Thursday 7th May was local election day up and down the country and for us in Croydon this meant the election of an Executive Mayor, and 70 councillors. It is worth noting under the system used in Croydon most of the powers of the local authority are held by the Executive Mayor and the winner / winning party of that role effectively ‘runs the council’. Councillors still fulfil important functions but unless a party has a large majority, most decisions are made by the mayor. In the case of Croydon due to the financial problems, the Commissionaires appointed by government make many of what few decisions can be made. I should declare the author of this article was a candidate in the council elections.
Mayoral Vote
Existing Conservative Mayor Jason Perry won re-election in a tight race against Rowenna Davis of Labour. The electoral system has changed since 2022, to first past the post from a second preference system. This makes comparisons difficult; however, it does appear that a large percentage of the votes that went to independents in 2022, moved to Greens and Reform in 2026.
| Mayor Votes | 2026 | 2022 (1st Choice Votes) | Change in 26 |
| Conservatives | 35,871 | 33413 | 2,458 |
| Labour | 34,758 | 31352 | 3,406 |
| Green Party | 19,404 | 6193 | 13,211 |
| Reform UK | 14,467 | n/a | 14,467 |
| Liberal Democrats | 7,815 | 9967 | -2,152 |
| Taking the Initiative Party of Britain | 2,597 | 5768 | -3,171 |
| Jose JOSEPH – Independent | 1,568 | n/a | 1,568 |
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 461 | n/a | 461 |
| MCKENZIE, Winston Truman – Independent | n/a | 1324 | -1,324 |
| PALMER, Gavin Francis Luffa – Independent | n/a | 1114 | -1,114 |
| PELLING, Andrew John – Independent | n/a | 6807 | -6,807 |
| % turnout | 41 | 35 |
| Mayor % of Valid Votes | 2026 | 2022 (1st Choice Votes) | Change in 26 |
| Conservatives | 30.67% | 34.83% | -4.15% |
| Labour | 29.72% | 32.68% | -2.96% |
| Green Party | 16.59% | 6.46% | 10.14% |
| Reform UK | 12.37% | n/a | 12.37% |
| Liberal Democrats | 6.68% | 10.39% | -3.71% |
| Taking the Initiative Party of Britain | 2.22% | 6.01% | -3.79% |
| Jose JOSEPH – Independent | 1.34% | n/a | 1.34% |
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 0.39% | n/a | 0.39% |
| MCKENZIE, Winston Truman – Independent | n/a | 1.38% | -1.38% |
| PALMER, Gavin Francis Luffa – Independent | n/a | 1.16% | -1.16% |
| PELLING, Andrew John – Independent | n/a | 7.10% | -7.10% |
Votes for Mayor outside of the 5 main parties collapsed from 15.65% in 2022, to 3.96% in 2026. Roughly half of this change can be attributed to Andrew Pelling (Former Councillor, GLA member and MP) running as an independent in 2022, but much of the rest is perhaps reflected in an increase in votes for the Greens and Reform.
One other point of note is how parties did in the mayoral election compared to the councillor elections. Again, comparisons are impacted not all parties running a full slate. However, it does suggest some consolidation of voting around the two poll leaders for the mayoral vote.
| 2026 Mayoral v Councillor | Mayor | Councillors | Difference |
| Conservatives | 30.67% | 26.55% | -4.12% |
| Labour | 29.72% | 26.30% | -3.43% |
| Green Party | 16.59% | 23.00% | 6.41% |
| Reform UK | 12.37% | 13.92% | 1.55% |
| Liberal Democrats | 6.68% | 9.00% | 2.32% |
Councillors Votes
The councillor votes threw up a greater mix of winners. We now have a council chamber made up of 30 Labour councillors, 28 Conservative, 8 Green, 2 LibDem, and 2 Reform.
Whilst much is made of the fact in multi-party (effectively 5 way) elections a small percentage of the vote can secure a victory all except 1 winning party achieved over 30% of the vote in their ward, and this was in a split ward. I have based this on total votes for the party in a ward.
| Ward | Party with most votes | % of valid votes | Gap over 2nd |
| Sanderstead | Conservatives | 55.35% | 42.26% |
| Kenley | Conservatives | 47.11% | 31.09% |
| Purley and Woodcote | Conservatives | 46.54% | 28.20% |
| Coulsdon Town | Conservatives | 38.75% | 21.71% |
| Broad Green | Labour | 44.09% | 20.33% |
| Park Hill and Whitgift | Conservatives | 40.74% | 19.26% |
| West Thornton | Labour | 38.92% | 18.50% |
| Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown | Conservatives | 38.63% | 17.35% |
| Selsdon and Addington Village | Conservatives | 37.84% | 16.97% |
| Fairfield | Green Party | 43.90% | 15.55% |
| Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Conservatives | 37.58% | 14.64% |
| Selhurst | Labour | 43.07% | 14.17% |
| Shirley South | Conservatives | 34.00% | 12.68% |
| Waddon | Labour | 35.06% | 10.63% |
| Bensham Manor | Labour | 36.99% | 10.40% |
| Addiscombe West | Labour | 36.86% | 10.23% |
| Thornton Heath | Labour | 38.24% | 9.30% |
| Shirley North | Conservatives | 32.43% | 9.15% |
| New Addington North | Labour | 36.26% | 9.04% |
| South Croydon | Conservatives | 31.17% | 7.52% |
| Norbury Park | Labour | 35.40% | 7.31% |
| Norbury and Pollards Hill | Labour | 37.61% | 7.02% |
| Woodside | Labour | 36.76% | 5.93% |
| Old Coulsdon | Conservatives | 37.13% | 5.80% |
| New Addington South | Reform UK | 32.97% | 3.95% |
| Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Green Party | 31.89% | 2.56% |
| South Norwood | Green Party | 36.29% | 2.49% |
| Addiscombe East | Labour | 28.85% | 1.14% |
Of course, winning the most votes doesn’t mean you will get all the councillors. 5 wards had split votes in this election. In some cases that split indicated a significant personal vote for well-known local councillors, and in the case of Addiscombe East saw the same Labour / Conservative split and councillors returned as in 2022. Whatever you think of the politics of any individual, achieving a personal vote in local elections few pay attention to, and that receive little local media coverage is a significant achievement.
- South Norwood (2 Green, 1 Labour)
- Woodside (2 Labour, 1 Green)
- Old Coulsdon (1 Conservative, 1 LibDem) – what looks like significant personal votes for Margaret Bird and Gill Hickson, both very well known locally.
- Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood (1 LibDem, 2 Greens) – with what looks like a very large personal vote for Cllr Claire Bonham who was first elected in 2022.
- Addiscombe East (1 Conservative, 1 Labour) – with both Jeet Bains and Maddie Henson, both well-known locals, returned again.
The future
Shortly after the elections finish everyone starts thinking about the next elections for the GLA, and Parliament, but also 4 years from now for Council. One thing party’s will look at is where they finished second, and if they can build in those areas. For Croydon this is how things stand.
- Green Party – 11 wards: Conservative held Purley and Woodcote, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, and Labour held Addiscombe West, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Norbury and Pollards Hill, Norbury Park, Selhurst, Thornton Heath, West Thornton, Woodside.
- Reform UK – 8 wards: Conservative held Coulsdon Town, Kenley, Sanderstead, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Shirley North, Shirley South and Labour held New Addington North.
- Labour – 4 wards: Conservative held Park Hill and Whitgift, South Croydon, Green held Fairfield and split South Norwood.
- Conservatives – 3 wards: Split Addiscombe East, Reform held New Addington South and Labour held Waddon.
- Liberal Democrats – 2 wards: Split Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood and Old Coulsdon.
Please get in touch at contact@croydonconstitutionalists.uk is there if something interesting you have found in the results. Full election results can be found on Croydon Councils website at https://www.croydon.gov.uk/council-and-elections/voting-and-elections/mayor-croydon-and-croydon-council-elections-thursday-7-may-2026/count-and-results.