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Tag Archives: Alison Butler
Keir Starmer’s niece is council election candidate in safe ward
Party members in Croydon’s second safest Labour ward express concern over the deselection of their sitting councillor, to be replaced with a 20-something with friends in high places. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Sir Keir Starmer’s niece is a local election … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, Bensham Manor, Croydon East, Croydon West, Ellie Sandover, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Humayun Kabir, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 local elections, Alison Butler, Bensham Manor, Croydon, Croydon Council, Downing Street, Ellie Sandover, Enid Mollyneaux, Eunice O'Dame, Keir Starmer, Labour, London, No10 Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer
5 Comments
‘Red v Blue’ at Town Hall elections could suffer a Green-wash
Polling day in Croydon’s local elections, including its second mayoral vote, is on May 7. WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, sifts through recent opinion polls and by-election results, but has a warning from history of how ‘challenger parties’ can be swept … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jeet Bains, London-wide issues, New Addington, New Addington North, Old Coulsdon, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley North, Shirley South, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Alison Butler, Boris Johnson, Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Green Party, Hannah Spencer, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Tony Newman, Tory, Zack Polanski
7 Comments
Davis’s Valentine’s message: I’ll mend Croydon’s broken heart
EXCLUSIVE: Labour candidate issues public apology for ‘some things that my party has done in the past’ in crashing Croydon Council’s finances Rowenna Davis has revealed how she has been talking to a consortium of around 12 potential investors and … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Council, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Alison Butler, Andrew Fisher, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Executive Mayor of Croydon, Mayor of Croydon, Patreon, Paul Scott, Rowenna Davis, S114, S114 notice, Simon Hall, Spotify, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Tony Newman
5 Comments
Perry’s landlord licensing scheme will create a postcode lottery
Mayor Jason Perry’s proposals for a landlord licensing scheme to be introduced by Croydon Council later this year are discriminatory against half the borough, creating a postcode lottery for private renters. That’s according to Councillor Claire Bonham and residents in … Continue reading
Posted in Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Landlord licensing
Tagged Alison Butler, Claire Bonham, Cllr Claire Bonham, Conservative, Croydon, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Landlord licensing, Landlord licensing scheme, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
5 Comments
Podcast review: Taylor Swift to Ruby Wax to… Jason Perry
From Taylor Swift to Stanley Tucci. From Olivia Colman to… Mayor Jason Perry. Oh well… you can’t have everything. But all of them, and more, get a mention in our latest episode of the Croydon Insider, our wide-ranging, irregular and … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Insider, Inside Croydon, Under The Flyover
Tagged Alison Butler, Anna Arthur, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon Insider, James Gandolfini, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Ken Towl, Oumesh Sauba, Paul Scott, Rebel Wilson, Review of 2025, Stanley Tucci, Taylor Swift, The Croydon Insider, Tony Newman
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MPs told that Croydon flats are example of how not to build
The appalling conditions in ‘luxury apartments’ in new-build flats at The Fold, opposite Croydon Town Hall, were raised with a House of Commons select committee hearing yesterday Leading housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa cited The Fold in central Croydon as an … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Steve Reed MP, Taberner House, The Fold
Tagged ACORN, Alison Butler, Bloom House, Brick by Brick, Build Baby Build, Chorus Apartments, Croydon, Croydon Council, Florence Eshalomi MP, Housing, Jo Negrini, Kwajo Tweneboa, L&G, L&Q, Legal and General, London, London Borough of Croydon, Malcolm Wicks House, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Queen's Quarter, Queens Gardens, Steve Reed OBE, Taberner House, The Fold, Tony Newman
9 Comments
We have been betrayed by broken promises, deceit and scandal
EXCLUSIVE: One of the first journalists to be given access to the book which has been sending shockwaves along Downing Street and making headlines on Fleet Street, Inside Croydon columnist ANDREW FISHER reviews The Fraud Lots of books are written … Continue reading
Posted in 2017 General Election, 2024 General Election, Andrew Fisher, David Evans, Inside Croydon, Paul Scott, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Andrew Fisher, Brick by Brick, Brixton Town Hall, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, David Evans, Downing Street, Jo Negrini, Keir Starmer, Labour, Lambeth council, Morgan McSweeney, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy, No10, No10 Downing Street, Paul Holden, Paul Scott, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, The Fraud, The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Tony Newman
4 Comments
Mouldy Fold: no problems with council flats says Town Hall
Croydon Council is to carry out checks on its 90 flats in Malcolm Wicks House, the fourth block built in the Queen’s Quarter where the 35-storey private rental tower The Fold is being evacuated to allow its owners to completely … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold
Tagged Alison Butler, Bloom House, Chorus Apartments, Croydon, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, L&G, L&Q, Legal and General, London Borough of Croydon, Malcolm Wicks House, Queen's Quarter, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold
2 Comments
UnFolding story: residents’ meeting is moved as concerns rise
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Fire safety inspectors from the London Fire Brigade were on site this morning at The Fold, the 35-storey tower block close to Croydon Town Hall, where residents fear for their well-being because of poor-quality finishes to … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold
Tagged Alison Butler, Bloom House, Chorus Apartments, Croydon, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, Kwajo Tweneboa, L&G, L&Q, Legal and General, London Borough of Croydon, Malcolm Wicks House, Queen's Quarter, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold
6 Comments
Trebles all-round! Kerswell’s nominated herself for an award
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council still has debts of £1.4bn, or more, but that won’t stop a select few execs attending a gala event at a Mayfair hotel next week, where tables cost up to £5,000 and our bureaucrats are … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman, Veolia
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Grosvenor House Hotel, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, LGC, Local Government Chronicle, Local Government Chronicle Awards, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tony Newman, Tory
11 Comments
Council bosses need to answer for Cheesbrough’s toxic legacy
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The announcement of the departure from the council of its long-standing planning director has been widely welcomed by many residents. But as WAYNE MULLEN explains, after his four-year battle with the council over planners’ misconduct, some of those … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Nicola Townsend, Park Hill and Whitgift, Planning, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Alison Butler, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, Park Hill, Paul Scott, Planning, Ross Gentry, Steve Whiteside, Tory, Wayne Mullen
15 Comments
‘The improvement panel’s general position is to sell everything’
CROYDON COMMENTARY: This website’s editor, STEVEN DOWNES, on why a Mayor who keeps getting caught out in untruths really needs to start being more honest with the borough’s residents If ever there was an example of Mayor Jason Perry “being … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Theatre
Tagged 20th Century Society, Alison Butler, BH Live, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tory
15 Comments
Government panel wants Croydon to flog off the Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: With the council’s annual overspend reaching £100m, Whitehall-appointed commissioners could force the sale of the arts centre, which the C20 Society describes as an ‘underappreciated South Bank Centre of the suburbs’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon could … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Theatre
Tagged 20th Century Society, Alison Butler, BH Live, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Panel, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Tony Newman, Tory
33 Comments
MP Reed claims those who left borough broke ‘have now gone’
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, checks the ‘facts’ where other local news outlets dare not look Steve Reed OBE, the MP who was Labour’s front bench spokesperson on local government at the time that the council for the area he is … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Callton Young, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon North, David Evans, Environment, Fairfield Halls, Lambeth Council, Manju Shahul Hameed, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114 notice, Simon Hall, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Clive Fraser, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon Park Hotel, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman
8 Comments
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 Friday’s announcement of another raft of political peerages was the latest move to consolidate a takeover of the Labour Party by … 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
2 Comments
Councillor complains over legal failings: ‘It feels morally wrong’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: No one will face legal action for their part in the council’s financial collapse, despite Town Hall bosses spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on special reports and advice from high-powered barristers. Yet one of Mayor Perry’s … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shirley South, The Penn Report
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Scott, Penn Report, The Kroll Report, Tony Newman, Tory
1 Comment
Negrini doctored specialist reports and withheld finance details
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Investigators from Kroll never had investigatory powers to check people’s bank accounts in the search for possible fraud over the £73m refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls. But there was evidence in the public domain of ‘direct personal … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Arup, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
15 Comments
Kroll Report provides no answers to £73m Fairfield fiasco
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Jo Negrini refused to be interviewed, all Colm Lacey’s emails got wiped and former cabinet members Newman, Scott, Butler and Hall were never spoken to in person as part of the £310,000 investigation. By STEVEN DOWNES Late … Continue reading
Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report, Tony Newman
Tagged Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Grant Thornton, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Kroll, Kroll Report, Labour, Lisa Taylor, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Paul Scott, Penn Report, Project Dillon, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI, RIPI2, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Kroll Report, The Penn Report, Tony Newman, Tory, Vinci, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
13 Comments
McSweeney’s new No10 job puts ‘Croydon Clique’ in charge
The sacking, or ‘resignation’ of Sue Gray, in the latest Downing Street coup was entirely predictable if you had already read a new book about Labour’s election victory, writes STEVEN DOWNES Anyone who has read Taken As Red, Anushka Asthana’s … Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Croydon Council, Croydon North, David Evans, Lambeth Council, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North
Tagged Alison Butler, Anushka Asthana, Brick by Brick, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Downing Street, Imogen Walker, Keir Starmer, Labour, Lambeth council, Morgan McSweeney, No10, No10 Downing Street, Paul Scott, Steve Reed OBE, Streatham and Croydon North, Sue Gray, Tony Newman
5 Comments
Evans’ farewell speech to Labour calls for them to goose step
So, farewell then, David Evans – soon, no doubt, to be Lord Evans of Penge. The Croydon-based political consultant and fixer in Liverpool yesterday gave a final speech to the Labour Party Conference after four years as their General Secretary. … Continue reading
Posted in David Evans
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, David Evans, Goose steps, Labour, Labour Party Conference, London, Tony Newman
8 Comments
Labour Party chief’s consultancy business is in deep trouble
EXCLUSIVE: Might the failure of David Evans’s Croydon-based business offer some clues to the effectiveness, or otherwise, of his time running the party machine for Keir Starmer? By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Whatever might be planned by David Evans … Continue reading
Evans above! Labour’s General Secretary to stand down
WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the end of an error David Evans, the former key aide to Tony Bliar and one-time Croydon businessman who was installed as party General Secretary after Keir Starmer became Labour leader, is to stand down … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, David Evans
Tagged Alison Butler, Croydon, David Evans, Keir Starmer, Labour, London, Paul Scott, Tony Bliar, Tony Newman
2 Comments
Council acts against rogue landlords… just not in Croydon
In a landmark move, Merton Council has taken action against a rogue landlord by seizing 18 private rented flats at locations around the south London borough, after months of tenant complaints were ignored. This move marks what is believed to … Continue reading
Ombudsman creates league table of London’s failing councils
The Housing Ombudsman has launched a special investigation into Lewisham Council, which is guilty of “repeated failings”. The watchdog said it would carry out the probe into the south London council after issuing it with 16 “severe maladministration” findings in … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Bexley, Bromley Council, Croydon Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, Lewisham, London-wide issues, Merton, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council
Tagged Alison Butler, Bexley, Brick by Brick, Bromley, Croydon, Croydon Council, Housing Ombudsman, Labour, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richard Blakeway, Southwark, Sutton
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