Tag Archives: Andy Stranack

Ashen Grove is up for auction again – as site for 27 houses

Alarm bells are sounding among concerned residents in Selsdon, after a patch of public open space that sold at auction last month for more than five times its guide price has now been put straight back on the market – … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Croydon parks, Environment, Housing, Planning, Property, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Selsdon woodland open space offered for sale at just £20,000

A small patch of woodland in Selsdon, used as a public open space for decades, has been put up for sale for just £20,000 – and the local Tory councillor says that there is nothing Mayor Jason Perry or his … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Croydon parks, Environment, Planning, Property, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How businesses profited at expense of the Borough of Culture

BOROUGH OF VULTURES: £1.3m of arts funding provided by the Mayor of London was misused by Croydon’s Tory council to boost local businesses, but delivered a year-long flop, judging by official audience figures. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s year as … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, CODA, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Kristian Aspinall, London Mozart Players, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Stanley Halls, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Short-notice Old Coulsdon library webinar betrays council plan

Plans to close or downgrade half the borough’s public libraries are being rushed through, as just three days’ notice of an event for Old Coulsdon residents demonstrates Croydon Council gave Old Coulsdon residents just three weekdays’ notice of a “webinar” … Continue reading

Posted in Broad Green, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Sanderstead, Shirley North, Shirley South, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The cost of Croydon’s Music Heritage Trail: £750 per download!

BOROUGH OF VULTURES: Fewer than 500 people have bothered to use the special app intended to guide them around the town centre’s historic music locations. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES “Have we already fucked it up?” According to official meeting minutes … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Boxpark, Business, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Music, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Crisis for Selsdon charity hard hit by council’s double-whammy

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry’s cuts are beginning to bite in his Tory heartlands, with the long-established Selsdon Centre for the Retired facing the prospect of closure next year. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES A respected and admired charity that supports … Continue reading

Posted in Age UK Croydon, Andrew Stranack, Charity, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, CVA, Fatima Zaman, Joseph Lee, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Centre for the Retired, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

There’s something for everyone to enjoy in our year of Culture

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council’s cabinet member responsible for the arts, Councillor ANDY STRANACK, pictured above (he’s the one not wearing a tracksuit) outlines his plans for the Borough of Culture Last weekend saw the launch of This is Croydon, a … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Year of Culture set to begin with an Oratorio of Hopelessness

CROYDON IN CRISIS: If, like us, you have been scouring the listings pages to find what’s planned for Croydon’s year as London’s Borough of Culture, you’re likely to be disappointed. But some of the PR deals surrounding the event have … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Music, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Theatre, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

37-34: Mayor’s 15% Council Tax hike rejected in budget vote

ANDREW FISHER sat through the three-and-a-half hours of last night’s budget non-setting meeting, so that you didn’t have to Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat councillors voted together last night to reject the budget proposal from the borough’s Conservative Mayor, Jason … Continue reading

Posted in Adele Benson, Andrew Fisher, Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Tamar Barrett (was Nwafor) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Closed doors in Croydon for London’s Open House festival

If the 2022 Open House Festival is anything to go by, then when Croydon is London’s Borough of Culture next year, the capital could be looking at a cultural desert. There are only nine venues in the whole of the … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Council, Croydon Minster, Fairfield Halls, History, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Property, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Norwood, Waddon, Walks, Whitgift Foundation, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

MPs’ gofers and failed businesses: new cabinet’s back-stories

Top team, or top chumps? Town Hall reporter KEN LEE runs the rule over the backgrounds of the new Mayor and his Tory colleagues in charge of delivering £68m-worth of budget cuts over the next two financial years We know … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Andrew Stranack, Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Lynne Hale, Maria Gatland, Mayor Jason Perry, Ola Kolade, Scott Roche, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

£100,000 Mayor Perry unveils his old team as the new team

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the completely predictable make-up of the borough’s executive Mayor’s first cabinet, and the wheeling and dealing over who will chair the Town Hall’s most influential committees Given that it took nearly five days to count … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Katherine Kerswell, Lynne Hale, Maria Gatland, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Scott Roche, Sean Fitzsimons, South Croydon, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Society needs to benefit from disabled people’s unique talents

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It took a meeting with a disabled councillor to point out to the ‘equalities manager’ that the council has a legal duty to provide accessible facilities. ANDY STRANACK, pictured left, explains how the council and others are missing … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tories try to make crime pay by misleading over figures

Croydon’s Conservatives have shifted up a gear in their campaign efforts ahead of next May’s local elections, but WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, has been fact-checking their latest video nasty Inside Croydon’s loyal reader has probably already twigged that there … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Stranack, Boris Johnson, Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon 8/8, Croydon South, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tories go for more of the same as Perry wins by three votes

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Any delusions that having a directly elected mayor might be anything other than #ABitLessShit were quickly dispelled yesterday as the local Tories reverted to type. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s Conservatives have selected Jason Perry, the South … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Andrew Stranack, Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Perry stakes Town Hall leadership on Tory mayoral selection

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s Conservatives will choose from two current councillors and an outsider whose selection campaign tagline is ‘I’m different’. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, political editor The Croydon Conservative Federation will meet on Sunday to select its candidate … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Andrew Stranack, Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Cash-strapped council breaks rent deals with voluntary groups

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Dozens of community centres in the borough which are used and often maintained by volunteers could now face closure as the council ends its rent subsidies. EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES The cash-strapped council has written to dozens … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, CVA, Section 114 notice, Shirley Community Centre Association, Shirley North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Incredible’ Selsdon volunteer wins Mayor of London award

A member of a church in Selsdon who helped co-ordinate her community’s response to the first coronavirus lockdown has been named as a winner of a special volunteers’ award from the Mayor of London. And no sooner was Jaz Potter … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selsdon locals celebrate as Brick by Brick scheme refused

Labour’s Town Hall whip voted down the council-owned developers’ housing proposal, the first application from them to be rejected in four years. BARRATT HOLMES, our housing correspondent, reports Residents from Selsdon were celebrating today after their concerted objections saw an … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Housing, Paul Scott, Planning, Selsdon & Ballards, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Hawthorn Crescent green is rejected for ACV status by council

Eighty years on from the Battle of Britain, and now Brick by Brick wants to demolish a WWII air-raid shelter as it concretes over Croydon Brick by Brick is pressing on with its self-imposed mission to concrete over as much … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Community associations, Croydon Council, Environment, History, Planning, Selsdon & Ballards, Selsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tory leader Perry shows ruthless streak by sacking Creatura

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the latest game of musical chairs at the Town Hall Mario Creatura has been sacked from his front bench job with the Town Hall opposition group in a reshuffle of the Croydon’s Conservative councillors … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Croydon Council, Gareth Streeter, Helen Pollard, Helen Redfern, Jason Perry, Mario Creatura, Scott Roche, Tim Pollard, Vidhi Mohan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council planners forced into U-turn over Hawthorn Crescent

EXCLUSIVE: Brick by Brick scheme to build eight houses for private sale on open green space in Selsdon gets pulled from the planning committee agenda. By BARRATT HOLMES Brick by Brick’s application to build on green space at Hawthorn Crescent … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Environment, Planning, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Green spaces under threat as Scott seeks to ignore covenants

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the latest Brick by Brick schemes which will concrete over green space, destroy mature trees and even tear up a legal covenant that dates back to the 19th century Thursday’s virtual planning meeting will … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Andrew Stranack, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Norbury Park, Paul Scott, Planning, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Sherwan Chowdhury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Volunteers in Selsdon shift their work from food to support

As – for better or for worse – the government eases coronavirus lockdown conditions, so some of the mutual aid groups and food banks which sprang up around the borough three months ago are now being wound up. Age UK … Continue reading

Posted in Age UK Croydon, Charity, Church and religions, Community associations, Selsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Selsdon Food Hub forced to find new kitchen for ready meals

The partial return to work and schools from the coronavirus lockdown has created a crisis for the covid-19 mutual aid group operating in Selsdon: they are about to lose the use of the kitchen where they have prepared nearly 6,000 … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Community associations, Selsdon & Ballards | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment