“Dear Resident,
In less than 50 days time, we vote for Croydon’s first directly elected Mayor. I would like to tell you about why I’m running and my plans.
I am a lifelong Croydon resident, run a business in the Borough, raised my family here and am a Palace season ticket holder. Croydon is my life. So it breaks my heart to see how the Labour-run council has come close to destroying our town over the last eight years. I’m determined to bring about much needed change. I want to make Croydon a town to be proud of once again.
Here are some of my plans for real change here:
End uncontrolled development
I will end Labour’s planning policies – stop indiscriminate development, restore protection of the suburbs and protect family homes. We need to protect green and peaceful neighbourhoods and improve, not degrade the Borough. Green spaces should not be built on.
Fix the Finances
I will put the Council finances back on an even keel – no more reckless property speculation and I will sell inappropriate commercial property assets to start paying down Labour’s huge £1.6 billion debt pile.
Reopen Purley Pool
I will start work to re-open Purley Pool immediately, funded with unspent CIL. CIL is a pot of money which developer pay into, in return for building in our borough. Using this money means that we can re-open Purley Pool without further cuts to Council services. This is a vital community facility used by schools, charities and many local people.
Revive Croydon Town Centre
I will sit down with Westfield, national Government and the Mayor of London to create a proper plan to rebuild the Whitgift centre site and regenerate Croydon town centre more widely. There is huge potential which can be unlocked.
Help Council Tenants
I will actively help council tenants exercise their right to buy instead of obstructing it as Labour do. We also need to fix Labour’s shocking neglect of council tenants by getting repairs and maintenance back on track. Vulnerable tenants will no longer be left living in squalor and ignored.
Cancel Brick by Brick
I will wind up Labour’s disgraceful loss-making Brick by Brick company. This shocking company has wasted over £200m of public money – and damaged many parts of the Borough by seeking to build on green space wherever it finds any.
Clean Graffiti and Collect the Bins
I will get a grip of the Veolia rubbish collection contract to ensure our bins are emptied properly. The graffiti cleaning team, closed by Labour, needs to be immediately restored which I will also do.
Fight Crime
I will make sure the extra Police coming to Croydon are used to fight crime effectively here – by being visible on the streets. Labour has presided over a knife crime epidemic, and we need to work together to fight this – with better community facilities but also a zero-tolerance approach to knife offences including knife arches.
Improve public services
I will support our local NHS and schools to deliver for Croydon patients and children, building on recent increases in school funding from Government and the new A&E at Croydon University Hospital. I will also work to pressure Southern Rail to improve their rail services.
To bring about these positive changes for Croydon, I will need your support on May 5th. I hope you will be able to back me to bring about real and much-needed change for Croydon.
With best wishes,
Jason Perry
Conservative Candidate for Mayor of Croydon”
