Croydon Mayor Jason Perry has outlined his vision for the borough after securing re-election in the 2026 Croydon Mayoral elections. He stated that residents can expect the borough's finances to be "fully stabilised" by the end of his second term. Perry narrowly defeated Labour candidate Rowenna Davis by 1,113 votes on Friday, May 8, securing another four years as Croydon's executive Mayor after first winning the role in 2022.
Perry's Victory Speech
Following his victory, Perry delivered an emotional address to the crowd, acknowledging that Croydon still faces "serious issues" and expressing eagerness to build on progress already made. "Whilst it seems a small difference, it was a doubling of the previous election win," Perry said, referring to his increased vote share. "The difference is also a validation of the work that I have been doing over the last four years."
Perry emphasised the hard-fought nature of the campaign, noting that "there are serious issues to contend with here in Croydon." He added, "I think most of the candidates have a passion for looking after and delivering stuff for Croydon. Residents resonated more with my campaign than the runner up."
Key Election Issues
Perry identified the main election talking points as "the look and feel of the borough, the town centre and finances." Croydon's finances dominated the campaign, with all major parties focusing heavily on the borough's debt burden. While Perry's administration managed to stabilise the debt over the past four years, it has not fallen below the hoped-for level of £1.4 billion. The council is now undergoing a stabilisation plan aimed at managing rising demand, cutting costs, and increasing income across its services. Croydon also remains under the oversight of commissioners appointed by the Labour government to ensure the council delivers best value.
Promise for the Future
When asked what residents could expect by the end of his next four-year term, Perry told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "They would expect to see our finances fully stabilised, our town centre very much on its journey of regeneration and a town that is proud of itself and the look and feel of the borough being much better than it is."
Pressed on what "fully stabilised" finances mean, Perry explained: "We need to deal with the debt burden, which is an ongoing conversation. We will be having ongoing conversations around that, the medium-term financial strategy and how we work down that financial programme we are on at the moment."
Labour's Response
Speaking after the declaration, Labour's Rowenna Davis said she was proud of the campaign her party had fought. The Waddon councillor and former teacher noted that the election had energised younger residents and brought important local issues into focus. "What makes me so proud is all the young people that came out and got engaged in this campaign," she told the LDRS. "So many young people were saying maybe I need to get involved in politics, maybe I need to get my parents to vote. I just want to say to them, stay involved. You give me hope for the future of our town. Whoever leads it, the strength of Croydon is in its people and I just have a huge amount of faith in the future of our borough."
Davis added: "Of course I am gutted that we didn't win this time, but we raised some really important issues like getting our town centre back and getting those big buildings like the Nestlé tower back on track for our town." She said she had always expected a tight mayor race, pointing to the growing support for smaller parties across the borough. "We always knew it was going to be close, it is a very divided election. You have got Reform and Green on the rise so it's always close."
Davis concluded: "Jason is a decent man and so I wish him all the best."
