Tag Archives: Andrew Pelling

Planning director worried about her career? So she should be

CROYDON COMMENTARY: As someone who spent their career working on local authority planning matters, STEVE WHITESIDE has found council director Heather Cheesbrough’s attempt to gag one of the Mayoral election candidates just the latest example of shameless arrogance So Heather … Continue reading →

Posted in Aventier, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Kenley, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Choir demands compensation over BHLive’s Fairfield shambles

CROYDON IN CRISIS: BHLive, the under-fire operators of the council-owned arts complex, have been accused of costing one of the borough’s top arts groups thousands of pounds because of their poor management of the prestige venue. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Music, Oliver Lewis, Theatre, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Councillors slam Bellway’s ‘sham’ consultation over Lido site

Councillors in Waddon have written to a development company that wants to build a 10-storey residential tower block next to the Purley Way playing fields and accused them of running a “sham” public consultation and treating residents with “utter contempt”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Joy Prince, Parking, Planning, Property, Purley Way, Purley Way Lido, Robert Canning, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Labour staffer caught trying to cheat online election poll

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Professional organiser resorts to devious methods to try to make Shawcross campaign look stronger. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A paid Labour Party official – and a member of the campaign team for Val Shawcross, the party’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Andrew Pelling, Maddie Henson, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council’s planning chief attempts to gag Mayor candidate

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Heather Cheesbrough has lied about her qualifications and covered up for planning staff with too-close connections with private developers. Now she’s trying to block an election candidate calling for her to be sacked. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Even the Town Hall meetings don’t work at bankrupt council

In the time-honoured words of EJ Thribb, ‘And so farewell then…’. As many as 35 of the borough’s 70 councillors who were elected in 2018 won’t be Town Hall regulars after the May 5 elections. Political Editor WALTER CONXITE bids … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Hamida Ali, Stephen Mann, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

‘Any would be better for Croydon than the old strong leader’

With a month until election day, hustings for the borough’s first-ever Mayoral contest are coming thick and fast. KEN TOWL went along to last night’s event held in Park Hill, so that you didn’t have to… Val Shawcross really ought … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Ken Towl, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Croydon’s less-than-magnificent 8: Winston’s back for more

There’s quirkiness and eccentricity among some of the candidates to become the borough’s first executive Mayor, as well as some who perhaps are not quite what they claim to be. Editor STEVEN DOWNES on the confirmed candidates list for May … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Butler and Scott broke Code of Conduct over Fairfield meeting

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Shawcross joins condemnation of senior Labour councillors after they are let off lightly for breaking ethics rules. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Right to the bitter end, Paul Scott and Alison Butler, the couple who were at … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Bensham Manor, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Council planners urge developer to pre-empt Local Plan

It isn’t only over suburban blocks of flats that the council planning department appears to work against the interests of the residents they are supposed to serve. Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES reveals how officials have been persuading one developer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Croydon South, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Joy Prince, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Planning, Property, Purley Way, Purley Way Lido, Robert Canning, Sadiq Khan, Waddon, Wing Yip | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

DEMOC Mayoral Hustings, Chichester Road, Apr 7

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Pelling set to run as independent for Mayor, and in Waddon

EXCLUSIVE: After 40 years in Croydon politics, councillor decides to run as the ‘non-party’ candidate, offering to axe council rent increases, sack a distrusted council planning director and start a forensic investigation to recover the millions lost on the Fairfield … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Community associations, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Amid apathy and antipathy, Waddon goes for Rich over posh

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: As the local party’s selection process staggers from one stitch-up to the next, poorly attended meetings are held to patch-up the damage caused by organisers’ incompetence and hypocrisy. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Having managed … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Broad Green, Manju Shahul Hameed, Ramaraj Rajagopal, South Croydon, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Labour is working to lose local elections in Waddon

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: It is 10 weeks today until the local elections, and party members in Waddon now have to select a new candidate to replace one who helped win the ward eight years ago. Here deselected and now … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour to sack councillor who voted against benefit cuts

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The Tony Newman-led vendetta against one of his own council group seems set to reach a bitter conclusion this week when Andrew Pelling looks likely to have the whip removed for daring to vote in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alison Butler, Andrew Pelling, Hamida Ali, Joy Prince, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

£67m fraud at Fairfield: Town Hall row over calling in police

CRISIS SPECIAL: The council’s most senior legal official wants to check the £70m Fairfield fiasco for fraud, but the borough’s Labour councillors don’t want to call in the police, yet their leader says she has already reported it to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Mott MacDonald, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Sorry saga when asking questions was called ‘troublemaking’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Those found responsible for the £67.5m shambles of a refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls should not be allowed to get away ‘scot-free’, says ANDREW PELLING Once they are elected on May 5, Croydon’s new executive Mayor needs … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Local Labour party withholds campaign funds in Pelling dispute

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: There are just 99 days to go until the local elections, but after a members’ meeting last night the party in power at the Town Hall will be forced to campaign with much less cash than … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Report in the Public Interest, Robert Canning, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour’s disciplinary procedures are all about factionalism

ANDREW FISHER (pictured right), Director of Policy at the Labour Party when Jeremy Corbyn was leader, questions the dubious procedures, the lack of due process and even bullying in the treatment of some Croydon colleagues As reported by Inside Croydon … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, David White, Jamie Audsley, Robert Canning, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour councillor submits bullying complaint to Labour Party

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Efforts to de-select Waddon councillor after he was democratically selected by members in his ward have been described as a ‘witchhunt’ and have now been raised by the party nationally. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Labour, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Croydon North, Joy Prince, Robert Canning, Steve Reed MP, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

De-selected councillor Pelling: ‘This is damaging my health’

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: The target of an anti-democratic disciplinary process has made it clear that his party’s pursuit of him is damaging him, while further de-selections of council candidates are threatened. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Andrew Pelling, the Labour … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Pelling banned by Labour for daring to speak to Inside Croydon

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: ‘It’s not about justice, it is about Labour Party rules. It’s not a court of law.’ That’s what one official said, apparently seriously, as the purge continues with potentially ruinous consequences for the party come polling … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Hamida Ali, Joy Prince, Paul Scott, Robert Canning, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Labour members angry over ‘Orwellian’ deselection of Pelling

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Not content with bankrupting the borough and then ignoring the will of their members by opposing the move to an elected Mayor, the rump of Newman’s numpties has embarked on a petty vendetta which seems intent … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Pelling, Clive Fraser, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Joy Prince, Robert Canning, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

‘Some things have really changed for the better at our council’

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It is important that our cash-strapped local authority does not make cuts for cuts’ sake, and avoids incurring unnecessary costs when there might be other ways to conduct its business. By Councillor ANDREW PELLING Some things have changed … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Richard Ennis, Section 114 notice, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Labour councillor’s 20-point plan to reduce service cuts

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Unions are tonight staging a protest outside the Town Hall against the council’s plan for another £38million-worth of cuts. Here, Labour councillor ANDREW PELLING, pictured left, outlines the ways he believes that the council can avoid causing harm … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Refuse collection, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Veolia, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments