Tag Archives: Claire Bonham

43 days to go and desperation is appearing in election leaflets

After all the calamities inflicted on Croydon by Tory Mayor Jason Perry, from his 33% Council Tax hikes to his unlawful LTN fines, has Labour fallen into their old trap of over-promising before under-delivering? WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, sifts through … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Chris Clark, 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, Ria Patel, Richard Howard, Shirley North, Shirley South, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Only 70% of first-class post gets delivered on time in Croydon

Royal Mail is breaking the law with 3-in-10 of first-class items in Croydon failing to reach their destination on time, as local councillor launches a campaign calling for urgent improvement If you are wondering where the usual Christmas card from … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Factory Lane, Royal Mail | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Panicked Perry admitted to Rayner: I can’t balance the budget

EXCLUSIVE: Correspondence released following this week’s announcement from Whitehall that Commissioners are likely to be sent in to run the council included a letter from the Mayor that admitted his failure to ‘fix the finances’. By STEVEN DOWNES The government … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Labour figures accuse wasteful Perry of ‘serious incompetence’

‘Once again, the people of Croydon are paying the price for the failure of politicians who don’t have our community’s interests at heart’, according to 2026 Mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Croydon, Rowenna Davis, has accused … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Radical change is overdue at council says LibDem Howard

A former Army bomb disposal expert who will be leading the Liberal Democrats’ election efforts in 2026 says Croydon’s residents are ‘fed up with paying more and getting less’ Richard Howard, the LibDems’ candidate for Mayor of Croydon in 2026, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Elaine Jackson, Improvement Board, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Marie Snelling, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Howard, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

They voted to raise your Council Tax, then to increase their pay

TOWN HALL SKETCH: Things don’t sound too good in the Chamber these days, and it is not just because the council has hired a cheaper contractor for its audio system. As tempers frayed at the most important meeting of the … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Amy Foster, Avril Slipper, Callton Young, Christopher Herman, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Carers, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Ian Parker, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Kola Agboola, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Sean Fitzsimons, Section 114 notice, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Councillor reviews Nando’s pitch for Crystal Palace Triangle

Almost exactly a year since McDonald’s abandoned their proposals to bring Big Macs, McFlurries and a whole heap of mopeds and potential trouble to the Crystal Palace Triangle, now another fast food giant is eyeing the area for a new … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Families left waiting seven months for repairs to damaged flats

While Croydon Council pays a private developer £20million to buy a residential block in Broad Green, in the middle of a housing crisis it is failing to maintain its existing housing stock. A council-owned block in Upper Norwood has been … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Here’s our wish-list for a better Croydon and Sutton in 2025

What do you want for Croydon, and Sutton, in 2025? We approached a wide range of figures, including loyal readers, religious leaders, educators and business people for their thoughts – and hopes – for the New Year Ken Towl Addiscombe … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Andrew Fisher, Claire Bonham, Climate Crisis Commission, Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon Harriers, Croydon Insider, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, David Morgan, Environment, Housing, Inside Croydon, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Ken Towl, Knife crime, Lloyd Park, Mayor Jason Perry, Nick Mattey, North End Quarter, Peter Underwood, South Bank Poly, Sutton Council, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Crystal Palace councillor raises £100 at charity book sale

Claire Bonham, the councillor for Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, was taken aback by the generosity of residents, after she raised more than £100 for homelessness charity Crisis by selling some well-used second-hand books last week. “Crisis do such good … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Claire Bonham, Crisis Skylight Centre, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ombudsman report shows council getting worse under Perry

Croydon Council was forced to pay out TEN TIMES more in compensation to its tenants last year under Tory Mayor Jason Perry than it had done in the previous 12-month period. That’s the astonishing findings of the official, annual report … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Councillor accuses Perry of broken pledge on affordable homes

Mayor Jason Perry’s council has been accused of yet another broken promise, and of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax-payers’ money, this time after rejecting a planning application for seven affordable homes in Upper Norwood, in a scheme … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Community associations, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Nicola Townsend, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

It’s looking like Howard’s way for LibDems’ mayoral candidate

WALTER CRONXITE, our veteran political correspondent, reports on an unusual occurance for Croydon: the local Liberal Democrats getting ahead of the game While Councillor Rowenna Davis twiddles her thumbs and waits patiently for the Labour Party “machine” to crank into … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Mayor Jason Perry, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Rowenna Davis, Uncategorized, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Upper Norwood’s ‘bake off’ raises £250 for Macmillan cancer

A coffee morning at All Saints Church, Upper Norwood last Friday, boosted by one enterprising local’s own version of Bake Off, raised more than £250 for Macmillan, the cancer charity. The event, organised by ward councillor Claire Bonham, was one … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Council puts staff on standby in case of race-hate rioting

Croydon police are taking action to support and reassure communities, while the council has staff visiting asylum-seekers staying in local hotels to carry out safety checks and ensure people’s well-being, as authorities in the borough prepare for any outbreaks of … Continue reading

Posted in Church and religions, Community associations, Crime, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brick by Brick residents tell Mayor Perry: ‘We’ve had enough’

As the housing company that did so much to bankrupt Croydon Council is being wound-up, residents in Crystal Palace who bought its new-build homes say their serious complaints are being ignored Residents of three Brick by Brick developments this week … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Younger people have had their futures sold down the river

CROYDON ELECTION QUESTIONS For this General Election, Inside Croydon has been offering a platform to candidates from across the political spectrum, from across the borough’s four constituencies. Much the same questions, their answers published at length. Our first interview is … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon parks, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LibDems name their candidates and Philp forgets he’s a Tory

Finally, days after the General Election was announced, Croydon’s Liberal Democrats have got around to confirming their four candidates for July 4 – details of which Inside Croydon had reported on weeks ago. The LibDems, who have had only a … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Jahir Hussain, Rick Howard, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Auckland Rise residents suffer the ‘curse’ of Brick by Brick

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how some of the warnings about the council house-builders’ ‘affordable’ homes are becoming an costly reality in Crystal Palace Residents in supposedly “affordable” shared ownership homes built in Crystal Palace by the council-owned … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Putting Croydon First: the reasons I am now a Liberal Democrat

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Yesterday we reported how a former Croydon MP is standing for election with his third political party. Here, ANDREW PELLING explains why his days as an independent candidate are over “All politics is local”. Tip O’Neill’s phrase has … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Claire Bonham, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Park Hill and Whitgift, Richard Howard, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Perry plans £100m more cuts in country’s first AI-driven council

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Transformation’ project is set to be rubber-stamped at this week’s cabinet meeting (it will be approved without anything resembling a debate). But according to council insiders, it is ‘rushed’, ‘full of risks’ and just a ‘Trojan horse’ … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

King gets his bluff called over Tory cuts and Council Tax hike

CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was déjà vu all over again at last night’s budget meeting, where ‘steadfast’ opposition melted as soon as the borough’s opposition councillors were given a stern talking to. TOWN HALL SKETCH by STEVEN DOWNES Anyone out … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

1-in-4 Croydon police officers off frontline for ‘other duties’

Croydon’s “thin blue line” is being made thinner still due to other demands on policing around the capital. Policing in Croydon is more impacted by having officers assigned to other duties than all-but-one other London borough, official figures show. The … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Crime, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Policing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments