This Month of Remembrance was a time to honour all those who have died in conflict serving our country. I laid a poppy in Parliament’s Garden of Remembrance in memory of all Croydon West residents who served in our Armed Forces and made the ultimate sacrifice.

It’s also been a deeply worrying time for our Jamaican community in Croydon in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane. The efforts of Croydon BME Forum in rallying support and undertaking incredible efforts to provide relief have been unbelievable.

Elsewhere in Croydon, I’ve continued to be busy visiting schools and organisations across the borough, as well as meeting with residents and businesses at coffee mornings and a local police walkabout. I’ve also been pushing hard on a number of local campaigns, working to ensure our borough, and particularly our town centre, is a place we can all celebrate.

As ever, it’s been a big month as Minister for Policing and Crime – Labour is channelling money into frontline policing through police reform. I announced that we are cutting the Police and Crime Commissioner model, a move which will save us £100m to instead be spent where it’s really needed.

You can read more below about what I have been working on this month. As always, if you need help, want to raise an issue or share your views, please get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Budget Day Update

Last week, the Chancellor announced a budget that will deliver on cutting NHS waiting lists, cutting our debt and borrowing, and cutting the cost of living.

The 2025 Budget includes:

✅ Scrapping the Two-Child Benefit Cap – helping 4,680 children in Croydon West

✅ Increasing the National Minimum Wage – giving 240,000 Londoners a pay rise

✅ Freezing train fares – benefitting Southern and Thameslink passengers

✅ Cutting NHS waiting lists – resulting in 5.2 million more appointments

And we’re doing all this while sticking to strict fiscal rules – because we’ll never play fast and loose with your money.

Read more here and watch my video here.

Tackling Knife Crime

I’m proud to share that the Labour government has already made real progress in tackling knife crime. Knife murders are down by 18% in just one year. Since last July, 60,000 knives have been taken off our streets, including 48,000 zombie knives and machetes, thanks to this government’s tough crackdown. 

Every stabbing devastates lives – victims, families and communities. By removing these weapons, we are saving lives and making our neighbourhoods safer. And we are not stopping here. We will keep working hard to make our streets safer both across the country and right here in Croydon West. 

Addressing Care Challenges in Croydon

I held a roundtable event on older people’s care in Croydon. Following years of Conservative underfunding, there are lots of challenges to be addressed – but there are lots of opportunities too. We’re lucky to have some brilliant organisations here in Croydon; it’s important we work together to get this right.

Pride in Place Funding and Fairer Funding for Croydon

The Government has announced a £1.5 million investment to improve the places and spaces in Croydon that matter most, like our town centres and high streets. The Government wants the council to listen to Croydon residents on how it should be spent – so I’d love to hear your ideas. Share your thoughts in my survey or email me at [email protected].

Also check out my video with Rowenna Davis about why fairer funding for Croydon matters and how securing the same level of investment as other boroughs can improve our town.

Supporting Parents at Elmwood Infants and Nursery School  

I recently held an advice surgery at Elmwood Infants and Nursery School, where I listened to parents and offered support wherever I could. A big thank you to the school for welcoming me and to everyone who came along. I run regular advice surgeries to hear from and help local residents. If you or someone you know needs assistance or would like to share your views, please get in touch at [email protected]. 

Croydon BME Forum Hurricane Relief

Absolutely incredible efforts at the Croydon BME Forum, supporting Jamaica with hurricane relief. The dedication of 450 volunteers helped organise and pack donations totalling 1000 boxes of essential items and 20 wheelie bins of supplies. This is community. This is Croydon. Watch my video here.

Walkabout with Croydon BID and the Metropolitan Police

I joined Croydon BID and the Metropolitan Police for a walkabout Croydon town centre, meeting with businesses to discuss the impacts of crime. There are clear issues to be addressed but seeing local police in action working closely with businesses, residents and Croydon BID shows me that we are on the right path. This Government is reforming police, strengthening neighbourhood policing and deploying more officers across Croydon. Since we came into office knife murders are down 18%, showing sustained, targeted action makes a difference.

More Croydon West Schools Eligible for Free Breakfast Clubs

Half a million more children will benefit from Labour’s Best Start free breakfast clubs from April – and eligible schools in Croydon West can apply now.   

Eligible Croydon West schools include The Crescent Primary, Elmwood Junior, Winterbourne Junior Girls’, Paxton Academy Sports and Science, and Broadmead Primary.  

 This is real help for families: saving parents up to £450 and 95 hours a year, giving children a healthy start to the day, and targeting support to the areas that need it most.

Labour is investing £80 million to get this right, with the 500 new clubs launching in April 2026 and a further 1,500 schools joining in September. Check out the link below to apply – applications close 5th December. 

Meeting Anima Youth

I had the chance to have some great conversations with the brilliant young women from Anima Youth. Based in Croydon, Anima Youth provides much-needed safe spaces, guidance, and life-changing opportunities for girls and young women at risk of exploitation and violence. You can check them out here. 

November Casework Wins 

Since the start of November, I have received just over 1500 casework emails. Over a third of my casework, 35%, relates to housing issues, whilst 13% has related to local government enquiries – e.g., council tax and parking fine disputes and fly-tipping complaints. Many cases concern eviction support, unsuitable social housing and service charge increases. 

 Here are some highlights of the support we’ve provided this month: 

• We advocated for a constituent and her two children who were homeless and successfully secured temporary accommodation for them.
• A lady was facing eviction, and thanks to my intervention, she has now been rehoused.
• A constituent needed her GP’s assistance to complete a form for a council tax disregard certificate. She was mistakenly charged for this service. We raised the issue with the practice, who acknowledged the error and issued a full refund.

Commemorating Service and Marking Nine Years Since Sandilands 

This month has been a time of remembrance and reflection. I laid a poppy in Parliament’s Garden of Remembrance to honour Croydon West residents who served in our Armed Forces. At Westminster Cathedral, I joined the National Police Requiem – an occasion to pay tribute to officers who gave everything to keep our streets safe. Reading the names of the fallen is a humbling duty and a reminder that we must never forget their service. 

We also marked nine years since the Sandilands tram crash, a devastating tragedy that continues to be profoundly felt across Croydon. We remember those who lost their lives, those who survived, and the families and friends who have carried its weight ever since.  

Celebrating Women in Parliament: Proud to Join the 40% Project 

I was so pleased to be part of the 40% Project with the Royal Photographic Society’s Women in Photography group. A big thank you to Roey Xinqi Qiu for my portrait. She’s a fantastic photographer and it was lovely to work with her. And a big thank you to the lovely young people who were skateboarding in Wandle Park and agreed to be in the photo! The 40% Project pairs women MPs with female photographers to celebrate the record 264 women now representing 40% of Parliament. 

Redirecting Millions to Frontline Policing Through PCC Reform

This month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and I announced this Government is abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners from 2028. I am very grateful to PCCs for the work they have done and will continue to do for the next two years, but the model hasn’t lived up to expectations and we are in government to make the right decisions. Thank you to PCCs for their commitment to keeping communities safe. This decision wasn’t easy, but it will save us millions and see money reinvested into frontline policing. It is part of our ambitious upcoming police reform programme.

Respect for Shopworkers Week

During the Respect for Shopworkers Week, I visited the Co-op on Landsdowne road in Croydon. The Co-op has put in place brilliant partnerships with the police, and lots of measures to design out crime, and its worked, crime in their stores is down. But one crime is too many. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work – that’s why this Labour Government is bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker.

Visiting St Mary’s Catholic Junior School  

It was a pleasure to meet with the excellent School Council at St Mary’s Catholic Junior School, and to hear their ideas on how to better our community. I thoroughly enjoyed answering their questions across a variety of local topics, including air pollution, parking and homelessness. Additionally, it was lovely to hear about the school’s recent funding for green projects, and I enjoyed meeting the library tortoise!  

Backing Neighbourhood Policing 

I was in Cumbria this weekend to talk about neighbourhood policing and speaking at the Neighbourhood Policing Conference in Penrith. Cumbria is doing a great job putting more police in our neighbourhoods. I had lots of great conversations with police and the public about what’s needed. The government is backing local policing with £200m this year for more neighbourhood police. It’s what the public want and what we will deliver. Thank you, David, and Josh for your leadership. Watch our video here. 

Improving our town

Our high street needs cleaning up – and it’s everyone’s responsibility.

I’m calling on Primark’s CEO calling on him to sort out their shopfront on North End, which is run-down and unclean. It wouldn’t be stood for on Oxford Street, so it shouldn’t look like that here in Croydon either.

Meanwhile, I’m pushing BT to get rid of the telephone boxes on the high street, which are an eyesore and attract antisocial behaviour and crime.

I’m also campaigning for Greggs to extend new security policies to Croydon, in order to protect shopworkers and residents.

Tackling Rural Crime Strategy with Technology

I’ve seen first-hand the tech helping officers tackle rural crime. The new Rural Crime Strategy launch is a major step to protect Britain’s farms & countryside:

• More tech & data-led policing
• New powers to recover stolen goods
• Stronger support for rural communities

Taylor Swift comes to Croydon!

Taylor Swift flew 3,500 miles in secret to film a new music video inside the Whitgift Centre. First Rebel Wilson, now Taylor Swift – Hollywood’s A listers know Croydon’s the place to be!

Investing £70 Million to Grow Cadet Opportunities

This Government has committed £70 million as part of a drive to increase cadets by 30% by 2030. I met with the brilliant Croydon air cadets to learn more about the fantastic opportunities available right here in our borough.

Critical Minerals Strategy Unveiled

The Critical Minerals Strategy – which I helped to develop in my previous role at DBT – has been unveiled this week by Minister for Industry Chris McDonald MP. The strategy sets out an ambitious path to strengthen Britain’s resilience, accelerate clean growth, and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.

Backed by up to £50 million in new funding, by 2035 the strategy aims for:

• 10% of the UK’s critical mineral needs met through domestic production
• 20% delivered through recycling
• No more than 60% of any single critical mineral imported from one country

This strategy is a cornerstone of the government’s wider Growth Mission, and the Industrial Strategy launched in July 2025, which together set a 10-year blueprint for making the UK a world leader in technological innovation and a clean energy superpower.

A huge thanks must go to my small team for all their hard work, and their continued ability to get results.

With best wishes,

Sarah Jones MP