The Croydon mayoral elections are just less than two months away, but who do residents want to see leading the borough?
On May 7, Croydon voters will head to the polls not only to elect a new mayor but also to decide which party will control the council.
Alongside the mayoral vote, all 70 council seats across 28 wards will be contested.
This will be the borough’s second directly elected mayoral election, following the system approved by referendum in 2021 and first used in 2022.
Who will you be voting for?
Vote in our poll below.
The confirmed candidates for Croydon mayor in 2026 are Jason Perry, the Conservative incumbent seeking a second term after his narrow win in 2022.
Rowenna Davis, a Labour councillor for Waddon ward since 2022, was selected as Labour’s mayoral candidate, winning around 82 per cent of the local members’ vote.
Richard Michael Howard is standing again for the Liberal Democrats, having also contested in 2022.
Peter Underwood will once again represent the Green Party in the race.
In the 2022 mayoral election, Perry narrowly defeated Labour’s Val Shawcross by 589 votes in the final round, winning 38,612 votes (50.4 per cent) to her 38,023 (49.6 per cent).
First‑preference votes were spread across multiple candidates, with Perry on 34.8 per cent, Shawcross 32.7 per cent, RHoward (Liberal Democrat) 10.4 per cent, Andrew Pelling (Independent) 7.1 per cent and Underwood (Green) 6.5 per cent.
Croydon’s council moved to no overall control after the 2022 elections, with Labour holding 34 seats, the Conservatives 32, the Greens two and the Liberal Democrats one, alongside a vacancy created when Perry became mayor.
Despite Labour holding more seats, the Conservatives narrowly led the borough‑wide popular vote in the council elections.
The mayor provides leadership and direction for the council, sets priorities and policies, oversees delivery of services, and represents Croydon locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Certain powers, such as planning and licensing decisions, remain with the full council and its committees.
So, who will you be voting for in the upcoming elections?
Vote in our poll and comment.
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