Tag Archives: Sean Fitzsimons

Croydon makes ‘Rotten Boroughs’ over £700k IT overspend

Nearly two months since a formal Town Hall investigation was begun into how one of the council’s most senior executives could hire a family friend on £787 per day without declaring their relationship, and the Borough Solicitor is still to … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Graham Cadle, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour councillor Watson opts to jump before de-selection

STEVEN DOWNES reports on the latest shift of power at the Town Hall Addiscombe councillor Mark Watson, an influential member of the council cabinet, last night stunned Labour Party members in his ward by announcing his withdrawal from the selection … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Andrew Rendle, Ashburton, Business, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Mark Watson, Patricia Hay-Justice, Paul Smith, Sean Fitzsimons, Stephen Mann, Surrey Street, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Councillor challenges Menta over secret viability report

The developers of one of the biggest town centre schemes have been accused by a Labour councillor of only wanting to build homes for the wealthy, and of trying to keep their viability assessment out of the hands of pesky … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Cherry Orchard Gardens, Menta Tower, Planning, Property, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Glamorgan pub plan shows it is asset of community value

The community want it as a pub, a successful businessman and landlord wants to run it. As KEN TOWL reports from last night’s #SaveTheGlam meeting, who needs more unaffordable flats in East Croydon? In the febrile world of rocketing land … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Community associations, East Croydon, Ken Towl, Planning, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

#SaveTheGlam: ‘Time to show the owners we’re serious’

The next steps to Save the Glamorgan pub on Cherry Orchard Road take place on Monday, with an important meeting at the Town Hall of those who wish to support the campaign. Following coverage on Inside Croydon in the summer, … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Fitzsimons: Councillors ‘naive’ in believing senior officials

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on how some at the Town Hall are beginning to face up to uncomfortable truths Croydon’s councillors are becoming increasing angry about the way they have been misled over the handling of the children’s services crisis … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Barbara Peacock, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Jan Buttinger, Jo Negrini, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

#SavetheGlam: Strong support for pub’s community value

An application to have a 190-year-old pub building near East Croydon Station declared as an Asset of Community Value will be submitted to Croydon Council tomorrow. More than 40 people turned out to express their concern for the fate of … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, ECCO, Patricia Hay-Justice, Planning, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Glamorgan owner submits planning application for demolition

Addiscombe councillors and residents who want to keep The Glamorgan on Cherry Orchard Road as a pub serving the community now face a race against time, after the building’s owners yesterday submitted a planning application for the demolition of the … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Planning, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

#SavetheGlam: Addiscombe pub’s in the last chance saloon

Addiscombe councillors have organised a meeting for next Monday to discuss how locals can save their local: The Glamorgan pub on Cherry Orchard Road. Residents and councillors want to consider getting the building declared as an Asset of Community Value … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, East Croydon, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

£180m Fairfield operator contract is called-in for scrutiny

Fifteen Conservative councillors signed official forms to call-in the decision to award the operator contract for the Fairfield Halls, a move which some fear might delay the appointment process, and others have described as petty political point-scoring. The matter will … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Chris Philp MP, Chris Wright, Donald Speakman, Dudley Mead, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Gavin Barwell, Helen Pollard, James Thompson, Jan Buttinger, Jason Cummings, Jeet Bains, Lynne Hale, Margaret Mead, Maria Gatland, Mario Creatura, Sean Fitzsimons, Tim Pollard, Timothy Godfrey, Yvette Hopley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Labour worried by ‘Frankenstein monster’ boundary proposals

There’s a growing agreement at Croydon Town Hall that Paul Scott could prove to be the architect of Labour’s demise at the next local elections. The Woodside councillor, an architect by profession with a busy London practice, is one-quarter of … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Addiscombe West, Ashburton, Community associations, Paul Scott, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council hands Hunt final decision over cuts to IVF treatment

The Council’s health and social care scrutiny committee has thrown a curve ball to the Tory government over cuts in NHS provision by referring the decision to end the provision of IVF fertility treatment in Croydon to Jeremy Hunt, the … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Andrew Stranack, Carole Bonner, Croydon CCG, Croydon Council, Health, Kathy Bee, Margaret Mead, Mayday Hospital, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No longer Taboo: Addiscombe gets signs of its East India past

Finally, after nearly a decade, it’s in black and white: the East India Estate Conservation Area is there for all to see on road signs in that part of Addiscombe. Special road signs were unveiled last month in the presence … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Community associations, History, HOME, Mark Watson, Patricia Hay-Justice, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council plans for ‘tatty’ Surrey Street market fail to impress

It was a long night at Tuesday’s council scrutiny meeting, but the wait for the “big reveal” of the £1million plans for the borough’s cherished market was a bit of a waste of time, as WALTER CRONXITE reports Residents living … Continue reading

Posted in Carole Bonner, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Helen Pollard, Joy Prince, Mark Watson, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Watson: There’s nothing council can do over £1.4bn Westfield

WALTER CRONXITE, who watches council meetings so that you don’t have to, on the latest Town Hall scrutiny committee meeting The council has no “leverage” to encourage Westfield and Hammerson to speed up the delivery of their £1.4billion redevelopment of … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Joy Prince, Mark Watson, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

East Croydon’s Bridge to Nowhere won’t be finished until 2024

WALTER CRONXITE reports on another foregone conclusion at the council’s planning committee, a decision which will blight development in the town centre until 2024, at least Croydon’s pusillanimous planning committee, under the chairmanship of Paul “Five Hats” Scott, last night … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Chris Wright, East Croydon, Humayun Kabir, Joy Prince, Mark Watson, Menta Tower, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Sue Winborn, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lycra-obsessed Tories forget their support for parks and ride

Croydon is the most unsafe borough in south London for cycling, according to a senior councillor. Not that anyone was at the Town Hall meeting to register the point, as STEVEN DOWNES reports If a tree falls in a forest … Continue reading

Posted in Commuting, Connected Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Cycling, Environment, Fairfield, Heathfield, Helen Pollard, Lloyd Park, Sean Fitzsimons, Stuart King, Tim Pollard, Transport, Wandle Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marketing is not so sweet for Cherry Orchard Road flats

Developers Menta Redrow are marketing £499,000 flats from a shed alongside East Croydon Station that doesn’t have planning permission, after the cheque to pay the application fee bounced. WALTER CRONXITE reports on the development’s latest controversy An application for permission … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Cherry Orchard Gardens, Croydon Council, Housing, Menta Tower, Planning, Property, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council returns £250,000 pupil premium and doesn’t know why

Cash-strapped Croydon Council sent back nearly £250,000 of education funding unspent to Government last year. The cash represents almost one-quarter of Croydon’s pupil premium, intended for some of the borough’s most in-need children. And probably most worrying of all, when … Continue reading

Posted in Alisa Flemming, Croydon Council, Education, Maria Gatland, Schools, Sean Fitzsimons, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alas Smith and Jones: Labour members get behind Corbyn

WALTER CRONXITE reports on the latest embarrassing set-back for the Croydon clique which yearns for a return to the “good old days” of Tony Bliar The ordinary members of a Croydon Constituency Labour Party, when given a chance last night … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Rendle, Carole Bonner, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Maddie Henson, Mark Watson, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed MP, Stuart Collins, Toni Letts, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tories demand Newman keeps promise on Fairfield report

Croydon’s Conservative opposition has renewed demands that the council leader, Labour’s Tony Newman, fulfills his public promise to release a confidential report from consultants Mott MacDonald on the multi-million pound refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls and Croydon College. The Tories … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons, Theatre, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council orders halt to work on Menta site over unpaid levy

Action. Of sorts. At long last. Residents in all communities tend to look to their council to represent their interests in matters of local planning and development. Simple things, to help balance out the pressure of Big Money, so that … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Cherry Orchard Gardens, Croydon Council, Gavin Barwell, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Croydon warns against creating “the slums of the future”

ANDREW PELLING, pictured left, reports from the Labour party conference in Manchester, where Croydon councillors are out in force lobbying for the borough With Labour eyeing a return to power at Westminster after next May’s General Election, it is of … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2015 General Election, Addiscombe West, Andrew Pelling, Boris Johnson, Business, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Housing, Ken Livingstone, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Sarah Jones MP, Sean Fitzsimons, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Labour looking vulnerable to Barwell’s Addiscombe push

VOTE 2014: In our latest profile of the battleground wards for the May 22 Town Hall elections, WALTER CRONXITE sifts through the signs of what could be one of the closest of contests – Addiscombe Whatever the council election results … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Addiscombe West, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, Mark Watson, Patricia Hay-Justice, Peter Staveley, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Questions mounting over political influence at council

There is mounting evidence that some of Croydon Council’s most senior officials are behaving in a dubious manner in respect of the local elections later this month, when they have tens of thousands of pounds of public money at their … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Addiscombe West, Anthony Brooks, Coulsdon Town, Croydon Central, Fly tipping, Gavin Barwell, Julie Belvir, Mark Watson, Nathan Elvery, Patricia Hay-Justice, Peter Staveley, Phil Thomas, Refuse collection, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments