Tag Archives: Croydon Mayor

Part-time Mayor Perry is only ‘listening’ four hours a day

EXCLUSIVE: Town Hall officials answer phone calls from the public for just half a working day. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Croydon’s part-time Mayor, having refused to delegate responsibilities even to his closest political colleagues, has had no such problem … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

£81,000 part-time Mayor pulls a sickie for first scrutiny meeting

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the seemingly miraculous recovery from covid by Tory Jason Perry Croydon’s £81,000 part-time Mayor pulled out of his first scheduled appointment with the council’s scrutiny committee last night, citing covid as his excuse. Yet … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Bins strike called off after Veolia agree to increase staff pay

The Croydon bins strike, due to start on Thursday in a dispute over “poverty pay”, has been called off after the council’s rubbish contractors, Veolia, finally agreed an improved pay deal for some of their poorest-paid workers. The strike was … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Time’s running out for Axis as new Mayor comes under scrutiny

The honeymoon period is over for Jason Perry, as the first reports of his administration are due to be published this week, reports KEN LEE, our Town Hall correspondent Jason Perry this week faces his first real tests as Croydon’s … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Sean Fitzsimons, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Mayor has weeks to save Fairfield Halls and Borough of Culture

It is symptomatic of BHLive’s lack of real connection with the borough in which they are supposed to manage its largest arts venue that they chose the day of the Croydon local election results to make the announcement of the … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Croydon slow to act over £150 Council Tax energy rebates

The magic wand that an elected Mayor was supposed to wave and put right all that is wrong with Croydon might take a little longer to cast its spell, judging by the on-going struggles of the cash-strapped council’s officials to … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Welcome to the one-party state of Our Great Leader Perry

Jason Perry will make his maiden speech as Croydon’s first executive Mayor in the Town Hall Chamber tonight, where a report on the agenda will underline that the borough’s new Conservative leader will not delegate any powers or responsibility, even … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, South Croydon, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tory Mayor’s unnecessary ward by-election set for June 30

The South Croydon ward by-election will be held on Thursday, June 30, the council has announced. The by-election is a needless expense for the cash-strapped council that has been caused by Tory Mayor Jason Perry putting himself forward as a … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Jason Perry, Maria Gatland, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Based on this year’s elections, Croydon is in a very bad place’

SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Reports over Croydon’s local elections have been lodged with the Electoral Commission and with Scotland Yard. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES There could yet be further repercussions around Katherine Kerswell’s chronic mishandling of Croydon’s “never-ending” election count, which earlier … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Carole Bonner, Croydon Council, Jon Rouse, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, South Croydon, Trinity School, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

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

Council gardeners are now an endangered species in Croydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: While the new Mayor announces the restoration of some services, such as the graffiti-cleaning team, other parts of the fabric of the borough are still vanishing, like red-list endangered species, in this year’s £38m round of cut-backs. PETER … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Heathfield House, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 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

‘Morally and politically, the government needs to do more’

Tory peer and former Croydon MP has barbed criticism for his former parliamentary colleagues Croydon’s local election results left one prominent Tory Party grandee in something of a quandary. “Lord” Gavin Barwell of Clarion is the former Croydon Central MP … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Croydon May 2022 is writing on the wall for Starmer’s Labour

CROYDON IN CRISIS: One week on from the election count that turned the council from merely a bankrupt borough into a national laughing stock, JIMMY BALDWIN adds his personal reflections on the events that took place at Trinity School from … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, David Evans, David White, Gavin Barwell, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Town Hall election reflections from a backbench councillor

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Among the candidates seeking election last Thursday was ROBERT WARD, right, who’s been a Conservative councillor for Selsdon and Addington Village since 2018. Here, he shares his thoughts on a tough campaign, and what the next Town Hall … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Election results leave Labour supporters angry and dismayed

With the final declaration in, WALTER CRONXITE reports on the state of the council after the 2022 elections By the end, the emotions on show at the Croydon Council election count at Trinity School were less those of shock, disappointment … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Broad Green, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Jade Appleton, Jason Perry, Katherine Kerswell, Kola Agboola, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Park Hill and Whitgift, Paul Scott, Peter Underwood, Planning, Robert Canning, Sanderstead, Selhurst, South Croydon, Steve Reed MP, Tony Pearson, Val Shawcross, Waddon, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Tory Perry wins historic Mayor election by less than 600 votes

Democracy was kept waiting while council officials struggled with their abacuses. By our sleep-deprived political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Jason Perry has been declared the first elected Mayor of Croydon, after a borough-wide vote sent a message to the local Labour … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Greens, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Trinity School, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Kerswell’s election count will get off to a very slow start

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on a sad end to another Croydon tradition Another decision by cash-strapped Croydon Council is responsible for the end of yet another tradition: Inside Croydon’s unrivalled and extensive dusk-to-dawn election night coverage of the count. That’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Trinity School | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Voters’ stark choice: scandal-hit Labour or scandal-hit Tories

In his latest column for Inside Croydon, ANDREW FISHER, looks ahead to the most intriguing contest in London’s local elections this year Labour mayoral candidate Val Shawcross has made no attempt to hide her frustration, at times bordering on contempt, … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dear New Mayor: time to come clean with council’s secrets

CROYDON COMMENTARY:  Whoever is elected on Thursday as the borough’s first Mayor will inherit an in-tray weighed down with a raft of controversial reports and investigations into missing millions, the details of which have been kept secret for far too … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Robert Ward, Selsdon and Addington Village, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Police investigate Mayor candidate for ‘election offence’

The police have been asked to investigate a possible case of electoral fraud involving one of the candidates standing to become Croydon’s first executive Mayor in this Thursday’s local elections. A formal complaint has been filed to the Metropolitan Police … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Not for the first time, questions were better than the answers

And with a week to election day, the last of the set-piece hustings was staged at The Wreck at the Fairfield Halls last night. KEN TOWL, pictured right, went along, so that you wouldn’t have to… So what did we … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Fairfield Halls, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, The Wreck, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Stumped on the stump: candidates caught out over 2nd choice

It has been said that politics is a form of performance art… so using a stage in The Wreck for election hustings last night was quite appropriate. But it was one question that stole the show It was the first … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Val Shawcross, Winston McKenzie | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Labour ‘most worried’ about losing Croydon in local elections

As election day looms ever closer, WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, finds the borough’s third-rate politicians fretting over the possible loss of their first-rate council allowances Croydon Council is the London borough which the Labour Party says it is “most worried” … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe West, Brick by Brick, Chris Philp MP, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, New Addington, New Addington North, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

If councillors ask questions, we deserve to be given answers

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With election day a week away, Conservative councillor and member of the scrutiny committee, ROBERT WARD, offers a few ideas for any incoming Mayor Dear New Mayor, Congratulations on your election victory. You have an opportunity to make … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments