Outrage as Croydon Labour Activist Brands New Addington ‘A Hole’

New Addington residents under attack by Labour

The Croydon Labour party is facing fresh pressure to apologise to the residents of New Addington, after one of its most prominent activists branded the area ‘a hole’. The comments came from Christian Wilcox, who claims in online comments to be part of the Labour party’s training team, triggered outrage on social networking sites.

Responding to the attack on New Addington, the area he grew up in, Councillor Tony Pearson tweeted, “Labour show what they really think about #NewAddington. They call it 'a hole'. Disgrace.”

Croydon Labour Campaigned for Public Toilets as Waddon Candidate Photographed Men Urinating

Labour Leaders: Tony Newman with David Christison in Waddon

The Croydon Labour Party ran a borough-wide campaign calling for the opening of more public toilets, whilst its leading candidate was secretly filming men urinating.

Writing in local newspaper The Croydon Guardian, Councillor Timothy Godfrey who represents the Selhurst Ward claimed, "Labour Councillors in South Norwood worked hard to find an appropriate site and negotiated proper toilet facilities in the Station. Only problem is that Croydon Council have failed to work with the railway company so the toilets remain shut.”

In another campaign, Councillor Pat Ryan raised awareness of public toilet provisions, "There was also a problem with drug users and people loitering about and intimidating others.”

The news comes as Labour’s flagship Waddon candidate David Christison is due to be sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court after secretly filming men urinating in the Centrale shopping centre's toilets. David Christison was, until his suspension, one of the Croydon Labour party’s leading political strategists, serving as Secretary of West Thornton and leading the group’s campaign in Waddon where he hoped to become a Councillor.

He is also a close personal friend of Labour Leader Tony Newman who co-launched a campaign to overturn the Waddon election in the High Court after Christison lost by 500 votes. It was subsequently revealed that Christison, who is on benefits, used a legal loophole as a benefits claimant to ensure the election petition was funded entirely by taxpayers, to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. Tony Newman was then photographed with Christison for the petition in the local newspapers, the pair were dressed smartly in suits.

But Labour will today be facing serious questions about how a man like Christison was able to reach the core of the Labour Party and have such influence over policy in his role in a Senior role as Secretary.

Many see the latest Labour scandal as part of a wider problem in the Labour Group, where under the leadership of Tony Newman, some of the worst and most controversial candidates in living memory have been put forward for marginal seats. 

Croydon Labour Sex Offender Charged Taxpayers Tens of Thousands of Pounds for Election Challenge

Shameless: Croydon Labour bid

Shamed Waddon Labour candidate David Christison used taxpayers’ money to challenge the result of a recent Council election, costing tens of thousands of pounds. 

 

Despite losing by over 500 votes, Christison used the fact he was living on benefits to secure legal aid and launched a high profile campaign with Croydon Labour leader Tony Newman to overturn the election result. The controversial legal challenge also cost Croydon Council over £10,000, money which could have been spent on better facilities for residents. 

Christison stood for Labour in Waddon in 2010 alongside Labour colleagues Hamida Ali and Joy Prince. He was a high profile figure in the Council chamber and often joined in debates until his arrest and Police formally charging him. For the 2014 elections, 

Hamida Ali is now standing in another ward, but Prince is standing alongside Andrew Pelling and Robert Canning. It is understood that Christison did not make the shortlist.

Croydon Labour’s Waddon Candidate Pleads Guilty to Filming Men Urinating in Public Toilets

Guilty: Labour's Waddon candidate with Tony Newman,
Leader of the Croydon Labour Party

Labour’s former candidate David Christison has pled guilty to filming men going to the toilet on 30 occasions in Centrale shopping centre, in Croydon town centre, between April 2011 and March 2013.

Police were called to the shopping centre on April 28 last year by security guards who said Christison was in the public toilets covertly taking pictures and videoing other men urinating.

He was pointed out to security staff by a member of the public, who had witnessed a man behaving strangely with his phone.

When police came, his phone was checked and a video of another man urinating was found.

The former Labour candidate will be sentenced on March 20 at Croydon Magistrates’ Court and his bail conditions remain that he is not able to use the public toilets within the Centrale Shopping Centre.

In summer last year, Labour Leader Tony Newman replaced Mr Christison as the Waddon candidate with Andrew Pelling, who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his pregnant wife, but not charged. 

Bullying Allegations Threaten to Derail Labour’s Croydon Campaign

Bullying emails - Senior Labour Figure in Croydon

A string of leaked internal emails could derail the Labour’s Party’s bid to retake Croydon in the May Local Elections 2014. The correspondence which has been seen in hardcopy by the Croydon Gazette and other national newspapers reveals a series of threatening emails directed at a Labour activist by a senior figure in the Croydon Labour party.

The emails – which have yet to be put into the public domain – shed new light on the division that has split the Labour group in two, wrecking campaign progress in key wards like Addiscombe and Waddon with activists refusing to campaign for key candidates.

The volcanic rows and split within the Croydon Labour party was underlined by the brutal and some would say suspicious sacking of the party’sdomestic violence guru Karen Jewitt. Ms Jewitt, who was well liked on both sides of the Council chamber was ruthlessly unseated by Hamida Ali, a newcomer and close friend of Croydon Labour Leader Tony Newman. 

Growing Fears Over Croydon Labour’s Council Tax Rise Rumours

Croydon Labour Council Tax Bombshell - Council Tax was Increased by 27.3% Previously

Hardworking residents were dismayed last night after the Croydon Labour group failed to support the Conservative proposal to freeze Council Tax and provide residents with a £25 cash rebate. Despite Labour opposition to the freeze in costs for families in areas like Waddon, Addiscombe and New Addington, the budget was passed by the Conservatives who were committed to bring down household bills.

There are growing fears amongst residents that the Croydon Labour group is planning one of its famous tax bombshell rises. The Labour group increased Council Tax on hardworking families in Croydon by 27.3% duringtheir last time in office, leaving thousands of residents worse off to the tune of £150 plus.

Croydon Conservatives Vote Through Council Tax Freeze and £25 Rebate

Hardworking people in New Addington, Addiscombe and Waddon and the rest of Croydon will get a free £25 rebate from Croydon Council and see their Council Tax frozen, thanks to a new policy from the Croydon Conservatives.

The move to save money for hardworking families in the borough comes as Croydon Labour faced questions over a potential Council Tax rise of 27% - a policy they implemented last time they were in charge of the town hall. The Labour tax rise policy, which was implemented in single year, left thousands of low paid workers over £150 a month worse off.