Tag Archives: London Assembly

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Residents scathing of report on Purley retirement flats

The fix is in. Council planning officials who describe the ‘harm’ that 220 retirement flats would do to Purley have still recommended approval ahead of a committee meeting next week. And there could yet be hidden costs for Croydon with … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, Croydon South, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Holly Ramsey, Housing, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Parking, Planning, Polaska, Polaska Assets Ltd, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Samir Dwesar, Selsdon Residents' Association, Simon Brew | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Surrey’s county elections postponed ahead of council mergers

Government steps in as it looks to create single unitary authorities, while offering a reprieve for London’s borough mayors, including in Croydon County elections due to be held in Surrey on May 1 have been cancelled, as the government prepares … Continue reading →

Posted in Epsom and Ewell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Redhill, Reigate and Banstead Council, Surrey, Tandridge District Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

75% object to revised scheme for Purley’s 220 retirement flats

As the British Virgin Islands comes in for renewed criticism for being ‘a magnet for… money laundering and tax evasion’, Croydon’s Tory MP appeals for public support for a development proposed by a subsidiary of a shadowy company based in … Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Housing, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Planning, Polaska, Property, Purley, Purley Pool, Selsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Age UK calls for Mayor Khan to act against Post Office closures

The charity Age UK has joined the campaign to save London’s Post Offices – including the under-threat counter service provided on Croydon High Street. The Post Office closure plans were revealed in November, with 115 Crown Post Offices to close … Continue reading →

Posted in Age UK Croydon, Business, Croydon West, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Post Office, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Residents’ associations reject developer’s revised Purley plans

Polaska’s 220-unit ‘later living’ development was deemed ‘wholly unacceptable’ by the GLA last year. Now groups representing hundreds of locals say updated parking proposals could be the ‘death knell’ for businesses in the area. EXCLUSIVE by PEARL LEE, our south … Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, HADRA, Housing, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Planning, Polaska, Property, Purley, Purley BID, Purley Pool, Selsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Council Tax proposal to hit Sutton’s disabled and unemployed

Sutton Council is set to introduce measures which will force some of the poorest in the borough, including the disabled and unemployed, to pay Council Tax for the first time. It is an effort by the Liberal Democrat-controlled council under … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Social Care, Barry Lewis, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry’s Purley ‘milestone’ could become millstone for Mayor

Revised plans for the development of the site of the Purley Leisure Centre have been submitted, with shadowy developers Polaska now offering 10% affordable housing within their money-spinning 220 “later living” apartments, plus 78 car parking spaces, as sops to … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Housing, Leisure services, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Polaska, Property, Purley, Purley Pool | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Police drop investigation into London Assembly Member Desai

The Metropolitan Police has ended its investigation into what was reported as “a serious allegation” against a senior London Assembly Member, with no charges or further action to be taken, lawyers acting for Unmesh Desai have said today. Desai, the … Continue reading →

Posted in London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

News black-out after Labour Party suspends Assembly Member

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Unmesh Desai, the London Assembly Member for The City and East London, has been suspended by the Labour Party following what was initially reported as “a police investigation into a serious allegation”. A spokesperson for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Tony Newman, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ghost of Brick by Brick comes to haunt London Mayor Khan

BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent, identifies some troubling similarities between the collapse of Croydon’s failed housing company and recent auditors’ warnings over a GLA-owned development firm A housing company established by the Greater London Authority which has received £300million in loans … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayor Perry could be ‘discontinued’ under devolution reforms

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, delved deeper into the White Paper on English devolution to discover a proposal which could end directly elected borough mayors in London, including Croydon Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner made a speech yesterday promising devolution … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

London police numbers face 2,700 cut, Commissioner warns

Sir Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, today warned the London Policing Board that the force in the capital is facing significant staffing cuts in order to balance its books. Sir Mark said he could be forced to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tories back Perry to have another go as £82,000 per year Mayor

Remember, remember, the fifth of November… There might be an election going on elsewhere today, but in Croydon the selection results are already in, and local Conservatives are standing full-square behind part-time Perry in his bid to remain as Mayor. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Garratt, Rowenna Davis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

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

Croydon among worst-hit by Tory gerrymandering ID rules

At least one-third of voters who were turned away from polling stations at the London elections in May did not bother returning to cast a vote, according to figures released by a London Assembly Member. From a Tory perspective, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mayor Khan says he’s proud of Londoners for display of unity

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has said he is proud of the way Londoners, and the Metropolitan Police, responded to the threat of far-right racist mobs gathering in the capital this week. At Croydon Council, meanwhile, the £192,000 per … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, ULEZ expansion, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Making our roads safer for pedestrians makes sense for us all

CROYDON COMMENTARY: City Hall and our borough Town Hall are being petitioned over a busy junction that lacks a safe crossing place for pedestrians, as PETER UNDERWOOD explains In my lifetime there have been major advances in road safety. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Peter Underwood, Ria Patel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

153 Met police officers faced misconduct hearings in 2023

The number of police officers who have faced hearings due to misconduct or incompetence has doubled since 2016, according to official data from City Hall. In total, 163 officers faced hearings in 2023, 153 of whom were facing allegations of … Continue reading →

Posted in Andy Brittain, Crime, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor Khan says he didn’t know Croydon trams need replacing

Sadiq Khan, after eight years as Mayor of London, has admitted that he was unaware of the issue of ageing and increasingly unreliable rolling stock on the Croydon trams network, after London Assembly Members highlighted recent “abysmal” service and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, East Croydon, Hina Bokhari, New Addington North, New Addington South, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Croydon’s Tory MP confronted: ‘Why should we trust you?’

It is not just Croydon Labour who are in ‘special measures’ with their national party officials, as alarm bells are ringing at Conservative HQ over the election prospects of ‘Congo’ Chris Philp. By WALTER CRONXITE, political editor Croydon Conservatives have … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Foster, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Park Hill and Whitgift, Redhill, Reigate and Banstead Council, Surrey, Sutton Council, Tandridge District Council, Waddon, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Pro-car Perry’s cycle lane ‘vandalism’ could cost council £1m

Susan Hall fan-boy Jason Perry, after operating a web page that gave encouragement to ULEZ vandals, is about to commit his own act of vandalism on a piece of public infrastructure that he has undermined from the start, reports JEREMY … Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Commuting, Croydon Council, Croydon Cycling Campaign, Cycling, Environment, Karen Agbabiaka, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Parking, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Scott Roche, South Croydon, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Tories facing ‘extinction-level event’, while Greens flip their list

Tory MP hits out at Susan Hall’s mayoral election campaign as showing ‘no aspiration for what is an aspirational city’, while Green candidate Zoe Garbett becomes a London Assembly Member through the back door. WALTER CRONXITE wraps up the election … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, Caroline Russell, Darren Johnson, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scully MP, Sadiq Khan, Sian Berry, Susan Hall, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The shifts below the waterline that require action from all sides

ANDREW FISHER takes a look behind the numbers from Thursday’s election and finds lessons for Labour as well as the Tories For all the “excitement” of Thursday’s elections, nothing much changed for Croydon. Labour’s Sadiq Khan remains London Mayor, Conservative … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Fisher, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Natasha Irons, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

In Croydon, Labour’s toxic track record makes it ‘no Khan-do’

After another two-day election count and too many coffees, political editor WALTER CRONXITE sifts through the detritus of Croydon and Sutton’s part in the 2024 London elections Not for the first time, Croydon kept London waiting. It was getting on … Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, Elly Baker, Hina Bokhari, Katherine Kerswell, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, Sutton Council, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments