I am pleased that Labour's high level of activity in the Waddon community has been noted in the Croydon Guardian's letter pages columns.

Both I and my colleagues Joy Prince and Robert Canning enjoy keeping in touch with the concerns of local residents.

We appreciated the welcome we received from fellow Croydonians at the Wandle Park Community Day - an event set up to celebrate the spending on the park of everyone's money as taxpayers and lottery ticket buyers.

At the Wandle Park Community Day we seemed to use our time more usefully talking to local residents compared to Conservative councillors who spent time quaffing refreshments in a VIP tent protected from members of the public by security.

The councillors are not exactly glamorous Brad Pitt or Beyoncé types so I don't know why they need a bouncer to protect them from us, the general members of the public.

As the event was about maximising funds for the park I do hope that the councillors can tell us through the Croydon Guardian's columns that they have made contributions to money for the park equivalent to the cost of the security provided to protect them and the refreshments they imbibed.

It is, at the very least, hypocritical of Conservatives to suggest that they were abstemious about politicising the community day when the e-mail sent to Conservative party members in Croydon as set out below shows their very specific and determined effort to politicise the occasion in a highly contested marginal political ward:

" From: croydonconservatives@tory.org
To: croydonconservatives@tory.org
Subject: URGENT APPEAL IN WADDON

With just over two weeks to go to the official re-opening of Wandle Park on Saturday 6th July, we only have a short period to hand-deliver an invitation to local residents across the whole of Waddon.

This is an urgent appeal for you to help.

Two delivery sessions will take place this Sunday:
Date:                                                             23rd June
Times:                                                          10.30am and 3pm
Meeting point (both sessions):                  Corner of Whitgift Avenue & Haling Park Road

‘Two hour rule’ credits are available for either or both sessions.  If you can’t stay for the sessions we will have routes bagged up to be taken away (but they must be delivered by 3rd July at the latest)."


The two hour rule refers to a requirement that Conservative council candidates campaign politically two hours in every pre-specified time period.

Andrew Pelling, Labour candidate for Waddon ward