Looking forward to Jubilee Weekend

This weekend will see thousands of events taking place across the UK, celebrating our Queen’s Jubilee.

From an early age the Queen showed us what sort of monarch she would be. Whilst in South Africa on her 21^st birthday she poignantly said: “I dedicate my life, be it long or short to the service of our great family of nations.”

During her reign the Queen has dedicated 60 years of her life serving our country.  She is currently the Patron of over 600 charities and organisations, over 400 of which she has held since 1952.

She has answered over 3.5million items of correspondence and every year hosts more than 58,000 people at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties at Buckingham Palace and Holyroodhouse.

Across Croydon hundreds of street parties have been organised and I am looking forward to celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee this weekend.

Croydon Question Time coming to Waddon

Tomorrow evening, members of the council’s cabinet and senior council officers are coming to Waddon to talk to residents about the issues that concern them. 


Come along and meet Croydon’s decision makers face-to-face where they will answer local resident’s questions on issues that concern them. 


The event will be held at St Andrew’s CofE High School, Warrington Road and chaired by the Acting Archdeacon of Croydon, the Revd Canon Dr Barry Goodwin on Tuesday 22nd May, 7.30pm to 9pm. 


Refreshments will be provided and to attend please register by emailing: communications@croydon.gov.uk or simply turn up on the night. However, as space is limited places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 


For more information please click here 

Waddon Gets a Spring Clean

This afternoon, Waddon residents came together for a special Love Waddon action day. Having grown up in and been to school in the area, I know the people and hardworking spirit that runs through the community very well. As always with Waddon events, there was huge turnout as many house proud neighbours came out in force to give the area a tidy up and help out their fellow residents.

When I arrived things were starting to get underway. We had face painting sessions for the children, skips for waste and many volunteers helping out residents who are elderly and disabled.

Helping out - residents working together

What struck me most about this event is just how happy Waddon residents are to help out their neighbours and work together to improve their local area. You really have to see it on the ground to understand what a thriving place the ward really is. Having grown up, gone to school and got married in the Hilton in Waddon, it’s always been a special place to represent and a flagship area for our town.

But Waddon has much more to look forward to over the coming months, as it won’t be long before the leisure centre with swimming pool, gym and other state of the art features is up and running.

Working together with an unbreakable community spirit, our ward will continue to be an extra special place to live and work in.

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Love Waddon Clean Up

This Saturday Croydon Council is organising a community clean up event throughout the Waddon estate, centred around Houlder Crescent. It will provide a chance for all residents to come together and give the area a spring clean.

It will focus on clearing gardens of unwanted rubbish and the local garden centre has kindly donated items such as plants, seeds, potting compost and pots for people to use in their gardens.

Along with the clean up there will be:

- Free skips for rubbish clearance

- Volunteers to help the elderly and disabled tidy their gardens

- Refreshments at St George’s Church, Barrow Road

- Face painting

- Garden competition

- Vouchers and goodies from local garden centre

- Swap shop- bring unwanted items to exchange

I hope to see you at the clean up as it will be a chance for lots of residents to come together and help improve Waddon.

Why Croydon Backed Boris

Croydon strongly backed Boris Johnson for a second term as London Mayor, by a significantly greater margin than Londoners as a whole. Croydon Conservatives have examined why that might have been and set out, for the record, what Boris has promised to do to make Croydonians’ lives better. The choice, for many, was straightforward: a Conservative Mayor who has kept the cost of London regional government down and reflected this is in a fall in his share of council tax, or a Labour candidate who increased his cost to taxpayers by 152% over his eight years in office from 2000-2008. From a Croydon perspective, it is undoubtedly true that Boris has been a much more outer-London-friendly Mayor. Croydon saw little of the money spent by Livingstone in his eight years in charge. By contrast, under Boris we have seen: - a freezing City Hall’s share of council tax for three successive years and cutting it this year, benefitting 146,812 Croydon households and putting an extra £445 back into pockets - support for the local economy with a £516,000 economic boost for New Addington, sponsored by the Mayor’s £50 million Outer London Fund, and £23,692,342 in funding from the Mayor’s £70 million Regeneration Fund - investment in transport with two London Overground stations at West Croydon and Norwood Junction, transforming Coulsdon Town Centre and Purley Town Centre, investing £16.3 million to add six new trams on Tramlink, spending £1.4 million to improve local roads - support for local pensioners by reversing the previous Labour Government’s decision to stop those at 60 getting the Freedom Pass until 65 - restoration of green space including:         - planting 60 street trees         - 27 green spaces for residents to grow their own food         - Wandle Park has received £400,000 from the Mayor  - 1,000 more police across London by May and £132 million more investment under Boris. The number of Special Constables has more than doubled from 2,500 to well over 5,000. In Jan 2012 there were 1119 more monthly police patrols in Croydon compared to May 2008. Since May 2008, Croydon has seen a 5.7% reduction in the number of robberies. Youth violence is down by 11.8% and bus crime has fallen by 43% - an Olympic legacy: Boris has funded seven sport participation programmes in Croydon so far and 14 organisations in Croydon are receiving Sports Legacy Programme Grants to offer free sports coaching to London - Oyster Cards rolled out on national rail. After years of talk under Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson secured the roll-out of Oyster cards onto national rail in 2010. Croydon is the 13th busiest borough by Oyster card usage, while East Croydon station is the 13th busiest station by Oyster card usage - The introduction of the roadworks Permit Scheme in 2010, resulting in an average 17% cut in the number of road works. In Croydon 9.5% of applications by utility companies have been refused since the introduction of the permit scheme - Pedestrian improvements. £1.9 million improvement to Coulsdon Town Centre with better parking layout and improved footways and road-crossings - Bus route improvements. 22 bus routes in Croydon have been expanded and or improved under Boris Johnson - Cycle Funding. £25,000 worth of funding has been made available to Croydon’s cycling projects - 1,380 social rented and 1,010 intermediate – were completed in Croydon between 2008/09 and 2010/11