Tag Archives: Liberal Democrats

Call for Tory Mayor to resign after Government’s takeover

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Reaction to yesterday’s Government announcement that the Whitehall-appointed improvement panel will effectively take over the running of the cash-strapped council has met with near-universal criticism There have been calls for Jason Perry to resign as Mayor after … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

You can depend on Croydon Labour: they always let you down

By STEVEN DOWNES, Editor, Inside Croydon In the end, it was all so sadly predictable. Yet even old cynics didn’t believe it was really going to happen in such a swift and shabby manner until they actually saw it all … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Janet Campbell, Karen Jewitt, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Patricia Hay-Justice, Ria Patel, Stuart King, Tamar Nwafor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Only three councillors were as good as their word and stood up for the people against Tory Mayor Perry’s 15% Council Tax hike

In the end, after hours of bluster and posturing, just three of the borough’s 70 councillors stood up for the residents that they represent and were as good as their word, voting against the Conservative Mayor’s budget and his 15per … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Esther Sutton, Ria Patel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Perry says there’s no alternative to his budget. But there’s lots

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Former Conservative MP and Labour councillor ANDREW PELLING, pictured right, an independent candidate in last year’s mayoral election, says that the Mayor has broken a fundamental promise to the borough’s residents  Mayor Jason Perry has adopted a ham-fisted … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

‘Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay’ to start if 15% tax hike goes through

WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, on what could happen next if Mayor Perry gets his way over his unbalanced budget A senior source connected to the local trades union movement is predicting that if – or when – the 15per … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon TUC, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Councillors ready to vote against Perry’s 15% tax hike again

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Facing threats from the council lawyer, auditors and even Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, some councillors are determined to vote ‘in the interests of residents’ tonight, also knowing that they could bring down Mayor Perry. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Council error sees £250,000 in benefits overpaid since 2016

Incompetence from Sutton Housing Partnership and their law department has seen bailiffs pay a visit to Sutton Council offices over an unpaid bill. By our Sutton investigations reporter, CARL SHILTON Sutton’s usually sedate council budget-setting meeting took place on Monday, … Continue reading

Posted in Sutton Council, Tim Crowley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Green councillors tell Gove: Don’t make our residents pay for ‘a decade of bad decisions, dodgy deals and secret contracts’

Croydon’s Green Party councillors have issued an 11th-hour plea to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove for him to withdraw permission for Croydon’s Tory Mayor, Jason Perry, to impose a punitive 15per cent Council Tax hike on the ordinary people of … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council heat network hits customers with 25% price increase

A councillor in Hackbridge has said he is “shocked and concerned” after a Sutton Council-owned heating network increased its prices to residents by 25per cent. Sheldon Vestey, a Labour councillor, told Inside Croydon, “This jump in pricing is completely unwarranted … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Sheldon Vestey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 Nwafor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

If council budget fails to pass, expect a long night on Mar 8

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Former senior councillor JERRY FITZPATRICK looks ahead to tomorrow night’s key budget meeting, and previews what could be in store in the Town Hall meeting under an executive Mayor and with the balance of power between the … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 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

£540m debt write-off shows Perry has failed on finances

CROYDON IN CRISIS: His political opponents say the elected Mayor ‘has sold Croydon down the river for his own political reasons’, and his 15% tax hike is ‘punishment’ for residents. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s council has been so “spectacularly useless” … Continue reading

Posted in Callton Young, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The solution to Perry’s finance problem: Fund Croydon Fairly

When a neighbouring London borough, with a smaller population and less deprivation than Croydon, gets £60m more central government funding than Croydon, something is very wrong. ANDREW FISHER on what the borough’s Mayor should really be doing instead of heaping … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mayor forced to U-turn over councillor allowances increase

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Jason Perry blames council staff for a report recommending a 4.04% increase in allowances for him and the borough’s 70 councillors. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE Just a week after Tory Mayor Jason Perry got … Continue reading

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, General Purposes and Audit Committee, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Croydon’s 15% Council Tax hike: now is the time for action

CROYDON IN CRISIS: In the past day, there’s been an overwhelming angry rejection of the idea that ordinary, hard-working families in this borough should pay even more for the mistakes and incompetence of council officials and politicians. Which is why … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Inside Croydon, Local media, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Public’s furious reaction to Perry’s Premium Council Tax hike

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Go climb in a skip. No one’s paying that’. Residents’ outrage at Council Tax hike sees demos and petitions planned In the 24 hours since Inside Croydon broke the news of Croydon Mayor Jason Perry’s request to … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Community associations, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Pro-pollution Dombey re-states Sutton opposition to ULEZ

Environment correspondent PAUL LUSHION on the cynical games being played with people’s lives by some of the capital’s third-rate politicians Ruth Dombey, the leader of LibDem-controlled Sutton, today declared war on ULEZ, warning Mayor of London Sadiq Khan that she … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Health, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Ruth Dombey, Sadiq Khan, Surrey, Sutton Council, ULEZ expansion, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Conservative Mayor Perry loses 3 votes at Town Hall meeting

ANDREW PELLING reports from the Press Gallery on success for Labour, Green and LibDem councillors in opposing Tory moves to cut Council Tax benefits to old age pensioners and the poor Jason Perry, the Conservative Mayor of Croydon, lost three … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Amy Foster, Andrew Pelling, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, London-wide issues, Mario Creatura, Mayor Jason Perry, Nina Degrads, Rowenna Davis, Sherwan Chowdhury, Stuart King, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ignore ULEZ scare stories – it will reduce traffic and save lives

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Some 80% of vehicles in Croydon are compliant with requirements of the Ultra Low Emission Zone and so will not incur charges. If we want to improve London’s toxic air quality, doing nothing is not an option, says … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Health, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Sadiq Khan, ULEZ expansion, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Stripped of powers, absentee councillors still getting paid

CROYDON IN CRISIS: One councillor has turned up for just one meeting in six months. Another has been on holiday in Brazil for the last six weeks. But under the new Mayor, councillors have been left with little to do … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Mohammed Islam, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Town Hall meetings halved as new Mayor dodges questioning

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Tonight’s cabinet meeting has on its agenda the borough’s underperforming schools, the Westfield failure, Council Tax Support and council rents… in all, 24 items need to be considered at a meeting where opposition councillors will barely be … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Centrale, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Education, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Schools, Section 114 notice, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Voters looking for third parties’ assurance over reds and blues

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Opinion polls suggest that the Tories should have no chance of electoral success in this borough. But as WALTER CRONXITE outlines in this second part of a special report, ‘the Croydon effect’ of the Newman years has … Continue reading

Posted in Ben Taylor, Claire Bonham, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon North, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Esther Sutton, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Section 114 notice, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pro-pollution Scully to challenge Khan for anti-London Tories

The Conservatives in London, under threat of being wiped out as a political force at the next General Election (with the possible exception of Croydon South), are positioning themselves as the pro-car, pro-pollution party in a desperate effort to win … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Evening Boris, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Paul Scully MP, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labour’s ‘toxic legacy’ in Croydon proving hard to shake off

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Around the country, the Tories are in retreat thanks to the failings of their three Prime Ministers. But not in Croydon, where they face a neutered opposition, as political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports In London and in … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, 2024 General Election, Alison Butler, Chris Clark, Chrishni Reshekaron, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Mike Bonello, New Addington, New Addington North, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Croydon, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments