Men appear in court on New Addington shotgun charges
Volunteers defend Croydon soup kitchen after police accusations
Chelsea fan Jonny Williams admits Stamford Bridge clash will be 'special'
"I'm excited to go to Chelsea now," he said.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet. When I go there for the first time as a player, it will be special. I'm really looking forward to it.
"I'm not sure how many tickets I can get for friends and family.
"I probably won't be able to get many but we'll see."
Palace have kept four clean sheets in the past five games and go to Chelsea in confident mood.
There's no hiding the fact Jose Mourinho's men will pose a different test, but Williams says he's always believed in what his defensive team-mates can do.
He said: "I think our defence has always been good. Ian Holloway had them in shape previously and I think it's just carried on. There are no risks.
"We defend really well, and they're not exactly hoofed either – they're accurate, diagonal balls.
"That's really helped us to break on teams, and we didn't really take our chances at the start of the season.
"It was a fine line between getting a point and not getting a point against Tottenham on the opening day.
"It just wasn't going our way, but recently we've had our luck and it's been a great feeling."
Police: No plans to cut staff at Croydon custody centre
UPDATE: Man seriously injured in Norbury Crescent fire
Croydon's maternity services among worst in country says CQC survey but progress being made
New appeal in hunt for killers of father-of-four Trevor Ellis
Police hope 12 most wanted will be driving home to Croydon this Christmas
Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray: I'm aiming for end of January return
Thieves post back some of the xmas cash stolen from dying man
A TERMINALLY ill man was left distraught after a bag containing thousands of pounds he had saved to pay for a family Christmas was stolen.
But in a bizarre twist, some of the money and a valuable piece of jewellery were then anonymously returned in a jiffy bag.
Trevor Pollitt, who has lung cancer and is still struggling to cope with the sudden death of his 30-year-old son two years ago, withdrew about £2,500 last week to pay for food and presents for his family over the festive season.
However, the 67-year-old left his bag, which contained the money and a gold chain with boxing gloves on it – a gift from his wife worth another £3,000 – in a trolley at the Elmers End Tesco last Wednesday.
His wife, Karen, told the Advertiser: "He was picking his grandson up from school and stopped in Tesco to buy a few things.
"He put his bag in the trolley and left without it. It took him ten minutes to realise – he's really ill and sometimes not all there – and when he went back it was gone."
The couple, of Stroud Green Way, Shirley reported the loss to the police, but had little hope of the bag's return until a jiffy bag arrived in the post on Monday.
But the parcel only contained the gold chain, £900 in cash, Mr Pollitt's freedom pass and driving licence. His bank card and the remaining money was missing.
"Each thing was in a separate envelope in this jiffy bag so they really sifted through things and decided to keep about £1,500," Mrs Pollitt said.
"I'm so angry and it makes no sense. I would always hand something I found into the police, it's the right thing to do."
Mrs Pollitt has appealed for the person to return all the cash and her husband's bank card.
"We struggle as it is and really struggled to save that money for Christmas and now it's gone," she said. "Someone horrible out there has his bag without thinking about what it must be like for him."
She said the incident had upset her grandson Jordan, who just wanted his grandfather's bag returned to him at Christmas.
She added: "My husband feels like he's let me down at Christmas. We're only just getting over losing our son two years ago and now this happens."
Their son, Lee, was a well-known stable groom who was found dead at his sister Trevvena's home in New Addington in 2011 at the age of 30.
Police confirmed the couple had reported the lost bag and its contents last Wednesday, as well as the bizarre return of some of the cash this week.
However, they said they could not give the incident a crime reference as there was no evidence that someone had stolen the bag.
Push for East Croydon station revamp by 2018
THE pressure is on Network Rail to expand East Croydon Station by providing two new lines and platforms.
The council and Gavin Barwell MP are pushing for work to start on the project to coincide with the opening of the revamped Whitgift Centre in 2018.
The £1 billion Westfield/Hammerson development is expected to significantly increase passengers coming into East Croydon.
The concerns are that existing congestion at the station will become worse if nothing has been done about the track and platform expansions in time for the opening.
Croydon Central MP Mr Barwell, who was planning a meeting with Network Rail this week, said: "It is essential that we get this work done as soon as possible."
At present no money has been scheduled for the scheme in the 2014-2019 funding tranche, with much of that budget going towards improvements in the Redhill area.
In a statement issued this week, Network Rail said tackling congestion points at East Croydon and Windmill Junction, on the northern side of the station, were being looked at as the next possible project to follow the Redhill scheme.
The statement read: "The ideal time to get cracking on those is the early part of the next control period, from 2019-2024, as the area is due to have its signalling renewed then."
Bringing the two sets of work together is considered by Network Rail as the most cost-effective way of bringing about the improvements.
All the works are designed to reduce pressure on pinch points on the London to Brighton line, which Network Rail said "limit the number of trains we can run and make it harder to recover from delays when they do occur".
The statement continued: "We are working with MP Gavin Barwell and other interested parties to build the case for doing the work, and the funding to match.
"Our Route Utilisation Strategy will be published next autumn, which will have a more detailed breakdown of the work that is needed to keep this stretch of railway running in the next 30 years."
Mr Barwell said he would be lobbying for Government funding to fast-track the scheme, adding: "I want to get ministers down here to look at the situation."
Croydon man remembers Nelson Mandela's 'extraordinary humility'
A BUSINESS leader who left South Africa due to its racist laws has recalled his meeting with the country's first black president.
Deva Ponnoosami, of South Croydon, had a one-to-one chat with then-president Nelson Mandela in 1996, at his offices in Johannesburg.
The meeting was set up by Beryl Baker, who was Mr Ponnoosami's friend and Mr Mandela's personal assistant.
The 70-year-old said he recalled the leader's extraordinary humility, adding: "I arrived for a 10am meeting and he was on the telephone and his PA said he will only be a few minutes.
"When the light on the phone went out she said, 'You can go in now'.
"And then I walked into his room – all the curtains were drawn because his eyes were in a terrible state because of the chalk in Robben Island.
"And as he walked towards me he said to me, 'Beryl tells me you are a very busy bloke; I am so sorry to keep you waiting'. It had only been about four minutes!"
Mr Ponnoosami came to Croydon in 1962, due to apartheid rules in South Africa making it illegal for non-whites to study accountancy.
He recalled: "When you went to the post office you had to be in a queue that was separate from the whites – and you could have a long queue in the non-white section and two or three people on the white side."
Mr Ponnoosami now owns a rare print of an award-winning painting of Mandela which shows his face in the shape of South Africa and in the colours of the African National Congress. Only 1,000 were ever produced.
Recalling Mandela, he added: "It is unbelievable that anybody could come out of prison 27 years later and say, 'Let's let bygones be bygones'."
Blow for campaigners against Coulsdon car park development
DOCUMENTS relating to Croydon Council's ownership of Lion Green Road do not say that the land must be used only for the community.
The records appear to dampen local speculation to that effect, which has emerged amid a row over its potential use for a supermarket development.
The land is owned by the council which uses it as a public car park but wants to turn it into a Waitrose supermarket, drawing complaints over potential traffic and loss of parking. Several local residents have since claimed the council might not be allowed to do so, due to conditions placed on the land's use. Documents from the Land Registry show Croydon Council bought the 3.2 acres from the Secretary of State for Social Services in 1970.
The conveyance on the £8,330 transaction shows requirements on the council to put up chain-link fencing and other practicalities, but makes no mention of its use.
Nor are there any references to such a use in the title documents, also available through the Land Registry.
A spokesman for Croydon Council said the authority had leased the land for "a period of time" before the 1970 sale.
He added: "The land was acquired under the provisions of the Road Traffic Regulations Act, 1967. The Secretary of State did not impose any restrictive covenants limiting the future use of the land.
"Any future dealings of the car park will be by virtue of the provisions of s. 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 or similar authority."
Records suggest the previous owner as far back as 1878 was a J. Tucker.
Roger Packham, from local history group the Bourne Society, said the J. Tucker was most likely local farmer Joseph Tucker.
The plans for a supermarket and health centre in the car park, with parking underneath, have yet to be decided upon – although a target date was set for October.
Chelsea 2–1 Crystal Palace: Eagles dominate chances in narrow defeat at Stamford Bridge
Job losses and service cuts as Croydon Council loses more funding
CROYDON Council will have to cut £2 million in services – including youth activities and volunteering – as well as finding another £15 million in savings, to cope with another slash in Government funding.
More than 10 per cent has been shaved off the council's funding from last year, meaning that the authority has endured a 31 per cent cut since 2010.
In proposals going before a scrutiny committee on Tuesday, the budget for children, families and learning is to be slashed, with a £900,000 cut to early intervention, family support and integrated youth services.
Up to 35 jobs could be cut from the service, with another 13 at risk of redundancy. Investment into the voluntary sector will also be affected, with a £125,000 cut.
The chief executive's department is to experience a £1 million cutback, by reducing service managers and manager support, as well as removing £250,000 from its training budget. It also hopes to save £93,000 by axing the Your Croydon magazine.
In total, the proposals could cost 50 council jobs and put another 23 at risk.
Jason Cummings, the committee's deputy chair and Conservative councillor for Heathfield, said: "Cuts always need to be scrutinised, but people need to remember that Croydon has cut fewer services than neighbouring boroughs by making more efficiencies. Children's centres and libraries have remained open through innovative savings."
The plan also sets out how the council plans to save money without cutting back on services.
The budget for adult social care could see £5.9million worth of savings by changing care for the vulnerable and housing schemes.
Sean Fitzsimons, the committee's vice chair and Labour councillor for Addiscombe, said it was crucial to properly scrutinise the efficiency proposals to make sure they were not "cuts masquarading as savings", adding: "A saving is when a service is provided for the same number of people but it costs less. A cut is when the council stops paying for something. We need to make sure those differences are clear."
The biggest savings are likely to come from a £3million cut in the cost of the council's IT system, whereas one of the smallest savings at £10,000 comes from cutting ties with Arnhem – a town it has been twinned with since 1946.
In the proposals, a review of the council's care contracts will be made, a move which hopes to save £600,000. Up to 15 jobs could be lost at the council and another eight are at risk through the efficiency plans.
Where the cash will come from Care The council is currently facing a £1.8million overspend from the second quarter of 2013 although cabinet members are busy presenting a recovery plan to reduce it to £454,000. However, the forecast has improved from the first quarter due to a £800,000 sum from the Department of Health to cover the effects of winter pressure on social care services. A sharp increase in the number of children in need has resulted in the council spending £1.6million over budget, while the cost of children in care has risen to £1million in in-house fostering and another £1million in foster placements. The council also hopes to install specialist bathrooms in sheltered blocks for the elderly so that fewer need constant care or placements in care homes, saving save £250,000. Similarly, £500,000 could be saved by extending an initiative to move vulnerable people from residential care into supported housing within the community. The council also hopes to save £452,000 by increasing the number of foster parents looking after children in care. Environment Like Croydon's care contracts, the council has proposed re-tendering deals with the companies who look after parks and green spaces, saving £563,000. It also plans to save £247,000 from its green and food waste disposal. Health A further £500,000 could be saved due to the Health and Social Care Act 2012 which will see the council and Croydon's NHS clinical commissioning group (CCG) paying for services together. Education For children's services, £1million could be saved in special educational needs (SEN) through a Government education grant. However, the council also plans to save £280,000 by encouraging more children with SEN not to travel on council transport. Income Parking fines should boost council coffers by £300,000 while more fines for speeding or driving in bus lanes could provide another £185,000. The proposals also seek to collect £100,000 more by charging schools for their advisory education psychology service and £83,000 through its school improvement service. Cremation fees are planned to go up to raise just £14,000, while the council hopes to make £25,000 by charging for a scheme for vulnerable adults which helps them live independently and £30,000 for Careline, which wires up houses with emergency phone lines.Croydon's X Factor stars want homecoming gig
Millions of TV viewers saw the Croydon trio lose out to dreadlocked singer Luke Friend on Sunday night's live semi-final.
Rough Copy were eliminated having received the fewest public votes, after the four judges couldn't separate the two acts.
But despite losing the public vote for a place in the final, the boys have nothing but generous words for the voters who got them so close.
Sterling Ramsey, 25, who moved to Croydon around three years ago, said: "We are feeling good, man, feeling great; very happy. We are just so blessed to have got so far in this competition.
"It would have been the icing on the cake to get to the final but it is what it is."
Kazeem, 24, added: "Thank you to all the people that voted. We would not be here without them; it is them that put us here, so thank you."
The band's X Factor journey nearly ended almost as soon as it begun. Immigration problems stopped former Selhurst High student Kazeem leaving the country to audition at judges' houses, so the other two members were forced to perform in front of mentor Gary Barlow as a duo.
But those troubles have since been resolved with some help from MP Gavin Barwell and Kazeem said he is now free to "travel the world."
He said: "It was a little technicality we had last year and a bit of this year but it is sorted now otherwise I would not be part of X Factor.
"Mr Gavin Barwell – you know what, it was a little campaign. He did his best in terms of he gave us a little backing; a couple of letters to the Home Office, just to fasten the process.
"He just gave us a little backing and put a little politics behind it, do you know what I mean, but it is all good."
Sterling, meanwhile, has also made unwelcome headlines over claims that he left a job at William Hill due to accusations of stealing from them.
He told the Advertiser: "I did leave William Hill, definitely, but the circumstances were not correct.
"I left William Hill and that was it. I don't agree with some of the context that was said in the article but I am leaving it at that."
Referring to media attention on the boys' past, he added: "Everyone has their own history; everyone has their own past.
"People may have done something they did not want to do, but no one will ever know the reason why.
"But what I can say is there are things like that which change your life around; things that make you want to work with the youth and want to change their lives."
The boys are now plotting their next move, post X Factor.
Joey, who attended Croydon College, said: "The Rough Copy journey has not ended – the journey has just begun for us. That was one hurdle and now we are going to the next hurdle, so keep supporting us."
And they are likely to continue in the leather shorts and complicated get-ups for which they have become renowned.
Sterling said: "We brought that to the table. We had a meeting with the designer and said, 'This is what we are about,' and they agreed – they loved it. It was not like the styling team told us to wear it.
"When you are on a show like this you have to use it to your advantage."
Coulsdon's answer to Braveheart could stand in council elections
A RESIDENTS' association, whose leader wants to divorce Coulsdon from Croydon, could spark a political revolution by standing for next year's council elections.
The chairman of Coulsdon West Residents' Association (CWRA) says members want representatives tied to the area rather than a political party.
In an authority where the ruling party has a majority of just four, the move could have a big impact.
CWRA chair Richard Thurbon said: "One man can make a difference – there is always something one councillor can do or one councillor can say that will change the course of everything."
Discontent with the council has reached boiling point over plans for huge developments in Cane Hill and the proposal to build a supermarket on the Lion Green Road car park.
While the developments are broadly welcomed, many have accused the Tory-run council of failing to listen to concerns over how roads and schools will cope with the influx of people.
Speaking to the Advertiser on Wednesday, Mr Thurbon said the idea of the apolitical association running for places on the council had backing among residents.
He said: "People are frustrated that the only people listening to them at the moment are the residents' associations. The point is that people want to see a material change in things and if this is the way to bring it about and it is the right thing to do, then that is why we exist. If they want us to run for these things then that is what we will do."
He added his committee should be voting over the next few weeks on whether to go with the plan, which would require a constitutional change, before putting the idea to members.
The candidates would be the first the Advertiser knows of in Croydon to run for a residents' association rather than a political party or as an independent.
The CWRA manifesto would likely include a plan for the area to be part of Surrey rather than London and re-form the urban district council that was dissolved in 1956.
But its councillors would also campaign for the Freedom Pass, the popular transport perk for London senior citizens, to be extended beyond the city's borders.
West Coulsdon ward and neighbouring East Coulsdon are currently represented by Conservatives.