Response from Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon (Conservative Party):

Dear Léonie,

Thank you for your email and for setting out your concerns so clearly.

We recognise the importance of protecting our environment and preserving Croydon’s green spaces for future generations. This is something I and all Conservatives care deeply about, and it is why, under my administration, we have continued to invest in our parks, improve maintenance standards, and support practical environmental initiatives across the borough.

However, we must also be honest about the context we are operating in.

The Climate Crisis Commission’s report you reference was commissioned and agreed under the previous Labour administration in 2021. Since then, Croydon has faced a very different reality. We inherited a Council bankrupt three times over, with £1.6 billion of debt, and residents already under significant financial pressure.

In that context, our priority has been to stabilise the Council’s finances, restore basic services, and protect residents and local businesses from further costs.

1.⁠ ⁠Delivering a step change

We do not believe the right approach is to impose additional financial burdens on households and businesses during an ongoing cost of living crisis. Instead, we are focused on practical, deliverable actions that make a difference without driving up costs - improving waste collection, tackling fly-tipping, investing in our parks, and supporting sustainable regeneration.

Alongside this, we have a dedicated team focused on securing external funding, including from the GLA, and embedding environmental improvements into the Council’s day-to-day operations without adding new financial burdens. This includes ensuring that environmental considerations are built into areas such as planning and regeneration, so progress is made as part of business as usual.

Economic growth is essential to long-term environmental progress. A stronger local economy gives us the means to invest sustainably over time.

2.⁠ ⁠Working with partners

We already work with a wide range of partners across the borough - community groups, businesses, schools and public sector organisations. This must be grounded in realism and affordability, not driven by strategies that assume unlimited resources.

For example, we have worked with our streets and education teams to build partnerships with local schools, including initiatives such as last year’s tree planting programme, which delivered new trees in a number of Croydon schools.

We are also supporting schools to play their part through education and awareness - helping young people understand climate issues and encouraging more sustainable behaviours such as recycling.

We welcome collaboration, but it has to align with the financial position of the Council and the pressures residents are facing.

3.⁠ ⁠Supporting vulnerable residents

We are clear that those most affected by rising costs must not be asked to shoulder further burdens. That is why our approach prioritises keeping costs down whilst improving services that directly impact quality of life - cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods, and well-maintained public spaces.

Progress since 2022

Since taking office, we have:

      •     Maintained and improved our parks and green spaces

      •     Increased enforcement against environmental crime such as fly-tipping

      •     Invested in cleaner, safer streets

      •     Supported regeneration that brings new homes, jobs and sustainable infrastructure

      •     Strengthened in-house capacity, including officers focused on environmental delivery and securing external funding

There is more to do. But our approach is grounded in a simple principle: any environmental progress must go hand in hand with economic reality.

We will not support measures that increase the financial burden on Croydon’s residents and businesses at a time when many are already struggling.

Our focus remains on keeping Croydon on track - financially stable, economically growing, and environmentally responsible in a way that is practical and fair.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon