Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon figures Jason Perry and Jeet Bains face scrutiny after claiming credit for TfL’s Addiscombe crossings, sparking debate over political ownership.
According to KEN LEE, the same local politicians who have resisted the borough’s 20 mph zones, bike lanes, and other traffic safety initiatives are now rushing to claim credit for TfL investment in advance of the local elections in May.
Just in time for the local elections in May of next year, Addiscombe’s roadways will receive two new zebra crossings and traffic-calming measures at one congested intersection.
At least one of Mayor Jason Perry’s £40,000-a-year cabinet members could lose their place at Town Hall due to the growth of Reform Ltd. What perfect timing for his Tory-run council.
As he runs for reelection on May 7 and faces the twin realities of racist Nigel Farage’s stormtroopers, failed Mayor Perry, who promised to “fix the finances” but instead raised Council Tax by 33%, is doing everything in his power to try to salvage something, anything.
Since 2018, the two-seat Addiscombe East ward has been divided between the Conservatives and Labour.
Part of Perry’s drab and indolent “top team” is Jeet Bains, a management consultant by trade who once dreamed of becoming an MP. Planning and regeneration, two areas of municipal activity where Croydon has regressed since 2022, are under Bains’ cabinet portfolio.
The plans for Lower Addiscombe Road and Bingham Road are nothing new, much like the plans for Minster Green in Old Town, which were first agreed upon in about 2018 but have been belatedly completed in an attempt to claim some sort of success in 2026.
Pedestrian safety concerns along the A232 have been recognized and understood for a number of years.
Bains has written on “long-standing concerns” himself. Simply put, it has taken a very long time for Perry, Bains, and council officials to take any action.
Although there have been millions of pounds in ring-fenced pots of money available for some projects, money has, of course, been scarce since COVID and the council’s financial collapse.
In fact, the Addiscombe crossings have little to do with the council and even less to do with piss-poor Perry or his friend Bains. This is a Transport for London project, funded by their Local Implementation Plan. After all, the Transport for London Road Network includes the A232, which travels from central Croydon to Shirley.
However, it should not be shocking that Perry and his friends, who work part-time, are attempting to take credit for the money and labor of others.
Work is anticipated to begin in January on the following, subject to a final consultation that ended last week (three-quarters of people have already supported the proposals):
new zebra crossing at the intersection of Bingham Road and Lower Addiscombe Road;
new zebra crossing on Bingham Road across from St. Mildred’s Church; and
elevated intersection treatment at Shirley Road and Bingham Road
Two parking bays at the Lower Addiscombe Road crossing will be removed in order to increase safety and visibility.
“These locations were prioritised due to long-standing concerns about pedestrian safety along Bingham Road,”
Bains wrote, as he show-boated on social media to a local residents’ association in the hope of reminding their members to vote for him again.
The new crossings should be operational by March if everything goes according to plan. In the last weeks leading up to the local elections, unfortunate Perry and Bains show up with a council photographer just in time to take all the credit.
How have local residents reacted to the politicians taking credit?
Original residents have expressed mixed responses to Croydon politicians Jason Perry and Jeet Bains taking credit for the TfL Addiscombe crossing advancements. Some view the claims as opportunistic, censuring the brace for overdoing their places since the design was primarily funded and initiated by TfL under the Mayor’s Transport Strategy rather than the original council.
This has sparked debate on political power and translucency, especially as both figure ahead of the May 2026 original choices. Some residents feel misled by the politicians’ credit claims, accusing them of exploiting the design’s success for electoral gain.
Others believe credit should be participated with TfL and other stakeholders rather than sewed up by original politicians. The review highlights broader enterprises about politicians’ tendency to claim credit in competitive political surroundings, which can erode public trust if perceived as disingenuous.