The former civil servant believes that running for mayor with the Greens will provide an opportunity to “hand power back to the people” and end Croydon’s red-and-blue domination, which has persisted since the borough’s founding in 1965.
“I hate the mayoral system,”
said Peter Underwood, sipping a coffee in Croydon’s Spread Eagle pub, just metres from the Town Hall he hopes to lead after May’s local election.
“It is nonsense,”
he argues.
“It assumes that one person knows everything.”
Since 2022, Croydon has had an Executive Mayor in charge of the council, who is chosen directly by voters on election day in addition to their local ward councillor. In this local government type, the mayor has greater authority than a council leader, who is chosen by the council members. The council leader then selects their cabinet, a group of council members who collaborate with the leader to make important decisions.
Under this system, there is typically a mayor, although their duties are mostly ceremonial, such as attending events and cutting ribbons. In the Executive Mayor system, the Mayor selects the chair of several committees and suggests the budget and policy framework.
According to Mr. Underwood, “the Mayor and the council know best” and there is a lack of openness. Jason Perry and the Conservatives, who overthrew a struggling Labour government in 2022, are currently in charge of the authority. Although Mr. Underwood does not plan to abolish the mayor’s position in Croydon, he does plan to reduce its authority in order to give locals more influence over daily choices.
He gave the story of the Carers Centre on George Street, which is located nearby, as an illustration of what he feels has gone wrong under the present municipal administration. A 25-year collaboration with the John Whitgift Foundation came to an end in February when Croydon Council decided to move to a new supplier at the centre. The council issued a statement confirming that the center would stay open, although with a different supplier, in response to criticism that it might close entirely.
“We had the centre working right there in the middle of town, but Perry wanted a new supplier they didn’t know,”
he said, adding that carers were understandably angry.
“We would start by asking carers what the vital things are that they cannot do without.”
Despite the council’s insistence that this was merely a “service change,” Mr. Underwood sees it as yet another illustration of the authority’s conceit and lack of collaboration with the people it serves.
“There are a lot of public sector workers in Croydon,”
he said.
Mr. Underwood, a resident of Selsdon, believes the mayor has adopted a “silver bullet mentality” by endorsing major initiatives like the Purley Pool plan and the eagerly awaited Westfield redevelopment as solutions to Croydon’s issues.
“Is this really the most important thing in the world?”
he asked, referring to the Purley Pool project. Mayor Perry promised in his manifesto to deliver the Purley Pool redevelopment, which recently advanced when the Greater London Authority decided not to oppose the proposal.
He claimed that the council is focusing on one project while neglecting local centers and main streets around the borough with regard to the Westfield redevelopment, which intends to alter significant portions of the town center for retail, housing, and community usage.
“I think Croydon is far more mixed than that,”
he said, citing estates in Old Coulsdon and wealthier areas in Crystal Palace.
He added:
“When we are thinking about policy, we should not be making broad assumptions. We need to be more granular in our thinking and focus on the policies that will actually make a difference to local people.”
Having participated in numerous municipal and national elections over the previous ten years, Mr. Underwood is a well-known figure on Croydon ballot sheets. Additionally, he participated in the borough’s first Executive Mayor election in 2022, placing fifth with 6,193 votes, while Conservative Jason Perry won with 38,612.
Mr. Underwood was direct about Mayor Perry’s record. When asked to list the mayor’s accomplishments, he responded, “generally no, I can’t think of anything good that he has done,” even though he was aware of the council’s financial difficulties.
“Keeping things going and finding things that make him look good” are the administration’s main priorities, he said, adding that sessions frequently turn into political squabbling between Labour and Tory members.
Special Responsibility Allowances, which are given to committee chairmen, cabinet members, and local party leaders in addition to the regular allowance, should be reduced, according to Mr. Underwood. The two-strong Green group has previously voted against raising these allowances, but Croydon’s Conservative and Labour councillors have both supported them.
In response, Mayor Jason Perry said:
“I focus on what residents actually care about. Wherever I go, people ask about their town centres and high streets, because investment, jobs and confidence matter. Projects like Westfield, Allders Parade and Purley Pool are not ‘symbolic’ — they are long-term investments in Croydon’s economy, health and wellbeing.
On transport, we have backed practical measures like Healthy School Streets and safer walking and cycling routes, whilst opposing one-size-fits-all schemes imposed without local support.
Special Responsibility Allowances are reviewed independently and agreed by Full Council — they are not set by the Mayor. The Green Party accepted all rises during their term, which they did not have to.
On the Carers Centre, the contract was re-procured through an open and lawful process as it came to an end. Carers were involved in shaping the new service, which still operates from central Croydon while expanding outreach across the borough.
These claims by the Green mayoral candidate show a lack of understanding of how local government works. My priority is delivering real improvements for residents, not political soundbites.”
How did voters react to his comment about the mayoral role?
Peter Underwood’s comment labeling the Croydon mayoral part as” gibberish” drew mixed responses from choosers and spectators.
Sympathizers praised the bold station as stimulating translucency, aligning with Green calls for lower scale and more grassroots input. Original activists stressed it as a commitment to genuine degeneration.
Some residents questioned practicality, stewing insecurity without a strong superintendent amid Croydon’s ruin recovery. Rivals like rightists mocked it as substantial for a leadership shot.
