panorama that, ‘Finding a wolf in sheep’s clothing should not be a reason to attack the sheep’

A Coulsdon-based bike shop has filed a formal complaint to the BBC following last week’s Panorama hatchet job fronted by Adrian Chiles: E-bikes: The Battle for Our Streets.

Confused Chiles: the Panorama presenter couldn’t tell the difference between a e-bicycle and a e-motorbike

Energise E-bikes has joined other cycling groups who have criticised the programme’s journalism for being more souped-up than some of the powerful motorbikes ridden by the presenter in the show.

Energise E-bikes has been operating in Coulsdon for almost 15 years, during which time their customers have included the Metropolitan Police, buying e-bikes so that that their officers can better patrol the area’s hilly roads.

Energise’s owner, Ray Wookey, says that the inaccurate language used in the programme could be very damaging to legitimate e-bike businesses. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Cycling, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Cronxortium’ stages phoenix operation to continue trading

What they call a “Cronxortium” has come together to salvage a New Addington brewery.

Coming up smelling of hops: phoenix brewer Mark Russell

But rather than save the Cronx Brewery company, the group has staged what is known as a “phoenix operation”, potentially evading tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of debts while leaving other small businesses in their supply chain unpaid and out of pocket. They will probably dodge a few quid owed to the taxman, too.

Inside Croydon reported exclusively last week that a meeting of directors of the Cronx Brewery and its Croydon High Street bar, the Cronx Tap, had agreed to file for voluntary liquidation. That meeting was staged in the London Wall offices of their liquidators on November 5.

Yet according to Companies House records, two of the Cronx directors were meanwhile busy registering new companies: Tap Community Bars Ltd, on November 4; and The Croydon Brewing Company Ltd, on November 8.

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Posted in Business, Cronx Brewery, New Addington, New Addington North | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Woodcote Green store’s Valentine’s event for the love of dogs

Dobbies Garden Centre at Woodcote Green is encouraging its customers to show their pooches some love this Valentine’s Day at a new event that will raise money for national charity The Dogs Trust.

Paw-fect event: Woodcote Green garden store is raising money for The Dogs Trust

Dobbies is hosting this event from Friday February 14 to Sunday February 16, giving customers a great opportunity to take a paw-fect digital picture against the Valentine’s backdrop to treasure for years to come. Dogs will snuffle around the store, with a gift bag reward at the end featuring a Valentine’s dog toy, dog treats and money-off vouchers.

Customers at Dobbies’ Woodcote Green store will be able to share the love and add a donation while booking the event, helping with The Dogs Trust’s mission of caring for, rehabilitating, and rehoming thousands of dogs every year. Continue reading

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Jimmy Regal and The Royals, The Oval Tavern, Jan 19

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Murder trial barrister describes victim Elianne as a ‘tormentor’

“Is it murder or manslaughter?”

Summing up: the murder case judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb

That was the stark question that the defence barrister in the murder trial of New Addington teen Hassan Sentamu put to the jury at the Old Bailey this morning, as he concluded his closing statement before the summing up of judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

Pavlos Panayi KC described Sentamu’s victim Elianne Andam as a “poor, poor girl”, while also saying she was one of his client’s “tormentors”.

Panayi had begun his closing statement on Friday, and he spent another hour this morning leading the jury in Court No15 through the evidence and testimonies as his client would prefer the jurors to interpret them, about the events that led to the tragic killing of 15-year-old schoolgirl Andam on Wellesley Road, outside the Whitgift Centre, on a September morning in 2023.

Sentamu had opted against taking the witness stand to give evidence in his defence, or be cross-examined. Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Westfield’s latest charm offensive: £1,000 to handful of groups

Westfield, part of the multi-national Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield property group which is worth many billions, last month announced an “important strand of our community strategy”: doling out some modest grants to community groups and charities in the borough.

Still waiting: it could be 2026 before Westfield submit a planning application for Croydon

It is more than 12 years since Westfield arrived in Croydon, promising to transform the town centre.

Now they are providing a grand total of £15,000.

To 15 different causes.

Yes… that’s a relatively meagre £1,000 a time.

This faux generosity is the latest part of Westfield’s PR drive that includes artwashing North End with colourful murals on the hoardings that cover-up the vacant and neglected buildings that they have failed to develop. Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Charity, Community associations, CVA, Mayor Jason Perry, North End Quarter, Steve Phaure, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sign up now for the world’s biggest annual wildlife survey

Gold at the end of your garden: do you have goldfinches? Let the RSPCA know in the Great Garden Birdwatch this month

It’s nearly time for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, a vital piece of citizen science which is all the time contributing to our knowledge of the changes going on in our environment, and its impact on the wildlife around us.

This year, the Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place on January 24 to 26.

There’s still time to sign-up to take part.

If you do so, you’ll be joining more than half a million people up and down the country who have said that they want to take part in what is the largest wildlife survey of in the world. Continue reading

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Half-term shows begin with new twist on a classic fairy story

The Pea and The Princess is a high-velocity adventure drama on the stage of the main theatre at the Polka Theatre, one of a range of shows and activities for youngsters planned for the February half-term.

Recommended for three- to seven-year-olds, in The Pea and the Princess they will meet a Ninja Princess on a mega-mission, a practical Prince concocting the best inventions, a Queen with a slightly worrying crown obsession and a very green baddy, asthe Singapore Repertory Theatre presents a twist to the classic fairytale.

The Pea and the Princess runs in the main theatre at the Polka in Wimbledon from Saturday February 15 to Sunday March 30. Continue reading

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When shopping required a visit to the Harrods of south London

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Hard to imagine today but Croydon once had shops that would see customers flying in from Europe and could provide tea for the Queen. DAVID MORGAN looks back to Grants Departmental Store and the halcyon days of the High Street

The Harrods of south London: Grants was regarded as the grandest of Croydon’s departmental stores

In the 1930s, shoppers with a taste for style and with a generous bank balance used to come to Croydon to shop in Grants department store. Or Grants Departmental Store, as the advertisements of the time would have it.

Grants of Croydon was such a draw that some of its customers came from France. The well-heeled clientele would fly into Croydon Aerodrome, take a car into the town centre and be dropped off at the door. After completing their transactions, they might have time for a meal in the restaurant or a spot of tea before being chauffeured back to the aerodrome for the return flight.

Buying suits in Grants’ luxurious showrooms was a regular thing for the discerning continental. Such was the allure of Croydon back then. Continue reading

Posted in Business, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hidden treasure of Addington Hills restaurant without a view

A room with a view: the Royal Garden restaurant in the Addington Hills, where the food was a revelation, and the staff performed a blinder

Keir Starmer sent Rachel Reeves to China. We sent KEN TOWL to have a Chinese at one of Croydon’s best-known, and notorious, beauty spots

Cobra £6.70 a pint: ‘I wouldn’t have minded so much if there had been a view’

Just opposite me in Addiscombe, near the tram stop, there is a Chinese restaurant that never has any customers.

In the 16 years that I have lived here, I think I have seen two families dine there, and one of those was me and my daughters. It was an eerie dining experience; the four of us were outnumbered by the staff. Of course, everyone has their own opinion about such places, businesses that do not seem to do much business, and it is always more fun to speculate about organised crime and money laundering than to settle on any more mundane explanation.

My guess about another food outlet, the Royal Garden, up in the Addington Hills, is that the reasons for its perennial emptiness are as mundane as you can get. It simply doesn’t shout loud enough. It almost appears to be hiding. Continue reading

Posted in Addington, Addington Hills, Business, Ken Towl, Restaurants, Royal Garden, Walks | Tagged , , | 11 Comments