NOT-SO-SPECIAL ELECTION SPECIAL: Here’s the full results of Thursday’s council by-elections in Kenley, Park Hill and Whitgift ward, New Addington North, South Norwood and Woodside
Gone, but not forgotten: Tony Newman
The results of five council by-elections held on Thursday were announced yesterday, as a Croydon council election count was held for the first time ever outside the borough – with council staff conducting the count at Olympia, in parallel to the London Mayor and Assembly counts.
The by-elections were called following the resignations of five councillors, three Labour and two Conservative.
They included Tony Newman, the discredited former leader of the council, and Simon Hall, Newman’s cabinet member for finances, who both stood down a year early after also being suspended by the Labour Party over their parts in the financial collapse of the council.
The results mean that there is no change to the composition of the council from the 41-29 council seats established at the 2018 local elections.
The next borough-wide local elections are due to be held in May 2022, when it is expected that there will also be a vote to elect Croydon’s first directly-elected Mayor.
Result of the Kenley ward by-election held on May 6, 2021
Result of the Park Hill and Whitgift ward by-election held on May 6, 2021
Result of the New Addington North ward by-election held on May 6, 2021
Result of the South Norwood ward by-election held on May 6, 2021
Result of the Woodside ward by-election held on May 6, 2021
Read more: Will South Norwood and Woodside ask the sensible question?
Read more: Newman and Hall resign as councillors claiming a ‘witchhunt’
Read more: Aide to MP Reed selected for South Norwood by-election
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Curious that the turnout was so low for the Labour wins?
Not really. If you are a Labour supporter, would you go out to vote for Croydon Labour under current circumstances? If you were one of the new members buoyed with enthusiasm from 2015 to 2017 by the Magic Grandad, would you bother at the moment?
If Labour was not getting out its core vote (how many non-councillors did you ever see in all those election selfies?), that disaffection may explain the swings to the Tories in the Labour-held wards.
Labour turn out was low due to disaffection with the party in general. Plus the fact that the Labour council was responsible for the Council going bankrupt last year. Now the council needs to repay the government bail out loan. Consequently local taxes went up to the maximum allowed.
Only a year to go, why couldn’t they just all resign?
So true blue Kenley wants to move away from true Tory politics now that Boris is a liability
Anyone surprised?
To be fair, John, Jason Perry – a thousand words and not a single idea – the local Tory leader who voted for the Labour council budget in 2019 and 2020, might be the bigger liability in the Mayoral election in May.