No overall control.
After weeks of campaigning, all the voting and, eventually, all the counting was concluded three days after the polls closed, the final results of the 2022 Croydon local elections were in. With the borough’s first Green councillors elected in Fairfield, and its first Liberal Democrat in 20 years chosen by the voters in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, and the Tories making gains in New Addington and Waddon, Labour had lost the Town Hall majority it had held since 2014.
LAB 34 (-7)
CON 32 (+3)
GRN 2 (+2)
LIB 1 (+1)
*Plus one vacancy in South Croydon as a result of the election of Jason Perry as Croydon Mayor
Of course, the number of councillors representing a particular party now is relatively moot, since the real power at the council lies in the hands of the borough’s first elected Mayor, Jason Perry. It will take a two-thirds majority of the borough’s councillors – 47 – to overturn any policies and decisions which the Mayor puts forward, and that will require some serious defections among Perry’s Conservative colleagues for that to happen.
Here, then, are the results from all 28 of Croydon’s wards, as finally declared on May 8, 2022:
Park Hill and Whitgift
Jade Appleton (CON) has been elected. Turnout was 42.07%.
Appleton, Jade Nadine (CON) – 969
Cork, James Alfred Arthur William (GREEN) – 191
Erber, Joseph Thomas (LAB) – 424
Wagner, Caleap Rico (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 54
Zaborski, Szymon (LIB DEM) – 167
Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
Andy Stranack (CON) and Badsha Quadir (CON). Turnout was 40.90%
Douglas, Adrian Robert (GREEN) – 469
Hossain, Anwar (LAB) – 446
Kelly, Gary (GREEN) – 425
Quadir, Badsha (CON) – 1502
Stranack, Andy (CON) – 1964
Whitehead, Russell James (LAB) – 480
Sanderstead
Yvette Hopley (CON), Lynne Hale (CON) and Helen Redfern (CON) elected. Turnout was 48.36%
Buckland, Helen Glen Mary (GREEN) – 591
Clark, James Alan Ross (LIB DEM) – 718
Doughty, Laura Theresa (LAB) – 658
Duxbury, Oliver Jacob (GREEN) – 407
Hale, Lynne Carol (CON) – 3806
Hopley, Yvette Rose (CON) – 3826
Jordan, Annie Samantha (LIB DEM) – 705
Malarkey, Alan Nicholas (LAB) – 572
Muir, Connie Olivia (GREEN) – 465
Redfern, Helen Dawn (CON) – 3596
Rodgers, Tim (LAB) – 549
Wells, Edward (LIB DEM) – 510
Kenley
Gayle Gander (CON) and Ola Kolade (CON) elected. Turnout was 39%
Anteney, Michael John (LAB) – 376
Atkinson, Kristian Mark (GREEN) – 262
Gander, Gayle (CON) – 1720
Glendinning, Adrian Keith (LIB DEM) – 517
Halai, Shila Karsan (LAB) – 340
Horne, Benjamin Robert Joseph (LIB DEM) – 502
Kolade, Ola (CON) – 1712
Morris, Catherine Charlotte (GREEN) – 346
Selhurst
Catherine Wilson (LAB) and Mohammed Amirul Islam (LAB) elected. Turnout was 26.08%
Bowen, Shakera (CON) – 333
Cox, Alexander Graeme (GREEN) – 254
Dill, Francesca (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 164
Emmanuel, Amaya (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 178
Graham, Catherine (GREEN) – 291
Houghton, Daniel Frederick (LIB DEM) – 252
Islam, Mohammed Amirul (LAB) – 997
Stuart, Ian Hamilton (CON) – 341
Wilson, Catherine Maud (LAB) – 1026
New Addington South
Lara Leigh Fish (CON) and Tony Pearson (CON). Turnout was 26.82%
Barnett, Nick (GREEN) – 195
Fish, Lara Leigh (CON) – 905
George, Hannah (GREEN) – 188
Newton, Vicky (LAB) – 840
Pearson, Tony (CON) – 953
Taylor, Benjamin Justin Lewis (LAB) – 647
Old Coulsdon
Margaret Bird (CON) and Thampi Sherine (CON). Turnout was 45.79%
Bird, Margaret (CON) – 1999
Hickson, Gill (LIB DEM) – 1376
Jefkins, John (LIB DEM) – 932
Kilkelly, Mick (GREEN) – 209
O’Dwyer, Jason (GREEN) – 209
Sherine, Thampi Nikhil (CON) – 1555
Wolf, Mary (LAB) – 194
Selsdon and Addington Village
Joseph Lee (CON) and Robert Ward (CON) elected. Turnout was 41.69%
Bullock, Bryony Helen Morris (GREEN) – 360
Bullock, Matt (GREEN) – 263
Collins, Angela (LAB) – 649
Ellis, Anthony Scott (LAB) – 480
Lee, Joseph (CON) – 1771
Lishmund, Helen Elizabeth (LIB DEM) – 513
Semadeni, Jean Celestina (LIB DEM) – 254
Stiling, Zachary (HERITAGE PARTY) – 45
Ward, Robert Charles (CON) – 1695
New Addington North
Kolapo Agboola (LAB) and Adele Benson (CON) elected. Turnout was 25.63%
Agboola, Kolapo Aaron (LAB) – 832
Benson, Adele Desnos (CON) – 711
Castle, Michael (CON) – 679
Gillett, Alison (GREEN) – 172
Gobidaas, Sangeeta (LAB) – 653
Jones, Graham Ronald Geoffrey (GREEN) – 146
Shirley North
Sue Bennett (CON), Richard Rishi Chatterjeee (CON) and Mark Johnson (CON) elected. Turnout was 35.38%
Bennett, Sue (CON) – 2069
Chatterjee, Richard Rishi (CON) – 1911
Elliott-Coleman, Joseph Clement Michael (GREEN) – 403
Harrison, Sarah Elizabeth (LIB DEM) – 616
Henson, Mark David (LAB) – 1165
Hymabaccus, Kaashif (LIB DEM) – 315
Johnson, Mark Paul Aaron (CON) – 1810
O’Neill, Nuala (LAB) – 1027
Osland, Caroline Emma (GREEN) – 422
Sciberras, Christopher Anthony (GREEN) – 274
Sereda, Lawrence Howard (LIB DEM) – 401
Spalding, Peter Leonard (LAB) – 931
Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown
Alasdair Stewart (CON) and Endri Llabuti (CON) elected. Turnout was 39.41%
Barber, Robert James (LAB) – 475
Desorgher, Simon (GREEN) – 325
Dhamodaran, Karthika (LAB) – 443
Harrison, James Daniel (GREEN) – 389
Howard, Anne (LIB DEM) – 556
Jordan, Chris (LIB DEM) – 509
Llabuti, Endri (CON) – 1438
Stewart, Alasdair Iain (CON) – 1635
Norbury and Pollards Hill
Leila Ben-Hassel (LAB) and Matthew Griffiths (LAB) elected. Turnout was 30.96%
Adams, Christopher (LIB DEM) – 315
Akhtar, Ghazala (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 101
Amor, Larissa Lee Zimmerman (GREEN) – 250
Ben-Hassel, Leila (LAB) – 1276
Chalmers, Mark (LIB DEM) – 188
Griffiths, Matthew (LAB) – 1152
Gunter, Tirena Hilary (CON) – 622
Manser, Laura (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 97
Mogul, Mike (CON) – 495
Zimmerman, Cheryl Ann (GREEN) – 252
Waddon
Rowenna Davis (LAB), Simon Fox (CON) and Ellily Ponnuthurai (LAB) elected. Turnout was 31.68%
Davis, Rowenna (LAB) – 1620
Ekekhomen, Donald (CON) – 1238
Fox, Simon Joseph (CON) – 1406
Jeganmogan, Sharmmi (CON) – 1174
Jones, Simon Christopher Richard (GREEN) – 497
Loucas, Imogen (GREEN) – 487
Osman, Yusuf Ali (LIB DEM) – 377
Pelling, Andrew John (IND) – 705
Ponnuthurai, Ellily (LAB) – 1397
Rich, Jessica Naomi Patsy (LAB) – 1394
Sibtain, Mary Jean (GREEN) – 414
Viggiani, Josh (LIB DEM) – 363
Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood
Claire Bonham (LIB DEM), Patsy Cummings (LAB) and Nina Degrads (LAB) elected. Turnout was 37.92%
Bonham, Claire Elizabeth (LIB DEM) – 1641
Boyle, Marcus d’Arcy Conall (GREEN) – 660
Chance, Rachel Mary (GREEN) – 946
Chance, Tom (GREEN) – 698
Charles-Lambert Don (CON) – 633
Cummings, Patsy (LAB) – 1753
Degrads, Nina (LAB) – 1671
Patient, Gemma Marie (CON) – 605
Penketh, Steven James (LIB DEM) – 1259
Petre, Costel (LIB DEM) – 1115
Spooner, Christine (LAB) – 1531
Wilkinson, Janet Elizabeth (CON) – 616
Purley and Woodcote
Simon Brew (CON), Samir Dwesar (CON) and Holly Alice Ramsey (CON) elected. Turnout 37.42%
Arneill, James (LIB DEM) – 859
Brady, Stuart James (LAB) – 688
Brew, Simon (CON) – 2699
Burchett, Guy Michael Clinton (LIB DEM) – 609
Chinn, Rebecca Jane (LAB) – 698
Dwesar, Samir (CON) – 2389
Green, Oli (GREEN) – 628
Hargrave, Simon (GREEN) – 514
Justice, Mark (LAB) – 596
Mills, Anthony John (GREEN) – 454
Ramsey, Holly Alice (CON) – 2666
Norbury Park
Alisa Flemming (LAB) and Appu Srinivasan (LAB) elected. Turnout was 35.33%
Bluck, Kirsty (GREEN) – 315
Collins, Alan (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 86
Flemming, Alisa (LAB) – 1174
Frimpong, Kofi Owusu (CON) – 709
Lewis, Claudine (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 76
O’Donnell, Blake (CON) – 776
O’Donovan, Daniel (LIB DEM) – 256
Srinivasan, Dhamodaran (Appu) (LAB) – 1164
O’Sullivan, Michael (Mick) (GREEN) – 197
Woodman, James Elvis (LIB DEM) – 189
Shirley South
Jason Cummings (CON) and Scott Roche (CON) elected. Turnout was 38.78%
Bebington, Andy (GREEN) – 480
Bebington, Liz (GREEN) – 445
Chowdhury, Safwan Hussain (LAB) – 682
Conway, Maggie (LAB) – 806
Cummings, Jason James (CON) – 1520
Palmieri, Giacinto (LIB DEM) – 246
Roche, Scott James (CON) – 1374
Ruse, Anna (LIB DEM) – 296
Fairfield
Christopher Clark (LAB), Ria Patel (GREEN) and Esther Mary Sutton (GREEN) elected. Turnout was 24.45%
Clark, Christopher Robert (LAB) – 923
Denton, Danielle (CON) – 520
Dormer, Matthew Paul (CON) – 486
Hunter, Michael David (LIB DEM) – 320
Jacobs, Steven Carl (CON) – 448
Joseph, Jose (LAB) – 883
Mohiuddin, Syed Arif (LIB DEM) – 212
Patel, Ria (GREEN) – 925
Setchfield, Julie Simone (LAB) – 855
Sutton, Esther Mary (GREEN) – 913
Underwood, Peter (GREEN) – 890
The 10 wards declared on Saturday May 7 were as follows:
Addiscombe East
Jeet Bains (CON) and Maddie Henson (LAB) elected. Turnout was 43.04%
Bains, Jeet (CON) – 1545
Bennett, Andrew (LIB DEM) – 434
Bowell, Tom (LAB) – 1184
Burman-Vince, Nicholas John (GREEN) – 308
Golberg, Bernice Clare (GREEN) – 425
Henson, Maddie (LAB) – 1377
Howard, Rachel Louise (LIB DEM) – 400
Knight, Kyle (CON) – 1347
Coulsdon Town
Mario Creatura (CON), Ian Parker (CON) and Luke Shortland (CON) elected. Turnout was 39.33%
Black, Stephen Robert (LAB) – 861
Burridge, Ashley (LIB DEM) – 965
Conn, Frances Margaret (LIB DEM) – 690
Creatura, Mario (CON) – 2141
Dubash, Yasmin (LAB) – 699
Farndon, Clive Graham (GREEN) – 348
Farndon, Lucy (GREEN) – 517
Ginn, Jay (GREEN) – 300
Parker, Ian James (CON) – 2215
Shortland, Luke Daniel (CON) – 2013
Sparkes, Andy (LIB DEM) – 890
Yusoof, Femi (LAB) – 657
Addiscombe West
Sean Fitzsimons (LAB), Clive Fraser (LAB) and Patricia Hay-Justice (LAB) elected. Turnout was 32.01%
Akif, Kerry Jayne (GREEN) – 522
Dexiades, Kostandinos (CON) – 816
Fitzsimons, Sean Eamonn (LAB) – 1540
Fraser, Clive Boyd (LAB) – 1305
Gloyne, Saffron Arezo (ANIMAL WELFARE) – 155
Hague, Joseph (GREEN) – 397
Hague, Tracey Jo (GREEN) – 465
Hay-Justice, Patricia (LAB) – 1480
Konecni, Sasa (LIB DEM) – 395
Ladanyi, Peter Steven (LIB DEM) – 416
Norman, Michael (CON) – 913
Thynne, Andrew John (LIB DEM) – 331
Zaman, Fatima (CON) – 771
Broad Green
Sherwan Chowdhury (LAB), Stuart Collins (LAB) and Manju Shahul-Hameed (LAB) elected. Turnout was 26.52%
Anike, Peter Uche (CON) – 769
Chowdhury, Sherwan Hussain (LAB) – 1764
Collins, Stuart (LAB) – 1885
Parker, Jane (CON) – 775
Phillips, Winston Kelvin (GREEN) – 389
Rajadurai, James (CON) – 721
Shahul-Hameed, Manju (LAB) – 1707
Singh, DJ (GREEN) – 331
Theochari, Irene (GREEN) – 325
Waters, Adrian George (LIB DEM) – 420
West Thornton
Janet Campbell (LAB), Stuart King (LAB) and Chrishni Reshekaron (LAB) elected. Turnout was 27.15%
Andoh, Ben (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 218
Buttigieg, Barry Philip (GREEN) – 418
Campbell, Janet Georgia (LAB) – 1896
King, Stuart Thomas (LAB) – 1755
Lott, Tom (CON) – 803
Mott, Rosalyn Elisabeth Wyatt (GREEN) – 407
Ratnaraja, Patrick Rohan (CON) – 818
Reshekaron, Chrishni (LAB) – 1684
Talukdar, Abdul Matin (CON) – 595
Woodside
Michael Bonello (LAB), Amy Foster (LAB) and Brigitte Graham (LAB) elected. Turnout was 33.12%
Adeoye, Titilope Deborah (CON) – 741
Bonello, Michael (LAB) – 2098
Ellis, Pravina (GREEN) – 548
Emmanuel, Mark (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 246
Fearon, Frances Richardson (GREEN) – 489
Foster, Amy Elizabeth (LAB) – 1938
Garrod, Elaine Denise (GREEN) – 492
Gibbs, Khaetthaleeya (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 259
Graham, Brigitte Siamina (LAB) – 1763
Howard-Jones, Tomas (LIB DEM) – 402
Metin, Seugul (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 159
Natrajan, Rebecca (CON) – 678
Rendle, Andrew James (LIB DEM) – 391
Waterhouse, Hilary Jane (LIB DEM) – 463
Wright, Desmond John (CON) – 675
Thornton Heath
Karen Jewitt (LAB), Tamar Nwafor (LAB) and Callton Young (LAB) elected. Turnout was 30.24%
Bamgbopa, Folarin Olugbemga (CON) – 553
Barrett, Andrew James Scott (LIB DEM) – 546
Bradler, Ian Peter (GREEN) – 496
Harris, Richard (CON) – 681
Hewlett, Angus Floyd (GREEN) – 400
Hoffman, Marian Barbara (GREEN) – 549
Jewitt, Karen Angela (LAB) – 2021
Lamaallam, Hanan (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 180
Marquis, Jillette (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 183
McLean, Jason (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 122
Nwafor, Tamar Antonnette (LAB) – 1789
Perry, Andrea Louise (IND) – 592
Tipton, John (CON) – 600
Young, Callton Lloyd (LAB) – 1539
Bensham Manor
Humayun Kabir (LAB), Enid Mollyneaux (LAB) and Eunice O’Dame (LAB) elected. Turnout was 28.17%
Allman, Renata (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 257
Birdi, Vinod (GREEN) – 424
Bright, Joyce Christine (CON) – 599
Collins, Carl (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 168
Fleming, Clifford (GREEN) – 372
Kabir, Humayun (LAB) – 1616
Miller, Jayson (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 167
Mitchell, Graham John (IND) – 548
Mollyneaux, Enid Eileen (LAB) – 1577
Newberry, John Trevor (CON) – 519
O’Dame, Eunice (LAB) – 1530
Parashar, Dev (CON) – 458
Raskovic, Alex (GREEN) – 331
South Croydon
Maria Gatland (CON) and Michael Neal (CON) elected. Turnout was 38.41%
Jason Perry was also elected; however as he became Mayor of Croydon yesterday he cannot take up the councillor position and there will be a by-election in due course.
Andrew, Joshua Jeremy Jack (LAB) – 1359
Bishopp, Michael Thomas Albert (LIB DEM) – 659
Drake, Martin William (LIB DEM) – 668
Galloway, Bridget Lorraine (LAB) – 1378
Garner, Kathleen (UKIP) – 117
Gatland, Maria Ruth (CON) – 1898
Hafeez, Tariq Jilani (LAB) – 1196
Harris, Steve (GREEN) – 682
Miller, Keith (LIB DEM) – 529
Neal, Michael Anthony (CON) – 1688
Patel, Nayan Bakul (GREEN) – 605
Perry, Jason Stephen (CON) – 1872
Richards, Marc (GREEN) – 508
South Norwood
Louis Carserides (LAB), Christopher Herman (LAB) and Stella Nabukeera (LAB) elected. Turnout was 30.39%
Bonham, Luke Robert (LIB DEM) – 431
Carserides, Louis (LAB) – 1705
Coombe, Timothy Michael (GREEN) – 499
Fearon, Spencer (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 464
Herman, Christopher Derek (LAB) – 1361
Kaler, Angela (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 533
King, Marley (GREEN) – 470
Nabukeera, Stella (LAB) – 1467
O`Flynn, Matthew Edward (CON) – 536
Post, Martyn John (GREEN) – 361
Sambre, Meenal Nitn (CON) – 429
Solomon, Samia (TAKING THE INITIATIVE PARTY) – 409
Tanna, Sunny (CON) – 462
Tremellen, Douglas Alexander (LIB DEM) – 239
Watson, Susan Lesley (LIB DEM) – 324
Read more: From bankrupt to laughing stock as council count continues
Read more: Tory Perry wins historic Mayor election by less than 600 votes
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It’s noticeable how in most wards candidates whose names appear towards the top of the ballot paper do better than their party colleagues further down the list. In the case of marginal wards this can make a difference to who is elected and who is not. There really ought to be a change so that names are listed at random, rather than in alphabetical order.
There we have it.
Seven years of Cllr Paul Scott on the planning committee treating residents like shit, Tony Newman doing nothing to rein him in and Heather Cheesbrough blindly taking up Scott’s political mantle after he is sacked from the planning committee, rather than seeking support to amend Croydon’s perverse Planning Guidance Document SPD2 and sort her department out.
Oh, and Labour bankrupts the council.
The result: Croydon Labour bucks the London trend and loses control of the borough, and a Conservative Executive Mayor is elected in place of Newman.
Power to the people
It is a shame that many voters appeared mmm to have voted for Labour out of habit, disregarding the shocking mismanagement that has been carried out locally that has destroyed Croydon’s future for at least a decade. The misery that has been caused by the previous administration is almost too much to take in…mass redundancies of council staff, destruction of our social services, destruction of our once beautifully maintained parks, the ruination of the Whitgift Centre, etc, etc.
And yet, incredibly, people turned out in droves to vote for them!
The only consolation is that the Mayor is not Labour and that, apparently, the new mayor has supreme dictator powers (unless his decisions are over-turned by an unlikely 2/3rds majority. Even here, the discredited Labour Party candidate, incredibly, almost won!). Giving absolute power to one individual seems crazy (ask anyone living in Tower Hamlets today!) although admittedly the control that the central government has on local government is considerable ( but clearly not enough from preventing the destruction of our beloved Croydon by the previous mob!).
I am not a Tory but I wish Jason Perry all the very best in sorting out the mess (which unfortunately is basically beyond his considerable powers -he will never get Westfield back I suspect – that boat has long sailed.
In conclusion, I am still in shock about the extent of the Labour vote in the light of what they did. I now fully understand the truth of Donald Trump’s quip that he could shoot somebody and they would still vote for him. Shame on you who voted Labour!
It is a shame that many voters appeared mmm to have voted for Tory out of habit, the shocking Tory Government, mismanaging the Covid response while having parties in Downing Street did nothing to stop them.
And yet, incredibly, people turned out in droves to vote for them!
Droves of votes for Labour and Tory candidates, 168,584, out of a total of 230,938, but no, you’re both wrong to be so critical. People voted in droves against candidates, not for them! (Some, not all, of course.) It’s the logical outcome of the two party system. With a choice between Westminster cr*p and Croydon cr*p, what does a benighted drove do? Perhaps with Liberals and Greens on the council now, voters will feel permitted to vote for them in future.
Thanks for this IC – I expect it’ll be on the council website soon! Is there an explanation for the p** poor turnout in Labour seats? None managed more than 36%. Clearly your advice to Conservative voters in ‘safe seats’ not to bother turning out as the results would be a foregone conclusion was not heeded.. All those ‘safe’ seats had highish turnouts and in Sanderstead, the safest of safe seats, turnout was top of the list at 48.4%
I found the results on the council website late last night. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/council-and-elections/voting-and-elections/mayor-croydon-and-croydon-council-elections/5-may-2022-election-results
Statistics, however important, don’t tell the whole picture.
So Labour lost 7 seats. It should have been 27 lost seats. The Tories picked up 3 seats it should have been 23, and the Greens and the Lib Dems should have done much better. The Tory vote was affected negatively by the Boris factor and the cost of living crisis, whilst Labour were rewarded by people with short memories.
I was lucky enough to attend all the counts, I witnessed and was part of the shambles that was Election night and what followed. I saw some appalling behaviour on the part of Labour activists, particularly on Thursday and Friday nights. They blocked corridors with their meetings, they blocked access to being able to scrutinise the counts particularly in marginal wards, by sheer numbers. They commandeered a whole row of seats from which to run their observer teams, and although not my story to tell, they apparently mocked and a harassed a councillor for not scrutinising their own ward. It felt like the count of votes was simply a Labour event.
By contrast, the tellers were efficient and friendly. The officials running the recounts were scrupulous and open. Spoiled papers were challenged and each adjudicated on. It was actually an impressive and well-run system, particularly since everyone was exhausted.
Labour should have taken a beating for what they did to Croydon and I felt genuine anger at some of the results. Have people forgotten so quickly the arrogance and incompetence of those they voted for? Steve Reed and Sarah Jones popped in briefly around midnight on Friday, but didn’t stay. It was again, a privilege to watch both the Mayoral vote and the local voting, but it makes you question democracy when bad behaviour goes unpunished.
I don’t mind people voting for Labour, not every candidate should be tarnished by association, some will have (hopefully) tried to hold Newman and co to account though I don’t know of any examples. The real tragedy is how many people explicitly involved in the failings will now point to their re-elections and claim the voters have decided they shouldn’t be held to account?
There is a tragedy in modern politics – everyone is so busy pointing their fingers at the other side that no one asks how they can be better themselves. I’m under no illusion that the Tories will be any more willing to hold their failures to account either (although the Tory MP who looked at websites resigned compared to the Labour MP found guilty of bullying a member of staff who just suspended for 2 days… it seems there is link between accountability and use to the party)
Is it the just course of action to have the expense of another by-election in South Croydon because Jason Perry couldn’t take up his seat? Why not default it to the person who got the next most number of votes? After all Perry became ineligible before the count for the ward took place.
I know that means another Labour councillor, which is not the way I would vote, but seems to be a fair and sensible solution to what has evolved.
Seems totally unfair to me. Daft idea.
Doesn’t it make you think, when the party which actively and aggressively campaigned not to have a mayor, got nearly as many votes as the party which campaigned vigorously to have one. And that same party rolled out the big guns to enforce the fact they really really now wanted a mayor, even though they said they didn’t? Is this the new standard in politics?
In the context of national results, Labour losing control of the Council is pretty poor. That Chris Clark, who chairs the planning committee (and it was the corruption and incompetence of planning that by and large that led to the Mayoral campaign) gets a seat on about 3% of eligible voters demonstrates the dilemma voters had. The parallels between Labour at local level and the Conservatives at national level does not go amiss.