The Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of Croydon said there is always hope to fix the ‘mess’ in the borough amid the party’s success elsewhere.
Peter Underwood has lived in Croydon for more than 20 years and is currently running for Mayor of Croydon 2026 after joining the Green Party in 2013.
While campaigning, Underwood criticised the mayoral system for putting too much power in one person’s hands.
Underwood said: “I’m running for mayor to stop that. I want to put power back into residents’ hands and get residents involved fully in the decision-making process.
“This election is an opportunity for real change.”
The Green Party made history recently with their first victory in the Gordon and Denton by-election, taking the seat from Labour and pushing them into third place.
A member of the party for over 10 years,Underwood emphasised the party’s message to ‘make hope normal again’ while empathising with residents of Croydon.
Underwood said: “It’s a completely different way of doing politics, we believe completely in democracy.
“Over four years, council tax has gone up by 33% and the council have continued cutting services.
“It’s just pushing pain onto residents for no benefit whatsoever.”
Croydon is currently the second-most expensive London borough for council tax after Kingston and is one of the many set for another increase.
Despite increasingly high council tax rates, the borough continues to face challenges and has been named the worst area in the country for fly-tipping.
One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “Croydon used to be nice, but now it’s a bit of a dump.”
A visitor from nearby Mitcham echoed these feelings, and said: “There’s just rubbish everywhere, I don’t know why anyone would move here.”
Underwood claimed to have spoken to nearly a thousand residents, who seemed fed up with the situation in the area.
Underwood said: “People are just seeing their taxes going up – it’s like ‘we are paying more and getting less.’”
Although he acknowledges the issues within Croydon, Underwood emphasised the importance of focusing on the positives and working together.
He said: “It’s just nonfunctioning, and so people are furious about that.
“We know the place is a mess at the moment, but we’ve got to start turning it around, and it’s about working with communities.
“We don’t have enough money in Croydon Council, so I’m not promising miracles.
“I’m not claiming to have all of the answers, which is why we need to work with the community.”
However, even without significant change within Croydon Council, Underwood insisted the Green Party will continue to do what it can and stay hopeful.
He said: “There is hope for Croydon. There is always hope, because there is always hope for change.
“Everything I have said, I say as a resident of Croydon. For me, the political is personal, I have to deal with all the same issues as everybody else”
The current Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, was not available for an interview.
However, in a recently released statement to Croydon Council, Perry said: “We are working hard to keep improving our council, reduce costs and become a smaller, more efficient organisation that delivers better value for everyone in Croydon.
“That is my vision.”
Feature image: Peter Underwood
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