Tag Archives: Oliver Lewis

BHLive starts redundancy process for staff at Fairfield Halls

Posted on August 6, 2020 by

There have been unconfirmed reports that BHLive, the Bournemouth-based operators in charge of running the council-owned Fairfield Halls, have this week begun making their full-time employees in Croydon redundant. According to BHLive insiders, the move could see the Fairfield Halls … Continue reading →

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Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Councillor claims: We can’t afford to reopen Arena stadium

Posted on July 29, 2020 by

Track where Olympic stars Donna Fraser, Martyn Rooney and Lawrence Okoye began their track and field careers is under threat after covid-19, as senior council figure claims it could cost £200,000 to reopen Oliver Lewis, the council cabinet member, last … Continue reading →

Posted in Athletics, Croydon Council, Croydon FC, Croydon Harriers, Cycling, Football, Lawrence Okoye, Martyn Rooney, Oliver Lewis, Sport, Tony Newman, Uncategorized, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Virus sees council turn Fairfield into a £43m rehearsal space

Posted on July 12, 2020 by

Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports on how the council has belatedly come up with a handful of measures to see the Fairfield Halls at least partially come out of its covid-induced ‘hibernation’ A month after the venue management laid … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BH Live, Dance, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Music, Oliver Lewis, Savvy Theatre Company, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Newman’s claims over diversity miss the real ‘need for change’

Posted on July 3, 2020 by

Black Lives Matter. But in Orwellian Croydon, some matter more than others, as our political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports While many in England will be rushing off to the pub tomorrow, Tony Newman will be using a Croydon Labour councillors’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Callton Young, Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, David Wood, Jane Avis, Janet Campbell, Louisa Woodley, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fears grow at Fairfield Halls over operator’s unsigned lease

Posted on June 30, 2020 by

The Fairfield Halls may be in “hibernation” until next year because of coronavirus, but Croydon Council is now facing another crisis over its ill-fated £43million refurbishment project, with growing fears that the company appointed to manage the arts complex could … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Residents quick to see through councillor’s skatepark offer

Posted on June 20, 2020 by

The mounting anger among New Addington residents over Brick by Brick’s plans for “slumification” of their area has created a sense of panic among the cabal that controls the Labour group at Croydon Town Hall. With four council seats at … Continue reading →

Posted in Boxing, Felicity Flynn, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington ABC, New Addington North, New Addington Residents' Association, Oliver Lewis, Simon Hall, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Brick by Brick’s Theobald Road ‘Stasi prison’ now kaput?

Posted on June 9, 2020 by

Pressure is growing on the council’s house-builders to drop their ugly plans for a site in Waddon, after a second tree quality survey completely contradicted an earlier report. By BELLE MARSH, our prisons correspondent Brick by Brick, the council’s wholly-owned, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Environment, Felicity Flynn, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, Robert Canning, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

TfL’s cashflow crisis could make Croydon traffic jams worse

Posted on May 14, 2020 by

Our transport correspondent, JEREMY CLACKSON, on finance problems for Transport for London that could have a profound impact on south London Transport for London’s appeal to the government for £3.2billion to allow it to keep operating in the covid-19 crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, Addiscombe East, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Commuting, Croydon Council, Environment, Joy Prince, London-wide issues, Louisa Woodley, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Robert Canning, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tony Newman, Tramlink, Transport, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon is named London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ for 2023

Posted on February 11, 2020 by

Croydon has been named London Borough of Culture for 2023. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, announced the decision at City Hall this morning. The “prize” is an additional £1.35million funding from the Mayor towards the borough’s cultural programme. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Lamé Limited, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Mayor of London, Music, Sadiq Khan, Theatre, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council assisted £80,000 sponsorship for bankrupted art dealer

Posted on January 17, 2020 by

Having traded for years on his association with street artist Banksy, a gallery owner landed tens of thousands of pounds in public money for an arts festival promoting his business – even as he was being declared bankrupt by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Business, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Paula Murray, Rise Gallery, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Labour council backs scheme to encourage library volunteers

Posted on January 14, 2020 by

The council is “making it easier than ever before” – their own words – for people to volunteer to work in the borough’s libraries. A missive from Fisher’s Folly last week announced, “a new online system” that allows people to … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Libraries, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Unfinished and incomplete: where’s Fairfield £41m been spent?

Posted on September 18, 2019 by

And… Breathe! The Fairfield Halls has finally re-opened, with a gala concert planned for tonight. But after over-running by 15 months and over-spending by £11million, the refurbishment is not yet finished and is incomplete. Our photo-journalist, DANNY LEIBOVITZ, reports It … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Brick by Brick, CODA, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Paul Scott, Riesco Collection, Theatre, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Fears grow among residents over plans for libraries and parks

Posted on June 25, 2019 by

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on grumbling discontent among Labour’s grassroots members over their council leadership’s bungling, incompetence and lack of reliability Ollie Lewis, Croydon Labour’s cabinet member for butt plugs and shit shows, is to face a grilling from … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Libraries, Old Coulsdon, Paul Scott, Purley, Sanderstead, Sarah Jones MP, Shirley, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Library closures: Lewis forced to issue statement on plans

Posted on June 9, 2019 by

The Labour cabinet member who told the scrutiny committee that he ‘absolutely’ has plans to build more flats on the borough’s public libraries now says the council ‘currently’ has no plans to close libraries. Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Carillion, GLL - Better, Libraries, Oliver Lewis, Sanderstead, Shirley, South Norwood, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

CLP cancels meeting with motion opposing NHS privatisation

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

A constituency Labour Party in Croydon cancelled its regular monthly meeting this week – thwarting an attempt to discuss a motion opposing the latest round of NHS reorganisation and privatisation in the borough. Town Hall sources suggest that centrist-dominated Croydon … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Croydon South, Jane Avis, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Shhh! Four libraries could be flogged off. Don’t tell anyone

Posted on May 15, 2019 by

Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, on how the Labour-run council is clearing the way for more non-unionised volunteer-run libraries than the Town Hall’s Tories ever managed Croydon Council has been accused of secrecy again, this time after stopping most … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Broad Green, Carillion, Coulsdon, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, GLL - Better, Helen Pollard, Jo Negrini, Libraries, Norbury, Old Coulsdon, Planning, Property, Purley, Sanderstead, Shirley, South Norwood, Tony Newman, Upper Norwood Library Trust | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

£300,000 new book fund just a start to revive public libraries

Posted on April 20, 2019 by

Our bookish gyms correspondent, GENE BRODIE, on how an announcement of a 9% increase on not very much leaves a long way to go to stock the borough’s library shelves The council’s somewhat dubious practice of telling only half of … Continue reading →

Posted in Carillion, Croydon Council, Libraries, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Croydon to get £1m from Mayor’s ‘gentrification premium’

Posted on December 21, 2018 by

Croydon has been named as one of London’s six Creative Enterprise Zones, part of the Mayor of London’s initiative to support artists and creative businesses, and develop skills and jobs for Londoners. Croydon has been awarded just £500,000, from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cabinet member says Brick by Brick could build on libraries

Posted on December 20, 2018 by

GENE BRODIE, our bookish gyms correspondent, on the latest inadvertent slip by a council cabinet member which betrays the next possible target for the council’s ‘award-winning’ house-builders Brick by Brick’s insatiable appetite for turning public property into mainly private flats … Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Carillion, Housing, Joy Prince, Libraries, Oliver Lewis, Planning, Selsdon & Ballards, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fairfield Halls chief tells councillors not to ask questions

Posted on December 19, 2018 by

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on how the manager hired to run the Fairfield Halls won’t tolerate questions about the venue from the borough’s elected representatives Neil Chandler, the former cruise ship entertainments officer who has been placed in charge … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Joy to the world: Please don’t wreck our Arnhem Gallery

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on a rare outbreak of critical thinking in the council chamber, as one councillor spells out for the Fairfield Halls management the blatant imbecility of one of their proposed name changes At last, a Labour councillor … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Joy Prince, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Three Croydon high streets among ‘unhealthiest’ in London

Posted on November 3, 2018 by

Another day, another survey that demonstrates that Croydon is slowly deteriorating into decay, poverty and neglect. The Royal Society of Public Health published a list of “Unhealthiest Streets” this week, and Croydon was the only borough that had three entries … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Environment, Fiona Twycross, Health, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, New Addington, New Addington North, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Sadiq Khan, Simon Hall, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Butt-plug art ‘Not everyone’s cup of tea’, says councillor

Posted on October 17, 2018 by

A month since Inside Croydon revealed how the Arts Council and Croydon Council had jointly put up £48,000 of public money in grants for an arts festival which included an act that sought to “demystify the anus” and another where … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Murder on the dance floor as Newman checks who’s in step

Posted on April 20, 2016 by

Ignore the pointless “debate” on the EU referendum and badly sung versions of Land of Hope and Glory. Monday’s council meeting was in fact a thinly disguised contest to judge the performances in the Town Hall chamber of some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Kathy Bee, Mark Watson, Mayor of London, Nathan Elvery, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, South Norwood, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Toni Letts, Tony Newman, Vidhi Mohan, Wayne Lawlor, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

House on King Henry’s Drive lights up New Addington

Posted on December 23, 2015 by

A house on King Henry’s Drive has been declared the winner of the 2015 New Addington best Christmas lights display.

Posted in Carole Bonner, Fieldway, Louisa Woodley, New Addington, Oliver Lewis, Simon Hall | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment