Croydon’s Bashford Butchers Offer Festive Hog Roast

Tasty meat - the new butchers will serve hog roast

Croydon residents will be treated to a pint of real ale and a hog roast, at the newly opened Bashford & Co Traditional Family Butchers shop in Croydon, the Croydon Guardian reports.

The new shop, located at 136 Brighton Road, will give away free hog roast baps and roughly 200 pints of Western Brewery ale from 7pm to 10pm.

Speaking to The Croydon Guardian, Mr Bashford said, “My aim is to bring the butchers shop back to the high street. Coulsdon is an up-and-coming area and I’m excited for what this new shop will bring.”

Waddon By-Election Cancelled as Pelling Fails the Shortlist

Waddon - by-election on ice 

The much anticipated Waddon by-election has been put on ice, as Labour Councillor Andrew Pelling failed to make the shortlist for Holborn and St Pancras.

Local residents had previously criticised the former Tory grandee over his decision to seek selection outside of Croydon. One resident told TheCroydon Guardian, “He should return his very generous taxpayer-funded council salary and step down immediately so a committed candidate can represent the area.”

Thieves Steal Poppy Charity Box from Croydon Chip Shop

Heartless thieves have stolen a Poppy Collection box from Danny’s Fish and Chips in Old Coulsdon on Saturday, according to a report in the Croydon Advertiser.

The shop’s owner Danny Tevfik said he was especially upset given the poignancy of this year’s centenary commemorations of the First World War.

“Hopefully the police will catch the scumbag,” said Danny, who runs the award-winning shop with his wife Nursen and son Anil, helped by other full and part-time staff.

“I was gone out the back of the shop for five minutes and my wife was in the shop. The guy ran in, grabbed the tin and ran back out, towards Marlpit Lane.”

Police are appealing for witnesses.

Croydon by-election expected as Labour’s Andrew Pelling Targets Camden

CROYDON Labour’s flagship candidate has been hotly tipped to become the official Parliamentary Candidate for Holborn and St Pancras – triggering a costly by-election in the swing ward of Waddon, to which he was elected this May. 

According to a report in the Camden New Journal, Pelling was signed up to compete for the Parliamentary seat against other Labour big hitters.

A Tory source said, “It’s well known that Pelling was using Waddon as a stepping stone so he could get back into Parliament. His Labour colleagues must be very disappointed that they’ll be facing a by-election in Waddon because of his self-serving actions.”

Pelling, who threatened legal action against Labour colleagues last year, quit the Tories after his ex-wife accused him of assault. 

Croydon Labour Under Pressure Over Riots and Illegal Rave

Shocking: Croydon under Labour

BUMBLING Croydon Labour chiefs are coming under heavy pressure to explain why they were slow to act after a major illegal rave rocked the town and horrified local residents.

Conservative Councillor Mario Creatura heaped pressure on the local Labour leader by asked, “Can you tell us when you'll get the Post Office site secure and back into use? Do you have an ETA to calm worried residents?”

Another concerned resident tweeted, “Days after Labour take Croydon Council, we have serious situation in town. Clean it up Labour.”

Local copper, Inspector Dave Sutton of Croydon police told reporters, ‘Although the decision was taken to allow the event to continue while preventing further large numbers of people from gaining entry, police in Croydon will not tolerate violent disorder in any form.

Previously Croydon Labour candidates were ordered to sign contracts to prevent them from skipping work.

Croydon Labour leader Tony Newman announces of his first cabinet

Top Labour Team

CROYDON Labour leader Tony Newman has unveiled his top team following a sensation victory in the local elections. Popular Councillor Stuart Collins has been given the brief of Clean Green Croydon in a newly created post of deputy. Respected Councillor Louisa Woodley will oversee safety and justice, whilst a new cabinet role of transport and environment has been created and will be taken on by rising star Councillor Kathy Bee.

Meanwhile senior Councillor Toni Letts will handle the portfolio of finance, a challenging brief but one well within her ability and experience to deliver on. Councillor Letts, a vocal spokesperson on domestic violence has captivated the imagination of Croydon’s women with her emotional account of her own experience of domestic abuse two years ago.

But there are already signs of rumblings in the Labour group, with Ms. Letts’ appointment being raised as a potential ‘conflict of interest’ by one Labour blog.

UKIP Voters Hand Labour the Keys to Croydon

UKIP protest voters have helped the Labour Party take control of the London Borough of Croydon. Despite a flawed campaign with mixed messages, dodgy candidates and a record of increasing Council Tax by 27% in a single year, the Labour Group sleepwalked to victory due to a rise on UKIP votes, costing the Conservatives the critical wards of Waddon and Ashburton. 

Residents are now eagerly awaiting the formal appointment of the bitterly divided Labour group to see how it performs in office. The group has already called and emergency budget which will include costing an allocation of its supersize shopping list of election pledges. There are fears that delivering these promises on a shoestring budget can only be achieved by deep cuts to public services, a large Council Tax Rise or eating into the Council’s treasured reserve fund. History is a about to repeat itself

Labour on Course to Lose Croydon as Party Abandons Swing Ward

Colourful Character: Labour voters have failed to warm to Andrew Pelling

The Croydon Labour Party’s heroic bid to reclaim the swing ward of Waddon has spectacularly failed, with all resources being diverted to Ashburton. Private Polling from the Conservatives has shown a bounce in support for the group following its policy to freeze Council Tax and the launch of the new leisure centre.

Eye witnesses have told The Croydon Gazette that there are no tellers at the polling stations in Waddon, even in some of Labour’s best areas. The revelations fly in the face of Labour Leader Tony Newman’s recent claims that he has picked a ‘dream team’ for the area.

Rewind just two years ago during the Mayoral elections and Waddon was a polled as a decisive Labour win. All that changed when the group appointed controversial former Tory Andrew Pelling whose electromagnetic ability to attract negative publicity has derailed the Labour Party’s campaign.

A former Conservative colleague of Pelling told this newspaper, “Andrew will explode like a volcano if he doesn’t get in, he was clearly planning to take over the Labour Group, become a Labour MP and challenge Ed Miliband for party leader. Since he was caught secretly standing in Carshalton, Labour and the people of Waddon have been very suspicious of him and that has seriously damaged Labour’s campaign in Waddon.

The source continued, “If he fails in what should be an easy win for Labour, there will be question marks over whether he has lost his mojo and is actually repelling voters as a political liability. Croydon Labour need a winner, not a loser, and Andrew’s repeated political failures put him firmly in the loser category.”

Would-be Croydon Labour MP Threatens Colleague Over Ex-wife Claims

Chilling: Leaked emails reveal a libel dispute in the Croydon Labour group

He’s been billed by the Labour party as the candidate who can ‘put the fear of God into people’, and by the looks of these leaked emails, Waddon candidate Andrew Pelling is living up to his reputation.

So when lifelong Labour supporter Anthony Miller wrote a piece on an incident involving the former Tory’s ex-wife, he soon found himself locked in a libel dispute in a string of chilling emails leaked to The Croydon Gazette.   

The emails, which were sent by Steven Downes, editor of the Inside Croydon blog, of which Pelling is special correspondent, warn Mr Miller that he will now have to live with the consequences of his actions. Pelling, now a high profile Labour Parliamentary candidate is clearly copied into the correspondence but does not respond to the mail chain.

The emails expose the bizarre and powerful influence Mr Pelling has over Mr Downes, a former journalist turned blogger, who is not thought to possess any formal legal qualifications.

The revelations follow a string of disclosures in the Croydon local press that the Labour group is ‘in turmoil’ and tearing itself apart. 

Mr Miller refused to comment on the emails when approached by the Croydon Gazette. 

Conservatives Surge as Labour Become Complacent in Addiscombe

Keeping it local: artha Chatterjee, David Harmes and Lisa Terry

Three local Conservative candidates look set to unseat the complacent Labour incumbents in the crucial ward of Addiscombe. Conservative candidates Partha Chatterjee, David Harmes and Lisa Terry are set to defeat the current Labour representatives who have failed to meet the promised made in the 2010 election.

The aspirational area, which has benefitted from a rise in house prices and the re-development of East Croydon station is one where the shadow of Labour’s 27.3% Council Tax rise from 2003 is likely to resonate with hardworking voters on the doorstep.

With the Labour group’s resources and funding being diverted towards New Addington, which would traditionally be Labour safe turf, the ward is looking increasingly vulnerable to a Conservative surge, led by a pledge to freeze Council Tax and a £25 cash rebate to hard pressed families. 

Back in 2003, a politician who is now one of Labour’s own candidates criticised its “huge increase in Council Tax” which hit hardworking people.

ARREST WARRANT Issued for Croydon Labour Waddon Candidate

Croydon Labour’s disastrous campaign received another blow today after an ARREST WARRANT was issued by the courts after one of the group’s former Waddon candidates skipped sentencing for a holiday in Turkey. David Christison, who is on benefits, was secretly partying in a posh holiday hotel in the sun – when he should have been sentenced for filming men urinating.

The exclusive scoop was secured in local newspaper The Croydon Advertiser – a paper branded ‘The Sadvertiser’ by Christison’s replacement, the controversial Andrew Pelling. 

Croydon Labour in Turmoil as Senior Councillor Speaks Out Against Leadership

Under pressure: Croydon Labour Leader facing revolt

SENIOR sources inside the Croydon Labour party have publicly criticised the group’s disastrous campaign that is threatening to see the party walk into its third straight election defeat, The Croydon Gazette can reveal.

Senior sources within the group gave exclusive quotes to local newspaper The Croydon Advertiser revealing the extent of split within the group. The source said, “There have been many concerns with how the Labour Group has been managed over a significant period of time. Regrettably many of those strands are coming together at a most unwelcome time. The lack of unity within the party is diverting attend and efforts away from what is the major goal, which is to gain power.”

Labour leader Tony Newman has come under severe criticism for his mis-management of the campaign, which has seen the group AXE its only domestic violence spokesperson, Karen Jewitt, who had campaigned to protect women who have been battered by their partners. Jewitt had also been raising awareness of online abuse and how violent wife beaters have been using Twitter and blogs to attack the friends of their victims to isolate the person they are abusing.

A Tory source said, “The Croydon Labour group has said that it wants to make tackling wife beaters a top priority, but their actions show they are turning a blind eye to these monsters. Wife beaters are bullies and cowards who lie and cheat their way through life - Karen was the voice against them and sacking her sends out the wrong signal.”

Research should that wife beaters are using sites like Twitter to target women. 

Croydon Radio Journalist Hits Back at Labour’s Smears

RESPECTED Croydon journalist and radio presenter Bieneosa Ebite has defended her decision to confront a candidate standing for the National Front on her In the Loop show and has hit back at a vicious smear campaign orchestrated via the notorious Inside Croydon blog. Ebite, whose parents were originally from Nigeria, put National Front candidate Tony Martin on the spot live on air and had to endure comments about repatriation in a challenging interview.

The bold move won praise from some of Croydon’s politicians including Gavin Barwell MP and others who believe “these views need to be exposed & confronted.”

But that didn’t stop fellow Croydon Radio presenter and Labour candidate Andrew Pelling from resigning in disgust, an announcement delivered live on air by his close friend and mentor, Labour Leader Tony Newman. But the next morning, Ebite found herself plastered across the Inside Croydon blog with the station’s founder interviewed by the blog.

But today Ebite hit back at the smear campaign saying, “I have noted that a small element associated with an aforementioned blog site, has sought to smear the quality of my broadcasts and I believe that their reports in relation to this have been misleading. I feel their attitude towards me and my decision to interview Tony Martin has been patronising.”

Croydon Labour Leader Stumbles in First Leaders’ Radio Debate

Croydon Radio: Newman (Left) Fisher (Right)

Croydon Labour Leader Tony Newman repeatedly stumbled in the first Radio debate ahead of the Croydon Local Elections 2014. In the live interview on the In the Loop show hosted by Bieneosa Ebite, Newman went head-to-head against current Conservative Leader Mike Fisher in the first in a string of debates that will decide who governs Croydon for the next four years.

Labour’s Newman focussed the debate around Labour’s pocket manifesto entitled ‘Ambitious for Croydon’ but Fisher hit back claiming the document should be called ‘Ambivalent for Croydon’. On the attack, Fisher then said that the Labour leader makes a detailed pitch on what he wants to do for Croydon, but nowhere in the document does he explain how he is going to pay for it, accusing Labour of being dishonest with the people of Croydon.

Fisher then moved the debate onto Council Tax attacking Labour for increasing Council Tax by 27% and 36% when they were last in the Town Hall. Newman responded by saying that the Tories were obsessed with things that happened ten years ago, Fisher reminded Newman that the reason for this is that it was then that Labour were last in power.

Newman ended the debate by plugging his best friend Andrew Pelling, with Fisher saying “Let’s talk about Andrew Pelling shall we…” before the presenter cut the interview short.

The lacklustre performance from the usually booming and passionate Labour leader has underlined fears within the Labour group that its personal attack campaign is beginning to backfire badly in swing seats such as Waddon and New Addington.

Polling shows a close race in both seats with everything left to play for, but voters have become disenchanted with Labour due to its repeated attacks on the private lives, character and families of Conservative candidates via sites such as the Inside Croydon Blog, which Newman regularly writes for.

In one post, Local New Addington resident Tony Pearson is branded a ‘Pillock’, a fact that has not gone down well with local people in the marginal ward. “Conservative Councillor Tony Pearson is a decent, local family man who has lived in New Addington all his life and does not deserve this kind of personal abuse from Labour,” said one source.

*Listen to the show by clicking here

Lazy Labour Candidates Given CONTRACTS to Force them to Campaign in Croydon

Lazy: Croydon Labour candidates forced to sign paperwork 

RELAXED Labour candidates in the Croydon Labour Party are being issued contracts to ensure they campaign in the local elections, The Croydon Gazette can reveal. 

The official contracts are said to enforce a minimum of two hours of work per week and have been defended by Labour’s Chief Whip Pat Ryan. Ryan told local paper The Croydon Advertiser, “Getting elected and then ignoring their ward for four years is not our way.”

But the revelations will raise further questions about why Labour candidates in the London borough of Croydon need to be forced to work for their constituents. Labour have already selected candidates who live many miles away from New Addington and the contracts could be a way to ensure the candidates take a tram or bus journey to the area they are hoping to represent.

Responding to the revelations, Labour Leader Tony Newman said, “We have large numbers of candidates out on the doorsteps so this is not an issue.”

A Tory source said, “Unlike Labour, Conservative candidates such as local New Addington people like Lara Fish and Tony Pearson do not need a contract to force them to stand up for their area. They thrive on working for their local community and are proud to live in New Addington and serve the people of Croydon.”

Croydon Labour’s ‘Staggering Hypocrisy’ Over Pledge to Tackle Wife Beaters

Betrayed: Domestic Violence Campaigner before her deselection

The Croydon Labour party was last night accused of staggering hypocrisy over its pledge to make tackling domestic violence a top priority – after The Croydon Gazette revealed that the group AXED its domestic violence spokesperson. Last summer the party ruthlessly deselected Karen Jewitt, a Woodside ward colleague of Labour Leader Tony Newman, despite many years of service to her constituents.

Jewitt, who campaigned relentlessly against wife beaters, once said, “The threat or reality of sexual and domestic violence impacts on the lives of many women. A third of all women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives, and around 25 London women are killed by their current or former partner each year.”

“Violence against women - especially domestic violence - has been identified as a key issue in all London boroughs in the crime audits and community safety plans drawn up under the Crime and Disorder Act,” she added.

Conservative members were left genuinely shocked at the sacking of a popular and well-liked woman who had campaigned for some of Croydon’s most vulnerable women.

It is understood that Jewitt was campaigning specifically around the growing problem of wife beaters using social media sites like blogs to target the friends and family members of their victims – a strategy to leave the victim feeling isolated and vulnerable.

A source inside Croydon Conservatives said, “We have a zero tolerance approach to wife beaters.”

In January the Metropolitan Police revealed a 15.5 per cent increase in domestic violence. Jewitt has since secured her position as a candidate in another seat. 

Why Croydon Labour’s New Addington Campaign is Faltering

Community First - but Labour have selected candidates who live elsewhere 

National polling has indicated a sharp post-budget bounce for the Conservatives, a factor which leaves the local elections in the London borough of Croydon too close to call. The Conservatives and Labour are locked in a bitter battle in the upwardly mobile New Addington ward, with issues such as Council Tax and local candidates being key issues on the agenda of local people.

The ward, once considered safe territory for Labour, was rocked at the last election when Conservative candidate Tony Pearson was elected in a surprise victory. Such an outcome should have immediately set alarm bells ringing amongst Labour strategists who could, and should have ensured local candidates were put forward for 2014. The Conservatives, seeing the opportunity to take two seats from Labour in its home turf have selected local New Addington residents Lara Fish and Tony Pearson again.

The sense of panic is the Labour campaign can be seen with the relentless arrival of Shadow Cabinet Ministers in New Addington, with Chuka Umunna, Rachel Reeves and even Alan Johnson making guest appearances in the ward. But Labour have struggled to justify the credibility of its candidates, choosing representatives who live in Thornton Heath and Shirley. In a tight-knit local community, the line “Not living in New Addington, but able to stand up for New Addington” is seen as an insult to local people.

Under the leadership of Tony Newman, the local Labour Party has also toxified its once loved working class brand, by launching a string of vicious attacks against Tony Pearson, despite the fact that he is known and well-liked in New Addington. In one post, an article on a Labour supporting blog had a photograph of Pearson next to the word ‘Pillock’ attacking his job. Another alleged Labour trainer claimed on Twitter that New Addington was ‘a hole’.

It is a strategy that more respectable, decent Labour Party members such as Gerry Ryan and Stuart Collins would never either endorse of encourage, but under Tony Newman negative, personal campaigning has become central to the Croydon Labour Party’s approach to politics. Mr Newman has been asked several times to condemn or distance himself from the muck throwing, but robustly defended it on live radio.

Ask anyone in the Council chamber or the town hall who has found themselves on the receiving end of Croydon Labour’s smear campaign or on the Inside Croydon blog and they will tell you just how nasty and rotten the once respected local party has become.

But residents in New Addington are not fools and regard the smearing of one of their own as an insult to their community and their town. Croydon Labour have the wrong strategy, the wrong candidates and the wrong leader, and voters will punish them heavily for it on May 22.

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.