Columnist ANDREW FISHER, in his monthly podcast, sits down with the Green Party’s mayoral candidate for the latest in our series of in-depth interviews with the candidates at next month’s Town Hall elections
And now, in our latest podcast with the leading candidates for Mayor in Town Hall elections on May 7, the Green Party’s Peter Underwood tells Andrew Fisher that, if he is elected, he’d work to abolish the role of directly elected Mayor itself.
This month’s Andrew Fisher Interview talks at length with Peter Underwood, the veteran environmentalist and Green Party activist, who believes that the momentum behind his party from new leader Zack Polanski, following the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election, will help to propel him and his party closer to elected office in Croydon than ever before.
“I’d say it wouldn’t be a shock,” Underwood says.
“Historically, at local elections, the Green Party have polled third behind Labour and Conservative in Croydon for the last few elections at council level.
“I’m meeting lots of people who are deciding to vote Green this time. When people are actually hearing about us, there’s a lot of people moving over to the Greens.”
The Andrew Fisher Interviews have already featured Rowenna Davis, the Labour Party candidate, and Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Howard.
In his mayoral interview, Underwood says: “People are ready for change. People are clearly fed up of the old parties… People are ready for a different approach to politics.
“And so I think that’s why people are now looking at the Greens as a serious alternative, that actually this is a way to make things better.”
And what does Underwood see as a future for the role of Mayor, for which he is eeking election next month?
Underwood says that if elected, he would “lay the groundwork” for a change in the borough’s governance system. As the law stands, Croydon can only hold a public vote on the council’s governance system 10 years after the last one, which in 2021 voted to bring in a directly-elected mayor which saw Conservative Jason Perry elected as Mayor in 2022.
“For me, the mayoral system is … bad for democracy. It’s putting all the power in one person’s hands,” Underwood says.
“My aim would be to lay the groundwork… so that we do everything that’s possible to put that choice back to the people of Croydon.”
- The Andrew Fisher Interview is premium content exclusively for paying subscribers to Inside Croydon.
- Later this month, Inside Croydon will be holding a Digital Debate with the leading candidates to become Croydon Mayor, who will be answering questions put to them by our website’s readers.
- Paid-up subscribers to this website can listen to The Andrew Fisher Interview with Labour’s Rowenna Davis by clicking here
- And you can listen to our interview with the LibDems’ Richard Howard by clicking here
For more information on where to vote on May 7 and who is standing for election, use our widget here:
Find election information at
WhoCanIVoteFor.co.uk
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
- Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network