Tag Archives: Jason Cummings

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

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

There’s good reason politicians are more unpopular than ever

After a week of two budget debates, one in the House of Commons, one at Croydon Town Hall, ANDREW FISHER reckons it is time that our politicians stopped pretending… British politics are in a dire state, nationally and locally, as … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 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

Cummings’ budget rejected before his big Newsnight moment

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The government has just found £2.5bn in ‘exceptional financial support’ for 19 councils. But Mayor Jason Perry and his finance chief have an anxious week after having had their unbalanced budget rejected in a Town Hall meeting. … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Chris Philp MP, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Section 114 notice, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s time for our elected councillors to stand up for Croydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Saddled with £1.4bn of ‘toxic’ debt, Mayor Perry has been rendered paralysed in his management of the cash-strapped council’s finances. Ahead of tonight’s budget meeting, ANDREW PELLING outlines some of the options for the borough’s politicians There’s … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Improvement Board, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Council finally cancels dodgy tickets issued during PCN Fiasco

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Perry’s finance adviser admits ‘we can’t afford to lose’ the £150,000-plus costs caused by the latest IT catastrophe to hit the council Croydon’s cash-strapped council stands to lose at least £150,000 over its “PCN Fiasco”, as … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon East, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Shirley South | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Gove’s extra cash barely touches the sides of Croydon’s debts

Michael Gove’s £600m hand-out to local authorities in England, announced yesterday, won’t go very far, especially if you consider that the Government’s own expert panel reckons Croydon alone needs £540m to wipe out a chunk of its toxic debt. By … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time to end cash-strapped council’s £1.5m political subsidies

CROYDON IN CRISIS: There’s cuts planned to all kinds of services in the borough in the coming months. The only thing local politicians aren’t planning to cut-back on are their own jobs, as WALTER CRONXITE reports The holidays are over. … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Alasdair Stewart, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, Endri Llabuti, Esther Sutton, Jade Appleton, Karen Jewitt, Mario Creatura, Matt Griffiths, Mayor Jason Perry, Park Hill and Whitgift, Simon Fox, Stuart Collins, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Council risks being in the red over BxB’s Red Clover Gardens

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the growing disquiet over the fate of 157 flats in Coulsdon that have been standing empty for more than a year There’s a number of reasons that Croydon Council is boracic, and one of … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon Town, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry struggles with numbers to offer us: Pay More, Get Less

Our columnist ANDREW FISHER watched the Croydon Council budget webcast this week, so that you wouldn’t have to… Croydon’s very own answer to Laurel and Hardy took to the airwaves this week, as Conservative Mayor Jason Perry and his finance … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Perry to host webinar on his plans for more cuts and more debt

Croydon Mayor Jason Perry is staging a webinar on Monday, at which the public can “hear more about the council’s budget proposals for next year”, according to the council. Perry and Jason Cummings, the cabinet member for finance, the Tory … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bromley Tories increase their vote share in Hayes by-election

Even with the Tory Government suffering meltdown at Westminster, Labour still can’t manage to win local council by-elections in this part of south London, as our Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, reports Has the curse of Croydon Labour struck again? Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Bromley Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, New Addington | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Consultants’ year-long study looks to close four public libraries

EXCLUSIVE By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s Conservative-run council has a secret plan to close at least four of the borough’s public libraries, Inside Croydon has discovered. The Tories have had a firm of consultants working on a libraries report for most … Continue reading

Posted in Broad Green, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Shirley North, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Perry’s Tories opt to send in the heavies to borough’s poorest

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After hiking Council Tax by 15%, the Tory Mayor and his finance chief are now using ‘an in-house army of bailiffs’ to go after residents on benefits who have fallen into arrears. By STEVEN DOWNES While Jason … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, South West London Law Centres, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Croydon’s Tories opt to set up ‘Mr 15%’ Cummings for a fall

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE looks at the election chances of Croydon East’s version of ‘Captain Oates’: noble but utterly futile The party conference over for another year, one of the newest Constituency Labour Parties, Croydon East, will formally begin its … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Croydon East, Jason Cummings | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Cummings in bid to defy the ‘Curse of Barwell’ for selection

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the shortest of short lists for Croydon Conservative members to pick from for a parliamentary candidate Gavin Barwell’s former staffers, thrusting, keen and eager Tory politicians, must be beginning to think that there is some … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Croydon East, Jason Cummings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Go Nads! Barwell enters row over right-wing MP’s resignation

Absentee peer has a pop at nine-carat ex-MP Nadine Dorries in a Twitter spat likely to spark further rows as the Conservatives look to select their parliamentary candidate for new Croydon East constituency, reports our political editor WALTER CRONXITE Gavin … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon East, Gavin Barwell, Jason Cummings, Shirley South | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Revealed: Croydon’s laziest and costliest local councillors

Across the country, outside London, people have been going to the polls in local elections today, often voting for the same tribe just as they always do, or voting on national issues over which the councillors they are voting for … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Broad Green, Chris Philp MP, Claire Bonham, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Helen Redfern, Jason Cummings, Margaret Bird, Mike Bonello, Old Coulsdon, Paul Scully MP, Richard Chatterjee, Rowenna Davis, Scott Roche, Sherwan Chowdhury, Shirley North, Shirley South, Simon Fox, Stuart Collins, Sue Bennett, Waddon, Woodside | 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

15% tax hike sends council hurtling into constitutional crisis

ANDREW PELLING on how Mayor Perry faces a humiliating defeat over his controversial first budget because of some less-than-clear legislation, while the borough’s councillors could be in for some very long nights in the Town Hall Chamber Cash-strapped Croydon Council … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Andrew Pelling, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Government to write off £540m of council’s debts, as Croydon becomes the Northern Rock of England’s local authorities

Tory minister Michael Gove asked to agree deal that wipes half a billion pounds from council’s mountain of debt After spending months complaining about council’s ‘unsustainable’ debt, Mayor Jason Perry is seeking to borrow another £224m Perry’s 15% Council Tax … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis, Section 114 notice, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Kerswell finally prepares to publish long withheld #PennReport

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s £193,000 per year CEO has descended into the realms of Alice In Blunderland with her latest excuses for ignoring elected councillors and the public. By STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s chief executive, claims that it … Continue reading

Posted in Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Inside Croydon, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, The Penn Report, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Fixing our ‘home grown’ problems has to start right here

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Having sought government permission to increase Council Tax from April by three times the nationally capped level, Conservative councillor JASON CUMMINGS sets out his reasons why We have all watched with a sense of horror over the last … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Meeting over Council Tax hike over-subscribed within hours

CROYDON IN CRISIS: All places at a public Q&A session about the Tory Mayor’s 15% Council Tax increase were snapped up within hours of being released – even though the council gave the event little publicity. By STEVEN DOWNES An … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The end is nigh: Brick by Brick’s final tower block is sold off

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on the council’s increasingly desperate efforts to flog off the last developments from its inept house-builder Flyover Towers, the final development by Brick by Brick, Croydon Council’s bankrupting building firm, has been sold as a … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, Jason Cummings, Property, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments