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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
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Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
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Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
London Snow Warwick Square (1955) by Iain McNab, from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Here’s wishing all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas
That’s it from us for a couple of days.
It’s not that we don’t have loads more material to inflict upon you.
We just realise that you’ll not be bothering to log in over the turkey and the mince pies.
Thank you also for all the comments – the ones that were publishable, anyway – and the emails, articles, commentaries, tip-offs and documents that you have sent through to us which have all contributed to making this a vibrant, much-read and much-noticed website. Continue reading
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2024, 2025, Christmas, Croydon, Inside Croydon, Merry Christmas
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Minster’s organist recruited to top job at St Paul’s Cathedral
This year’s Advent and carol services at Croydon Minster have all been reflected in a bright and shiny new plaque, dedicated to the life and service of Martin How, the church’s former organist emeritus who died, aged 91, in 2022.
Shining example: the Minster plaque dedicated to Martin How’s life and work
The plaque is on the south side of the church. It “remains a shining tribute to a life well-lived”, the Minster said on social media after it was unveiled at the start of this month.
The plaque also symbolises the high standards of church music which continue at the Minster to this day, especially during the Christmas period, where many of the services have been musically led by the sub-organist George Inscoe, who has just been appointed to a similar role at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Inscoe represents the continuing tradition for church music at Croydon Minster, where Martin How was such a long-standing and long-lasting influence. Continue reading
Posted in Church and religions, Croydon Minster, Music
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Minster, George Inscoe, Martin How, St Paul's Cathedral
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Ghost of Brick by Brick comes to haunt London Mayor Khan
BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent, identifies some troubling similarities between the collapse of Croydon’s failed housing company and recent auditors’ warnings over a GLA-owned development firm
Bricking it: London Mayor Sadiq Khan is encountering significant problems over house-building
A housing company established by the Greater London Authority which has received £300million in loans of public money may require a bailout from London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s already stretched budget, after missing its repayments and failing to keep proper records.
That’s the stark warning from GLA auditors. It is one which ought ring a few alarm bells for anyone familiar with the Reports In The Public Interest issued four years ago by Grant Thornton into Croydon Council’s affairs and its failed housing company, Brick by Brick.
GLA Land and Property Ltd owns a vast amount of land in Docklands and on the Greenwich Peninsula, prime property for development into tens of thousands of homes, but where projects have long been stalled. The fund — which is one of the largest public sector land owners in the country — is a commercial subsidiary of GLA. Continue reading
Purley Pool revised plan to be revealed next month, Mayor says
A new planning application for the controversial development of the site of Purley Pool is to be submitted in January.
Out of his depth: Jason Perry broke his promises on Purley Pool and now seems strangely invested in a scheme for hundreds of retirement homes
That’s according to an email to some residents’ associations from Mayor Jason Perry, who appears to be taking more than merely a civic interest in the money-spinning, multi-million-pound scheme, while being archly selective with whom he chooses to share his inside information.
Piss-poor Perry made it one of his election pledges in 2022 to re-open Purley Pool, when he claimed that it would cost the council less than £3million to carry out the necessary upgrades and repairs. Croydon Conservatives even produced a little promotional video to back up the claims.
Perry was either lying, or didn’t know what he was talking about, as exposed by detailed and specialist surveys of the state of the pool.
Now, he is backing developers, Polaska, who have shady offshore ownership in the Virgin Islands tax haven, and have offered the “free” provision of a public pool and gym,in return for being allowed to build 220 “later living” retirement homes on the site of the Purley Leisure Centre, multi-storey car park and long disused supermarket.
The planning application was submitted earlier this year, with a deadline for consideration that came and went in the autumn. Continue reading
Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Purley Pool, Selsdon Residents' Association
Tagged Conservative, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croham Valley Residents Association, Croydon, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, GLA, Greater London Authority, Hartley and District Residents' Association, Jules Pipe, Local Plan, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Polaska, Polaska Assets BVI, Polaska Assets Ltd, Purley, Purley Pool, Riddlesdown Residents Association, Selsdon Residents' Association, Tory
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The Jase and Kathy Show – a Christmas Special for Croydon!
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Inside Croydon has obtained a leaked video from an internal council webinar earlier this month, where the Mayor fails to mention the £83m overspend predicted in a recent report to government, and council CEO seems to blame everyone else for the dysfunction at the council. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Given him the nod: in the video, Katherine Kerswell signals her approval as Mayor Jason Perry reads from a script someone has written for him
Think of it as a Christmas gift to Croydon… an hour-long video of a council webinar, fronted by a festive double act that some reckon get more laffs than Morecambe and Wise.
The webinar was recorded on December 12, and takes the form of part-lecture, part evasion of questions put up by council staff.
During the webinar, the council chief executive Katherine Kerswell (on £200,000 per year) reprises her “nodding dog act”, acting as if rapt in delight while part-time and impotent Mayor Jason Perry (£82,000 per year) reads from the carefully crafted script that someone else has prepared for him.
And Perry performs his well-known impersonation of Young Mr Grace from the hit BBC sit-com of the 1970s, Are You Being Served, where no matter how much of a shitshow his department store has become, he tells the staff: “You’re all doing very well.” Continue reading
Posted in Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Improvement Board, Inside Croydon, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, The Penn Report
Tagged Brick by Brick, Christmas, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Fairfield Halls, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Morecambe and Wise, S114 notice, Section 114 Notice, Tory, Young Mr Grace
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Care leavers given short notice of council’s work scheme
A two-month paid internship scheme in Croydon’s housing contact centre sounds great, but applications are online only and all the borough’s public libraries – with free internet access – are closed until after Christmas
Work experience: Croydon Council is offering a paid internship for care leavers. But it has made applying fiendishly tricky
Who would want to work in customer services at cash-strapped Croydon Council?
Croydon Council seems to think someone might, because they are trying to recruit youngsters to the role.
Though they are not trying too hard, in true Croydon Council style, as they issued the announcement of a training and work experience “programme” only this morning, just as most of the country is preparing to shut-down and gorge itself silly for 10 days.
And the deadline for applications to the council’s little scheme is Friday January 3.
Croydon Council is an organisation where the meaning of the words “customer” and “service” were believed to have been forgotten long ago, even before the Town Hall went bust.
So it will surprise no one that there’s been some further word-mangling going on with the title of the council’s new scheme, which is targeted at “care-experienced young people aged 18 to 24”. Continue reading
Lord Evans of Penge completes clique’s stranglehold of Labour
Political editor WALTER CRONXITE gives his crystal ball a polish after one of his easier predictions came to pass
Good lord!: David Evans, a former Croydon councillor, gets a seat in the second chamber for life
Friday’s announcement of another raft of political peerages was the latest move to consolidate a takeover of the Labour Party by a small clique of friends from south London.
Because included in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s 30-strong list of many ne’er-do-wells and underachievers was David Evans, the election strategist who helped put Labour’s Tony Newman and Simon Hall in charge of Croydon Town Hall in 2014, and whose former lover was Alison Butler, the councillor who did so much to create failed housing company Brick by Brick.
None of which will get a mention in the citation for Evans’s “elevation” to the Lords, which comes just a few months after he stepped down as General Secretary of the Labour Party, a post for which he was hand-picked by Starmer in 2020. Continue reading
Posted in David Evans, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, David Evans, House of Lords, Imogen Walker, Keir Starmer, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Morgan McSweeney, Simon Hall, Steve Reed OBE, Sue Gray, The Campaign Company, Tony Newman
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Police charge Brixton man with murder of woman in Carshalton
MP describes the violent stabbing of teacher Gemma Devonish as ‘shocking and distressing’
The Metropolitan Police has named the man accused of murdering Gemma Devonish in Carshalton last week as James Madden, from Brixton.
Victim: Gemma Devonish
Madden, 38, of Railton Road, was due to appear at Croydon Magistrates Court this morning. He was formally charged with the murder on Saturday.
“Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder,” the Met Police announced.
Gemma Devonish was 42. She was found by officers on Thursday morning after they were called to an address in Nutfield Close, off Wrythe Lane. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Devonish was a teacher at Rosebery School in Epsom. Colleagues at the school described her as “the kindest and most gentle of people”.
David Lach, the school’s headteacher, said that Devonish was a “wonderful teacher” who loved her pupils “so very much”. Continue reading
No apologies from council for Christmas closure of subway
No-notice closure: Wellesley Road underpass. The council’s ‘communications’ on this has been a single, belated and unapologetic tweet
A week on since Inside Croydon reported on the plight of Whitgift Centre traders, cut-off from their customers by the abrupt, no-notice closure of the Wellesley Road pedestrian underpass, and Croydon Council has responded. With an unapologetic tweet.
It is now three weeks since the council closed the Wellesley Road subway, without any notification to the shop owners in the Whitgift Centre, just at a time when businesses would be hoping for an increased number of visitors doing their Christmas shopping.
“We’ve been here 25 years and this is one of the worst seasons we’ve had,” was the view of one business owner. Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Hammerson, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Pedestrian underpass, Tory, Wellesley Road, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
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Christmas Eve marks cententary of the Croydon air disaster
No hope: Locals inspect the wreckage of the air crash at Christmas, 1924
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Christmas Eve marks the centenary of what in 1924 was the worst air disaster in British history, when an aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Croydon Airport, killing everyone on board.
DAVID MORGAN has scoured the archives for contemporaneous reports to mark the grim anniversary
Exactly 100 years ago on Christmas Eve, an aeroplane crashed in Croydon.
It was the worst air disaster in the early years of British commercial aviation. The aircraft came down, shortly after takeoff on the Kingsdown Estate, between Kingsdown Avenue and Mount Park Avenue, killing the pilot and all seven passengers.
Still remembered: the plaque near the crash site in South Croydon
People in the vicinity of the crash rushed to the site to try to help but were beaten back by the intensity of the flames from the stricken aircraft, which will have been carrying a full load of fuel.
The aircraft was an Imperial Airways De Haviland 34 bound for Paris. It was, in effect, a mail-carrying taxi service between two capital cities. Capable of carrying nine passengers, the aircraft was three years old and had crossed the Channel on numerous occasions to Paris and to Amsterdam.
On that fateful day, December 24, 1924, 12 passengers had booked to fly to Paris, so a second flight had been arranged to cater for the additional numbers. The pilot, David Stewart, who lived in Wallington, was an experienced flyer – he’d been a fighter ace during the First World War, when he was was noted for his daring at flying low over enemy lines.
In a military career that had begun in 1917, Stewart served first in the Royal Flying Corps and then the Royal Air Force, and was promoted to the rank of temporary captain, after being credited with downing three enemy aeroplanes and awarded the Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Force Cross. Continue reading
Sixth formers sprinkle Christmas cheer at Coulsdon College
Coulsdon residents were treated to an evening of festive entertainment and fun earlier this month, courtesy of pupils from the Coulsdon Sixth Form College.
A Coulsdon Christmas night out: neighbours, businesses and the local vicar were all in attendance at Coulsdon Sixth Form College
Art students at the college invited the local resident associations, the Friends of Grange Park, church wardens and the local vicar, as well as business owners and neighbours to the college to enjoy songs, poetry, bingo and afternoon tea.
Old Coulsdon Residents’ Association commented on the event on social media: “It was a wonderful evening. We were so impressed by the students, they were so friendly, polite and enthusiastic. We look forward to working closely together in the future.” Continue reading
Three men convicted over Thornton Heath drug deal killing
Michael Afonso-Peixoto, who died after what the police described as a “brutal” attack in Thornton Heath just before Christmas last year, had driven to Mayfield Crescent to carry out a drugs deal and was murdered by a gang of men who had staked out the meeting with the intention of stealing his “stash of cocaine”.
Murdered: Michael Afonso-Peixoto
The circumstances behind what was the 11th murder on Croydon’s streets in 2023 emerged during the Old Bailey trial of three members of the gang, who were convicted of a range of charges.
The prosecution evidence found traces of two of the men’s DNA on cigarette stubs they left at the scene, linking them to Afonso’s killing.
Afonso, 27, died after being ambushed and stabbed by a group of men in Mayfield Crescent at around 10.30pm on Tuesday, December 19 last year. The suspects drove off in Afonso’s grey Vauxhall Grand X Elite.
Zak Baako, 29, from Croydon, was found guilty of murder.
John Budal, who was in his teens at the time of the attack, now 20, from Ena Road, Pollards Hill, was found guilty of manslaughter.
Bako and Budal were also convicted of robbery.
Omari Peat, 23, of Southampton Gardens, Mitcham, was cleared of murder and manslaughter, but found guilty of robbery. Continue reading
‘Best Christmas present ever’: Emili Sande sings at care home
Delighted: staff, residents and families at the Purley home could barely believe their luck when Emili Sande arrived to sing for them in a special Christmas treat
Emeli Sande, the A-list singer-songwriter who has performed before live audiences of hundreds of thousands of people around the world, astonished and delighted the residents of a Purley care home when she turned up for a pre-Christmas sing-song.
Class act: Emili Sande in Purley
Sande visited Chestnut Gardens to entertain residents and their families for a special Christmas treat.
Sande was the star turn at the London Olympics opening ceremony, but in a break from playing sold-out arena venues, Sande performed an intimate gig just for the staff, residents and their families.
“The whole home was blown away by Emeli’s generosity in taking the time to come to the home and entertain them with her amazing vocals and her fabulous back catalogue of hits,” according to the staff at Chestnut Gardens.
“We are so grateful to Emeli for offering to come and perform a concert just for us, we really had to pinch ourselves to believe it was happening!” said Gayane Selimyan, the manager of the home. Continue reading
Posted in Care Homes, Music, Purley
Tagged Barchester Healthcare, Care home, Chestnut Gardens, Emili Sande
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Wallington garden centre offering free houseplant workshops
Dobbies Garden Centre at Woodcote Green is planning to start the new year offering free workshops on houseplants, and special sessions for younger gardeners, too.
Green fingers: the garden centre at Woodcote Green is offering free workshops on house plants
The workshops are open to people of all ages, and all levels of skill – whether an expert, a beginner, or for someone starting a New Year resolution.
Dobbies’ popular Grow How workshop series will take place on Saturday January 4 and Wednesday January 8 at 10.30am and 3.30pm, and then every Wednesday during the month at 10.30am and 3.30pm.
“January is the perfect time to put houseplants centre stage to help fill the empty spaces left when the Christmas tree and decorations come down, with the session covering different varieties of houseplants and advice and tips on their care,” Dobbies say.
Dobbies’ Little Seedlings Club is designed for children aged from three to 10 years old and will take place during the morning on Sunday January 5 at the Woodcote Green store.
During the workshop, Dobbies’ colleagues will take passionate young gardeners through time, and across the planet, unveiling the origins of some of the world’s most popular houseplants while taking part in fun and interactive games. Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Business, Gardening
Tagged Coulsdon, Dobbies, Free workshops, Garden centre, Gardening, Wallington, Woodcote Green
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Stocking-filler Bucket book will boost south London RSPCA
If you are still searching for a last-minute stocking-filler, RSPCA South London think they have got just the thing for any young animal lovers in your life.
Cover story: it’s a book about a boy and a bucket
The branch, with fund-raising charity shops in Croydon, Crystal Palace and Tooting, has published a quirky work of junior fiction, The Life & Times of Mr Bartholomew Bucket, written by branch chairman Will Linsdell.
Lindsdell says that he hopes the book, aimed at children aged between eight and 12, but also young-at-heart adults, will inspire interest in animal welfare issues.
The large-size book has been illustrated by Dr Chris Michaels, and tells the story of, it says in a press release “a magical bucket that has senses and a subliminal connection with its teenaged owner Jack”.
Lindsdell says his story, which is set in the late 1960s, maintains an animal welfare theme throughout, and is all about “forging bonds of friendship and finding love with a few amusing mishaps along the way”. Continue reading
Posted in Charity
Tagged RSPCA, RSPCA South London, The Life & Times of Mr Bartholomew Bucket, Will Lindsell
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Raggio di Sole, handmade pizzas made to order, South Croydon
Posted in Advertisement, Business
Tagged Advertisement, Raggio di Sole, South Croydon
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Council axes Fieldway youth team two weeks before Christmas
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Around a dozen youth workers, many based in New Addington, were told they would lose their jobs last week, as Mayor Jason Perry looks to outsource outreach provision to charities and voluntary groups to save some cash. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Ho! Ho! Ho!: there’ll be no Merry Christmas for council youth workers thanks to Scrooge-like Mayor Perry
Like a 21st Century Mr Scrooge, Jason Perry, the council’s Mayor, handed redundancy notices to around a dozen youth workers just a fortnight before Christmas.
In this Croydon version of the Dickens classic, though, it could be the people of New Addington and the rest of the borough who end up being the ones haunted by Perry’s decision.
Inside Croydon understands that the majority of those council staff being laid off are based at the Fieldway Centre in New Addington, which coincidentally Perry and the beancounters in charge of Croydon’s public services fancy flogging off to help pay off some of the borough’s toxic debt.
Some members of the council’s “youth engagement service” might manage to get alternative jobs within the council, and it is possible that others could pick up work through Croydon Voluntary Action, the umbrella organisation which endeavours to co-ordinate the third sector’s efforts around the borough.
Man arrested for murder after Carshalton woman’s stabbing
A murder investigation is underway after a woman was found with stab wounds in Carshalton.
The police have named the victim as Gemma Devonish, 42, who was found by officers yesterday morning after being called to an address in Nutfield Close, off Wrythe Lane. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 38-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of this morning on suspicion of murder and remains in custody, according to the Met.
The police say that the suspect and Devonish were known to each other. “At this time, detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident,” the Met said. Continue reading
Cancer charity receives £3,500 from pub’s raffle and quiz
The Crown and Sceptre pub in South Croydon raised an impressive £3,585 for the South East Cancer Help Centre by hosting a hugely successful charity quiz night.
Pub quiz: the South Croydon boozer surpassed all expectations with its charity quiz and raffle
The evening saw locals come together in a fantastic display of generosity and support. Teams battled it out over a series of challenging quiz rounds, with the community pub on Junction Road buzzing with friendly competition and laughter. In addition to the quiz, a raffle featuring donated prizes helped boost the fundraising total.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who attended,” said Michael Laker, the pub’s licensee. Continue reading
Posted in Charity, Pubs, South East Cancer Help Centre
Tagged Crown and Sceptre, Purley, South Croydon, South East Cancer Help Centre
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In Sutton, Mary Poppins better look out when Kingdom comes
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Environment’ officials stopped a bus to issue a penalty notice to an old man for dropping a fag end, when the man is a non-smoker. Among a growing number of complaints include an old lady fined £150 for harmlessly feeding the birds. But Sutton has still signed a £900,000 contract – and the council gets a slice of the incentivised action.
By DAVE BURTON
Slice of the action: under its new deal with Kingdom, Sutton Council gets 15% of all fines revenue
Residents in Sutton are becoming increasingly angry over the conduct of high street bounty hunters – or “Environmental Enforcement Officers” – whose company has been hired by the council to patrol Sutton High Street, issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for often minor offences.
And, it has been shown, sometimes for no offence whatsoever.
These kerbside coppers would give Mary Poppins a hard time. When they tried to slap a £150 fine on an old aged pensioner for simply feeding the birds, they were later forced to cancel the FPN and apologise.
But the episode is just the latest among a cluster of complaints about the officials, who work for a contractor called Kingdom Local Authority Services. Often, for a quiet life, residents who receive a FPN simply pay the fine rather than face the prospect of battling the bureaucracy of the council. Or worse, court and the risk of fines of thousands of pounds. On occasions, Draconian rules are being used to levy fines against people who often don’t have the money to pay for their next meal. Continue reading
