Have a read of this

[Link]

Croydon Council’s planning committee has had an application for a development in Purley rushed on to its agenda for tomorrow, its last meeting of 2019, with a scheme submitted from a company whose “development director” is married to a senior member of the council’s planning staff. (December 2019)

And this [Link]

The Croydon planning officer who recommended approval for 59, 61 and 63 Higher Drive was Jan Slominski. That’s the same Jan Slominski who left his council job to go to work for architects HTA Design. (These architects do designs for the developer on this development) (yesterday January 2022)

Maybe with local papers now online this kind of corruption goes unnoticed or uncared about.

COYP

They're all at it. Maybe some parties are worse than others, but often politicians are where they are due to their corruptibility and being open to influence from those who then have motivation to support their political career.

This particular planning issue stinks to high heaven but given that Croydon Council smells even worse nothing will be done.
Taking tress out that have either TPO's on them or that are in a Conservation area or that are shown to be retained is a serious offence.
Will anything happen - no - first because as I said CC is corrupt anyway and second - very few Council employees are working in their offices - still!