Sutton – Croydon Constitutionalists

Ashley Dickenson, Christian Peoples Alliance candidate for the 10th April Sutton Central ward by-election

Ashley Dickenson is the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) candidate for the Sutton Central ward by-election in the London Borough of Sutton. We spoke with Ashley about his decision to stand.

“I’m running to promote the Christian Peoples Alliance in this Borough and not least our policies that could benefit Sutton High Street that’s in this ward”

Can you introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us what made you decide to run?

I’m running to promote the Christian Peoples Alliance in this Borough and not least our policies that could benefit Sutton High Street that’s in this ward. For example, our turnover tax of 5% on turnovers of at least £85,000, offset against corporation tax, in order to reduce business rates that have cost us our High Street shops. Just earlier this month I read of an independent coffee shop, Tazza, that has been forced to close owing to the ‘chain’ coffee shops in Sutton. OK this is an issue that needs to be addressed at a national level but, if elected, this is what I would raise, given the opportunity.

On a more practical level: school buses! Given that more money has been raised through the ULEZ scheme, is it not possible that a % of that could not fund school buses to reduce school-run traffic and thereby reduce even further any pollution, to say nothing of increasing road works owing to the pressure on our roads. At one time the Tramlink was proposed for Sutton: this will be pointless unless there’s a re-vitalisation of our High Street, not least through independent and family-run businesses.

“At least one main concern brought to my attention is the site of the former B & Q on which it is proposed to build new developments called Chalk Green. Not least the increased pressure on one of our Health Centres”

You’re the candidate for Sutton Central. What are the main concerns in the area?

At least one main concern brought to my attention is the site of the former B & Q on which it is proposed to build new developments called Chalk Green. Not least the increased pressure on one of our Health Centres; the limited parking which means that homeowners who own cars will have to park (creating ‘overflows’) on nearby roads, adding to parking pressures.

“Time and again I have witnessed overcrowding on our regular routes by pupils. If our excellent schools had their own buses, this would go a long way to alleviating the ‘school run’ traffic”

What do you see as the major issues more widely in Sutton and if elected what do you hope to champion?

The housing issue as well as speeding restrictions. The latter as, if you’re going to have 20 mph imposed on some roads then drivers will increase speeds on other roads to make up ‘for lost time’ as it were and so risk accidents and breaking the speed limit, even 30 mph. Regarding roads, I refer you back to the need for school buses.

The benefits of a school bus:

Children are always on time
They can make new friends
Children learn to look after their things
Children learn about time management
Lower accident/crime rate against our children
Parents’ peace of mind.
It would restore the face-to-face contact between friends considering the enforced separation of each other since this pandemic started. As:

When children are being driven to school they contact friends via mobile or tablet. A school bus encourages more natural contact and would help reduce over-dependency on technology, as marvellous as it is. Though I accept that contact via mobiles will still take place, even on buses.

Time and again I have witnessed overcrowding on our regular routes by pupils. If our excellent schools had their own buses, this would go a long way to alleviating the ‘school run’ traffic. We have excellent schools in this Borough.

Also: leaves! They are not swept away as regularly as they should be and those that are left I take it on myself to use as compost for our shared garden. The more upswept leaves end up inside our drains they are blocking the same and so rainwater is not efficiently or sufficiently dealt with.

How can people find out more or get involved in the campaign?

You can find out more about the CPA at https://cpaparty.net/ and contact Ashley at [email protected].

Joanna Bishop, Reform UK candidate for the 10th April Sutton Central ward by-election

Joanna Bishop is the Reform UK candidate for the Sutton Central ward by-election in the London Borough of Sutton. We spoke with Joanna about her decision to stand.

“I felt we had been gradually suffocated by the red tape and regulations putting a strain on businesses and making the future seem quite bleak”

Can you introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us what made you decide to run?

My name is Joanna Bishop and I am standing in the Sutton Central ward by-election for the London Borough of Sutton. I have lived in Sutton for 23 years and the wider local area for my entire life.

I decided to run as a candidate having become disillusioned with the successive governments over the past couple of decades. I have always followed politics to a degree but I never felt compelled to join a party before. I started to pay more attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it struck me how badly our country was being run. I felt we had been gradually suffocated by the red tape and regulations putting a strain on businesses and making the future seem quite bleak. Nigel Farage has been on my radar for some time, and I have massive respect for his bravery in standing up and challenging the establishment. I read every word of Reforms contract to the people before the July 2024 general election, and it resonated with me in such a way that I felt compelled to not only vote for Reform but to get stuck in and help.

I have a burning desire to help Reform flourish from grass roots up. I feel like local residents have become so used to inefficient and sometimes incompetent councillors that that’s what they now expect. I would love to turn that around and establish a local support network where I can meet and speak with residents on local issues.

“Sutton high street is the target of shoplifters and local residential properties and vehicles are being targeted by thieves on a regular basis”

You’re the candidate for Sutton Central. What are the main concerns in the area?

Although the violent crime rate is low in Sutton in comparison to the other London boroughs it is still prevalent, and residents would like to see more police presence on our streets. Sutton high street is the target of shoplifters and local residential properties and vehicles are being targeted by thieves on a regular basis.

Local residents have been calling out for their council representative to be accessible and for their concerns to be listened to. I pledge to be a strong voice on the council so that the resident’s voices will finally be heard.

“The council needs to spend the residents’ tax more wisely and cut waste”

What do you see as the major issues more widely in Sutton and if elected what do you hope to champion?

Overhaul Suttons infrastructure. Reduce the mass of restrictions on our roads. Reverse the ULEZ expansion. Better transport links and affordable housing. The council needs to spend the residents’ tax more wisely and cut waste.

How can people find out more or get involved in the campaign?

You can find out more about Reform UK at https://www.reformparty.uk/, follow us locally on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ReformUKCroydonSutton and get in touch by emailing us at [email protected].

“local residents have become so used to inefficient and sometimes incompetent councillors that that’s what they now expect. I would love to turn that around”

Something Rotten in the Heart of Sutton

Philip Sheppard writes about our neighbours in Sutton.

Sutton, a leafy borough in South-West London, overshadowed by its larger neighbour to the East, Croydon, and often forgotten about by most people who do not know our capital city well. Politically, this is probably London’s most interesting borough. It was one of the few boroughs to have voted to leave the European Union in 2016, but since 1986 has been run effectively as a one-party state by the most liberal enlightened party currently in British politics (not).

The “Liberal Democrats”, scarred from the 2015 defeat of their darling Paul Burstow in Sutton and Cheam, are covering up one of the biggest scandals in Sutton politics during their rule of over thirty years, namely the construction of a huge refuse incinerator by Viridor in the Beddington North ward, close to the border with Croydon. Despite huge local opposition (the Lib Dems lost three councillors in Beddington North in the 2018 Local Elections to anti-incinerator independents) and a cost of £205 million to the taxpayers of four South London boroughs (including our native Croydon), the construction of the incinerator still went ahead in 2015.

Evidence had emerged of deals being done behind the scenes by a former Liberal Democrat councillor, who had a special relationship with the former Viridor CEO Colin Drummond, whose company landed the approximately £1 billion contract to build it. John Drage was a lifelong friend of Drummond’s and is also one of Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake’s main sponsors, along with his wife, Elaine. Incredibly, in order to encourage local support for the incinerator, Viridor donated around £275,000 to the Holy Trinity Church in Wallington in 2015, representing the third highest donation for any religious building in the country at the time. This obviously failed to garner the support of any local people, including fellow Lib Dem councillors. The then-Beddington North Councillor, Nick Mattey said: “Residents in my ward have been questioning why Holy Trinity Church in the middle of Wallington should get more money than any project in Beddington.”

This link, combined with Brake’s previous opposition to incinerators and the fact that the Sutton-based environmental charity Ecolocal remained strangely silent about the incinerator and its potential impact meant that the incinerator could be constructed without much scrutiny (apart from at the local election in 2018).

All in all, this shows the rot that goes on in the Sutton administration, which should not be surprising given the sly nature of the Liberal Democrats nationally. The sooner we can kick these charlatans out, the better.

Campaigning for democracy in Wallington

On Saturday 23^rd March, we were out in Wallington reminding Tom Brake MP that Sutton and Britain voted leave. Huge support for a WTO Brexit and making sure on Friday 29^th March we leave the EU to once again become a free and independent sovereign nation.