It took them a while but, finally, the two frontrunners in the race to be Croydon and Sutton’s London Assembly Member have agreed to take part in an online hustings organised by the Friends of the Earth’s Croydon Climate Action group.
Conservative candidate Neil Garratt and Labour’s Patsy Cummings were the last to accept their invitations to be part of the online question and answer session, being held on April 21, just two weeks ahead of the London Assembly polling day on May 6.
Climate Action groups across London have been meeting with candidates asking them to put the climate crisis at the heart of decision making. The Climate Action groups believe that local action is essential to fixing the climate and ecological crisis and delivering a green and fair recovery from covid-19 that benefits everyone.
The hustings events aim to give local people a chance to ask candidates questions and hear in their own words how they will work to combat the climate crisis on behalf of Croydon and Sutton.
Connie Muir, from Croydon Climate Action, told Inside Croydon, “Although the next Mayor can’t single-handedly solve the crisis, the Mayor of London has important powers they can use to ensure the city is as climate-friendly as possible.”
Croydon and Sutton is one of 14 London Assembly constituencies. The six candidates taking part in the online hustings are:
- Claire Bonham – Liberal Democrats
- Patsy Cummings – Labour
- Neil Garratt – Conservative
- Robert Poll – Reform UK
- Renos Sampson – Let London Live
- Peter Underwood – Green Party
Founded in late 2019 by Katherine Linsley, Croydon Climate Action has more than 100 members. CCA has asked the four main party candidates to discuss their plans and policy ideas if elected. and has so far met with Peter Underwood of the Green Party and Claire Bonham of the Liberal Democrats.
Both of these candidates agreed to take the following pledge:
“If I am elected to the London Assembly, I will make the climate crisis a top priority in considering all the Mayor of London’s decisions, and push the Mayor for tougher action on climate, as illustrated in Friends of the Earth’s Climate Action Plan for London.”
At the hustings event, candidates will answer questions from the public, including children, relating to the climate and the impacts on housing, transport, pollution and more.
If you, or any young people or children, wish to ask the candidates a climate-related question, email your questions to croydonclimateaction@gmail.com.
There won’t be time to ask all questions, but the event will try to cover as broad a range of questions as possible.
To register to attend the event itself, click here.
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