Tag Archives: Gavin Barwell

Earthquake election but Croydon only felt some small tremors

Posted on May 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

TV and radio politics pundit ANDREW FISHER, right, looks at Croydon’s local election results in the context of the seismic elections that took place across Britain Across England, Wales and Scotland, the 2026 elections delivered a political earthquake that rocked … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon Greens, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Tories forced to amend forgetful Barwell’s dodgy election bio

Posted on January 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon will be sending the invoice for our proof-reading services to the incompetents at Croydon Conservatives’ HQ, after they made a late amendment when caught out with an untruth. But how many more lies might be found on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Stranack, Jack Barwell, Mayor Jason Perry, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lord Barwell’s son has a second go at getting himself elected

Posted on January 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, sifts through the much-delayed council candidate selections of the local Conservatives, who could lose one-third of their Town Hall seats come the elections in May After an absence of 16 years, there just might be a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Andrew Stranack, Jack Barwell, Jeet Bains, Margaret Bird, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington North, New Addington South, Old Coulsdon, Rowenna Davis, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Simon Fox, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Conservatives confirm Creatura’s departure as Gatland retires

Posted on January 19, 2026 by insidecroydon

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on news from Croydon Tories’ HQ that many had been predicting for months, as four councillors are set to stand down Even when they are doing the decent thing and thanking their councillors for their … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Council, Fatima Zaman, Holly Ramsey, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Reshuffle puts Streatham MP on the spot over council funding

Posted on September 6, 2025 by insidecroydon

Steve Reed will probably feel more at home at MHCLG, but is the former leader of Lambeth Council, who as an MP was a bystander over ‘slum-like’ conditions at Regina Road and the bankrupting of Croydon, up to the job … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Starmer alienates support by adopting the language of Powell

Posted on May 15, 2025 by insidecroydon

The Prime Minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech this week was ‘as politically stupid as it is morally bankrupt’, writes ANDREW FISHER It could all have been so different. In 2020, Keir Starmer said, “We welcome migrants, we don’t scapegoat them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Gavin Barwell, Natasha Irons, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Perry’s council endorses scheme for 3,000 flats in town centre

Posted on March 3, 2025 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Getting rid of two-thirds of the retail space in the town centre and replacing it with flats is about all that execs from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield were prepared to share to a council committee, reports our housing correspondent, BARRATT … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Helen Redfern, Housing, Ian Parker, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, North End Quarter, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Founder of ‘Church of Bling’ to be deported as illegal immigrant

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of “the Church of Bling”, the controversial SPAC Nation which was closely linked to the Conservative Party in Croydon, is to be deported to Nigeria, having been living in this country illegally for almost 20 years. … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Crime, Gavin Barwell, Knife crime, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Foundation now looking for buyer for Whitgift’s old palace

Posted on November 16, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Little more than a year since the shock announcement that it would be closing its girls’ fee-paying school, and still mired in a financial hole caused by delays over the redevelopment of the town centre, the borough’s … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, CPO, Education, Old Palace, Schools, Trinity School, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Grievances not solutions: Tories are going full-on Trumpian

Posted on November 7, 2024 by insidecroydon

After a week of selections and elections on either side of the Atlantic, ANDREW FISHER looks at how the second coming of President Trump might affect British politics In Britain, the election of Donald Trump as US President is seen … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

£40bn of tax rises – but local councils left waiting for an answer

Posted on October 30, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Labour’s first Budget in 14 years made no mention of councils with ‘toxic debt’ or any reframing of the central government’s settlement with local authorities. Political editor WALTER CRONXITE assesses what has been described as ‘a mixed … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Business, Croydon Council, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Barwell’s sympathy: ‘This was always going to be difficult’

Posted on October 30, 2024 by insidecroydon

BUDGET 2024: Inside Croydon has already interviewed an Oxford professor about the state of the economy and sent an open letter to Rachel Reeves about what needs to be done for England’s beleagured local councils. Now it seems the Chancellor’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Who next for the ‘Curse of Creatura’ as Tories pick new leader?

Posted on October 9, 2024 by insidecroydon

These are troubled, perplexing and confusing times for Croydon’s Conservatives. After all: what a choice! Who to pick? For Coulsdon councillor Mario Creatura, the gobby factotum to Gavin Barwell, later No10’s head of tweets, and now a wannabe MP who … Continue reading →

Posted in Coulsdon Town, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Four SPAC Nation members get charity bans of 10+ years

Posted on August 22, 2024 by insidecroydon

After an investigation that has taken four years, four senior figures within the cult-like ‘Church of Bling’ – which had close ties to Croydon’s Conservative Party –  have been banned by the Charity Commission. By STEVEN DOWNES The Charity Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Crime, Gavin Barwell, Knife crime, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Solution to housing crisis is clear – but who will implement it?

Posted on August 16, 2024 by insidecroydon

What is wrong with the country’s social housing is obvious. Whether any politicians have the will to fix it seems unlikely, as highlighted by a new book from a young, south London activist. Review by STEVEN DOWNES When a kid … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Gavin Barwell, Housing, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charity fails to rule-out co-ed future for Trinity boys’ school

Posted on July 29, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After losses of £55m in just six years, the financial problems at the Whitgift Foundation could see bursaries axed for its world-famous boys’ choir. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Trinity School, the £25,000 per year fee-paying boys’ school … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Boris Johnson, Business, Gavin Barwell, Music, Old Palace, Schools, Trinity School, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Planning and tax changes might suit delayed Westfield scheme

Posted on July 11, 2024 by insidecroydon

Does the growth-driven agenda of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves’s Labour government offer any change of fortune for Croydon? ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, weighs up the possibilities It should have been all so different: “Croydon’s future secured with agreement to … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Andrew Fisher, Business, Centrale, Council Tax, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Housing, LSBU campus, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘Grenfell was crime committed by politicians and corporations’

Posted on June 12, 2024 by insidecroydon

Build new homes, but make sure that they are safe homes. That’s the message today to the Labour Party from the Fire Brigades Union ahead of Friday’s seventh anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, when 72 people were killed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Gavin Barwell, Housing, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

After Sunak’s washout on ‘Drowning St’, here comes a wipeout

Posted on May 23, 2024 by insidecroydon

GENERAL ELECTION SPECIAL: Our in-house psephological expert, WALTER CRONXITE, looks at Croydon’s new constituencies and the uncertain political prospects for some come July 4 With a sodden Prime Minister running away from letters of no confidence from his own party’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Anthony Boutall, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, Elaine Garrod, Gavin Barwell, Jason Cummings, Marley King, Natasha Irons, Richard Howard, Sarah Jones MP, Scott Ainslie, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Party animal Pelling looks to run in Croydon East – for LibDems

Posted on March 27, 2024 by insidecroydon

ELECTIONS 2024: The former MP is hoping to stage a comeback in the new parliamentary seat by joining his third political party. EXCLUSIVE by our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Andrew Pelling, a former Conservative MP and Labour councillor in Croydon, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Gavin Barwell, Inside Croydon, Jason Cummings, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Green Dragon residents shocked by £7,000 service charge bills

Posted on February 14, 2024 by insidecroydon

Croydon is reckoned to already have around 1,000 flats in converted office blocks, thanks to Tory relaxation of planning rules. Now residents in one block are facing the nightmare of service charges doubling to pay for safety works. By BARRATT … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Gavin Barwell, Green Dragon House, Housing, Inspired Homes, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Croydon peer Barwell calls for ex-PM Truss to lose party whip

Posted on February 7, 2024 by insidecroydon

Get the pop corn, there’s another row in the Tories over ‘PopCon’, as right-whingers reveal themselves once more as ‘the Nasty Party’. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Gavin Barwell, the former Croydon MP and now a semi-detached member of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, Gavin Barwell, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Creatura left out of sorts after Epsom Tories pick Fraser

Posted on January 16, 2024 by insidecroydon

The Coulsdon Town councillor is fast running out of parliamentary options, reports WALTER CRONXITE, political editor It looks like the Conservative councillor elected to the Town Hall three times by the residents of Coulsdon has again been reckoned to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Epsom and Ewell, Mario Creatura, Surrey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coulsdon councillor Creatura distracted by charms of Epsom

Posted on January 15, 2024 by insidecroydon

WALTER CRONXITE, political editor, on the latest flailing efforts of one of Croydon’s third-rate councillors to grab bigger and better things (for himself, of course) The Last Chance Saloon has a new bar room bore, as Coulsdon councillor Mario Creatura … Continue reading →

Posted in Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Epsom and Ewell, Mario Creatura, Surrey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hammer blow for Whitgift Centre with new delay to masterplan

Posted on October 18, 2023 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: No more ‘Death Star’-type, £1.4bn Westfield shopping mall say developers, who want to build ‘thousands’ of flats, as Paris-based firm looks for a more sustainable approach In a hammer blow to any hope of urgently rescuing the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments