BREAKING NEWS: Bromley council leader Cllr Stephen Carr to attend debate as a panellist. Cllr Carr (Con, Bromley Common and Keston) was among the 1,000 people who attended the Picture Palace Campaign’s public meeting at the Queens in 2009.
Crystal Palace is getting ‘ready to rumble’ on Wednesday (May 7th) with a packed election Question Time cross-borough panel debate at the Queen’s hotel, Church Road.
The pre-local election event, hosted by the Crystal Palace Chamber of Commerce, will be one of the largest gatherings of multi-borough local politicians assembled in Crystal Palace in recent times.
It will be chaired by Jonathan Croucher a former City law firm partner and current vicar of Christchurch Gipsy Hill.
The debate will begin at 7pm in the Balmoral suite of the hotel. It is open to all local residents and traders of Crystal Palace.
Robert Gibson, board member of the Chamber of Commerce said: “The local community is very civic minded demonstrated by the attendance of around 130 residents in the Salvation Army centre for The Information Project’s event on “Who Owns Culture?”
“It proved that there is a lot of passion around the issue of Crystal Palace park. “We expect the park to again feature highly on the Question Time agenda, but also the funding shortfall for the Upper Norwood library which serves all five boroughs.
“Local residents not only have been raising the issue of the library but also the shortage of school places and the closure of children’s centres.
“The cinema is also sure to feature and issues like the housing crisis, traffic, parking, rubbish and the commemoration of the First World War are also expected to feature.”
Four of Crystal Palace’s five boroughs will be represented on the panel with members from four parties.
“Obviously the logistics of hosting a Crystal Palace-wide local event are not straight forward with a potential of five boroughs, and a myriad of wards and parties” Mr Gibson added.
“That said we are really pleased to have assembled a such formidable panel of committed local politicians and candidates. “We also expect councillors and candidates of other parties to be in the audience and they will be able to participate in the debate from the floor.”
The panel will consist of the following: –
Helen Hayes Southwark Labour councillor for College ward and Labour party candidate for Tessa Jowell MP’s seat of Dulwich and West Norwood;
Pat Ryan Croydon Labour Councillor for Upper Norwood ward, Croydon Council Labour Group Chief Whip, trade unionist (CWU);
Tom Papworth Bromley Lib Dem councillor for Crystal Palace ward and Group Leader of Bromley Liberal Democrats;
Steve O’Connell Conservative Councillor for Kenley ward, Croydon Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance Management, GLA Member for Croydon and Sutton. He is Deputy Chair of the Planning Committee;
Tom Chance Bromley Green Party candidate for Crystal Palace works for GLA Member And Chair of the London Assembly Darren Johnson;
Matthew Bennett Lambeth Labour councillor for Gipsy Hill ward and Labour Chief whip and Lambeth Council and works for former Lambeth Leader and Croydon North MP Steve Reed;
Graham Pycock Lambeth Conservative candidate for Thurlow also appearing on behalf of Southwark Conservatives has formerly served as a Lambeth councillor for a period of 12 years. A former chairman of Upper Norwood library joint committee.
Angela Wilkins Bromley Labour candidate for Crystal Palace ward and Director at Good Governance Foundation;
