Recent Comments
Tag Archives: Cllr Ria Patel
Election countdown: splintered voting could see Davis win
Less than one month until election day, our Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, looks at the latest polls and by-elections to assess – or guess – how the Croydon electorate will vote for executive Mayor on May 7 While the government … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Council Tax, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Shirley North, Sutton Council, Tony Newman, Zack Polanski
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Ben Flook, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, Major Richard Howard, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Reform Ltd, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Tory
16 Comments
Councillors wave through 676 flats with just 20% affordable
Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest tall towers coming to the skyline of central Croydon Deep in the middle of a housing crisis, Croydon Council has broken its own rules by granting planning permission to a £200million housing scheme … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Delta Properties Ltd, Fairfield, Housing, Planning, Property, Tapestry Croydon
Tagged Brick by Brick, Cllr Michael Neal, Cllr Ria Patel, College Green, Croydon, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, East Croydon station, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, London Borough of Croydon, Tapestry Croydon, Tory, Wind tunnel
6 Comments
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 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Brick by Brick, 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, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Tory
3 Comments
Councillors make call to divest from Israeli-linked companies
More than 150 councillors from across London’s boroughs and London Assembly members have signed a letter demanding divestment of council pension funds from corporations which fund or support Israeli abuses against Palestinians. Yet only one of Croydon’s 70 councillors has … Continue reading
Posted in Bexley, Bromley Council, Dave Tchil, Kingston, Lambeth Council, Ria Patel, Sheldon Vestey, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council
Tagged Bexley, Bromley, CIV, Cllr Ria Patel, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gaza, Green Party, Israel, Labour, Lambeth, Liberal Democrats, London Collective Investment Vehicle, Martin Abrams, Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Ria Patel, Southwark, Sutton Council
1 Comment
‘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
Council’s closed doors, Selhurst security, Bridge to Nowhere
Here’s more of the most significant or best-read news stories of 2025, as we delve behind the headlines with Inside Croydon reports from the past 12 months MARCH No Access Croydon: Kerswell closes off Fisher’s Folly to public The increasingly … Continue reading
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged #BridgeToNowhere, Access Croydon, Bernard Weatherill House, Chris Philp MP, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, East Croydon station, Fairfield Halls, Fisher's Folly, Hammersfield, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley Pool, Purley Pool Towers, Selhurst Park, Sutton Council, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Leave a comment
2025 in review: Purley Pool, porkie pies and a busted budget
As we approach the year’s end, we continue with our review of 2025 by taking a look at some of the Inside Croydon reports which generated most public interest FEBRUARY Croydon In Crisis: budget overspend now close to £100m The … Continue reading
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged #BridgeToNowhere, Chris Philp MP, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, East Croydon station, Fairfield Halls, Hammersfield, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley Pool, Purley Pool Towers, Sutton Council, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
1 Comment
Private developers and landlords won’t fix our housing crisis
CROYDON COMMENTARY: ‘Abolish Landlords’ was a catchphrase at the recent Green Party conference, where it was recognised that correcting decades of failed housing policy will need a raft of solutions. PAUL AINSCOUGH explains At the Green Party annual conference, a … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Housing, Paul Ainscough, Peter Underwood, Planning, Ria Patel
Tagged Abolish Landlords, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, MHCLG, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Paul Ainscough, Peter Underwood, Prof Abi O'Connor, Right-to-buy, Steve Reed OBE, Thatcher, Thatcherite
7 Comments
‘War starts here on our doorsteps’: Greens picket weapons fair
Ria Patel, one of Croydon’s Green Party councillors, was part of a sit-down protest in Docklands yesterday at the start of a two-week picket of DSEI – Defence and Security Equipment International – one of the world’s largest arms fairs. … Continue reading
‘Hypocrite’ Tory voted for proposal to destroy heritage home
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a planning committee meeting where Conservative councillors backed a private developer’s bid to drastically alter a listed family home in a conservation area So much for Tory Mayor Jason Perry protecting family homes in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ian Parker, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Ria Patel
Tagged Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Ian Parker, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Morgan, Planning, Ross Gentry, Tory
12 Comments
What a load of old rubbish! And that’s just inside the Town Hall
There’s only a handful of opportunities each year for the public to question the way their council is being run, but as ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, discovered when watching last night’s full council meeting, it is increasingly obvious that the … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Callton Young, Christopher Herman, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Heathfield House, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Live Facial Recognition cameras, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Ria Patel, Rowenna Davis, Simon Fox, Stuart King, Veolia, Waddon
Tagged Andrew Fisher, Cllr Callton Young, Cllr Christopher Herman, Cllr Jason Cummings, Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Gaza, Green Party, Heathfield House, Israel, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Pension fund, Rowenna Davis, Tory, Waddon
1 Comment
Protests mount as Perry rejects petitions with 5,000 signatures
CROYDON IN CRISIS: MP Natasha Irons says that ‘democracy is being undermined by Croydon Council’, as the Conservative-controlled authority is refusing to debate the situation at the carers’ centre on George Street and the on-off-on-again sale of listed building Heathfield … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Carers First, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Heathfield House, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Ria Patel, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Stuart King
Tagged Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Carers Centre, Croydon Carers Support Centre, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Heathfield House, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons MP, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, Tory
11 Comments
Greens name Underwood as 2026 Croydon Mayor candidate
Peter Underwood, the Green Party’s Croydon mayoral candidate in 2022, is to be the Green candidate in 2026, too. The Greens, who won their first two council seats in Croydon in 2022, made the announcement last night, leaving Labour as … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood
Tagged Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood
6 Comments
Gone missing: Mayor ducks Town Hall cabinet for three months
EXCLUSIVE: Key public meetings have been cancelled, without any explanation, as Jason Perry is accused of wanting to run the borough by Trump-style edict. By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Jason Perry, the Mayor of a borough that is £1.4billion in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Council Tax, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King
Tagged Cllr Ria Patel, Cllr Stuart King, Conservative, Council Cabinet, Council meetings, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, STUART KING, Tory
8 Comments
Ex-Labour councillor to stand for Greens in Fairfield in 2026
Paul Ainscough, once a Labour parliamentary election candidate and a former councillor for the party, has been selected to stand for the Green Party at next year’s council elections in Fairfield ward. He says he “feels let down by Labour”. … Continue reading
Big Brother arrives in Croydon with Orwellian police cameras
North End and London Road are to be the first locations in the country to have permanently fitted Live Facial Recognition cameras, despite significant concerns about the legalities of the surveillance techniques and questions over their whether they even work … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Fairfield, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Policing, Ria Patel, Zoe Garbett
Tagged Big Brother Watch, Chris Philp MP, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Croydon West, Green Party, Labour, LFR, Live Facial Recognition, London, London Assembly, London Road, Metropolitan Police, North End, Ria Patel, Supt Mitch Carr, Tory, Zoë Garbett
24 Comments
Hastings councillor offers a way through the political brambles
How should we counter the rise of the far-right? As KEN TOWL found out when he arrived on time at the Croydon School of Philosophy, by offering some truth and understanding In the School of Philosophy on Addiscombe Grove, not … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Croydon West, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ken Towl, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP
Tagged Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Greens, Hastings and Rye, Hastings Council, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Nigel Farage, Peter Underwood, Reform UK, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed OBE, Tory, Yunis Smith
8 Comments
Cut Mayor’s special allowances by 50%, say Croydon’s Greens
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Ahead of the council’s more-heat-than-light annual Budget meetings that begin this week, PETER UNDERWOOD highlights how the councillors of one party at the Town Hall are presenting some realistic proposals Honesty and fairness. They are the themes of … Continue reading
Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Youth Services
Tagged 2025 Council budget, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Green Party, Labour, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel
13 Comments
Labour back Conservatives on fossil fuel and arms investments
KEN LEE reports from the final full meeting of the council this year Ethics and morals are just too expensive for Croydon’s Conservative and Labour councillors. Two petitions were submitted to Wednesday night’s council meeting calling on the Mayor to … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Callton Young, Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ria Patel
Tagged Callton Young, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Council pension fund, Croydon, Croydon Council, fossil fuels, Gaza, Green Party, Israel, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Petitions, Ria Patel, Tory
4 Comments
Greens look to halt council’s investment in global arms trade
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a move to bring a more ethical approach to the council’s massive pension fund As global tensions increase over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with permission being given by the United States for American … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ria Patel
Tagged apartheid, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Croydon, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Gaza, Genocide, Global Arms Trade, Green Party, Israel, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Palestine, Ria Patel, Russia, Tory, Ukraine
11 Comments
