Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Lib Democrat mayoral candidate Richard Howard says Croydon requires radical reforms to address long-standing governance and challenges ahead of election.
The borough has been “dominated” by Labour and Conservative control since its founding, according to the former soldier and financial analyst, who thinks his party can present a “fresh vision” in the May local election.
Mr. Howard gave a candid evaluation of Croydon Council in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), highlighting areas that he believes are begging for “radical change,” prominent among them the need for more equitable and transparent planning and housebuilding throughout the borough.
“We’ve got to say, if you don’t have new families coming in, you don’t have young people in your area, then the high street will die,”
he said.
Additionally, Mr. Howard claimed that, with the backing of Conservative MP Chris Philp, development in the south of Croydon is frequently blocked.
He said:
“What we have seen from the Conservatives in the south of Croydon is they play to the idea that we don’t want our communities to change.
We need to have that discussion with them to say that if your communities don’t change, and if you don’t bring new people in, the high street will die.
It is not an easy conversation to have. The decline of the high street is a very slow process, but a new set of houses on their street is immediate.”
While acknowledging that some locals “never want a single brick laid,” Mr. Howard expresses concern about his four sons’ ability to purchase homes in the borough.
Although he bemoaned the turning of the borough’s family homes into HMOs, he contends that Croydon cannot continue to oppose proposals and then be shocked when housing difficulties intensify.
Mr. Howard, a self-described “huge believer in localism,” wants to use the Localism Act to establish neighborhood forums.
According to him, these organizations could influence sustainable growth that communities actually support.
Additionally, he suggests raising the percentage of local Community Infrastructure Levy funds that neighborhoods keep from 25% to 50%, claiming that centralization has diverted funds from assisting local communities to large-scale projects like Fairfield Halls.
Mr. Howard claims he has spent the last three years learning from his 2022 campaign against Conservative Mayor Jason Perry, who garnered 33,413 votes and 9,967 votes.
He feels that both Labour and Conservative rule must be decisively abandoned in Croydon.
According to him, “endless political bickering” has resulted from years of Labour-Conservative domination, when “constant point-scoring means everything becomes a political football.”
Mr. Howard contends that Mayor Perry has fallen short of his pledge, pointing out that there are no “spades in the ground” and that the approved plan, which eliminates hundreds of parking spots and incorporates senior care facilities, is not what the locals were first promised.
Mr Howard said:
“Jason Perry said he would open the existing pool, I know that because I was standing next to him when he said it. He filmed a video saying it needed a lick of paint here and there and that it could be reopened for under £3million.”
Additionally, Mr. Howard denounced the council’s “tragic lack of ambition” regarding Croydon’s position in London throughout the previous fifteen years. He claims that the municipality has been waiting for URW’s Westfield project to “bail us out” with a high street layout that was out of date when it was first put forth.
He contends that Croydon should prioritize experiences, culture, and nightlife over just retail because people’s habits have changed. He claims that Croydon should now focus on the arts and culture.
He jokes that all he remembers from the borough’s year as London Borough of Culture “was the giraffes,” referring to an art trail with vibrantly painted giraffes that was established in the town center. He wants Fairfield Halls to serve as the hub of a larger arts ecosystem with smaller venues surrounding it.
At the moment, Claire Bonham, a councillor from Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, is the only Lib Democrat on the council. He blamed the polarized north-south divide between red and blue for his party’s current inability to gain traction as they have in nearby Lib Dem-run Sutton.
He added:
“We get squeezed as a result of that and that is why I am excited to see how the election is going to go. If you vote for the same parties, please do not be surprised if the same things happen.”
In response, Conservative Councillor Jason Cummings, Cabinet Member for Finance, told the LDRS:
“Every major decision has been anchored in a four-year transformation and savings plan which is stabilising the council’s finances after the catastrophic failures of the previous Labour administration.
Mr Howard’s comments are ill-informed and irrelevant to the real work underway to put Croydon back on a sustainable footing. On Purley Pool, planning work for the new pool and leisure centre is well advanced, designs have been published, and delivery remains a top priority for Mayor Perry. Suggesting there has been no progress is simply untrue.”
The Conservative- led planning strategy in Croydon was defended by Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, who claimed that family homes and the distinctness of green suburban areas demanded to be saved. Rather of removing homes by well- established neighborhoods, he thinks new apartments should be constructed near city centers and on brownfield point.
Mr. Philp noted that Mayor Jason Perry now appropriately evaluates applications and rejects plans that would replace family houses with apartments, criticizing the previous Labour council for accepting “over-intensive” buildings.
While denouncing Labour for closing Purley Pool and missing post-Covid financing chances, he emphasized his support for initiatives like the £19 million Purley leisure facility and the new M&S in Purley.
Labour’s mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis said:
“I’m leading a campaign for Fair Funding for Croydon which would secure millions of pounds for our borough after years of not being given our fair share. Thousands of residents have signed our petition, and I think we’re going to win. I’d encourage Mr Howard to spend less time criticising and more time getting things done for local people. He can start by signing our petition.”
What specific reforms is the Lib Dem candidate proposing for Croydon council?
Enforcing a serious, believable recovery plan to stabilize and reduce Croydon’s debt, presently standing at £1.4 billion and projected to rise unsustainably. Introducing stronger fiscal responsibility and translucency to annihilate times of mismanagement and political dissension between Labour and Conservative parties.
Reforming the council constitution to reflect the mayoral system duly, perfecting governance structures and enabling further effectivecross-party cooperation. Promoting community- concentrated representation to more serve residents, inspired by successful councillors like Liberal Democrat Claire Bonham.
Reducing the political duopoly by breaking the dominance of the two big parties and encouraging broader, more effective political participation in original government. Howard emphasizes the need for” radical change” and an honest break from once failures to restore public trust, ameliorate services, and avoid government officers taking control due to fiscal collapse.