Croydon residents have voted to change to a directly elected mayor model in a governance referendum to determine how their council will be run.
Voters had been offered a choice between the directly elected mayor model or the council’s current system of governance, the leader and cabinet model.
The referendum was held on 7 October and the following results were announced at 2.30am on 8 October:
Leader and cabinet model: 11,519
Directly elected mayor model: 47,165
Voter turnout: 58,897 (21%)
An Extraordinary Council Meeting will be held to pass the resolution required to put the public vote into effect.
The council’s current leader and cabinet system of governance will remain in place until the May 2022 elections. Residents will then be asked to vote for a directly elected mayor who will lead the council, as well as voting for their local councillors.
“When I became leader last year, I promised to open up the council and give residents a stronger voice. That’s why I listened to local people and ensured the council held this referendum to give our community the chance to have their say on how the council is run in the future.
“Over the past year we have made major progress transforming the council to get our finances back on track and begin to improve the vital services our residents rely on. Today’s result means that in May next year residents will get the chance to elect a mayor to lead our council and continue this important work reforming Croydon Council to provide the best possible services for local people.”
Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council
Katherine Kerswell, Counting Officer, Croydon Council, said: “Thank you to everyone who voted in our referendum – this is an important issue so it’s good to see so many residents exercising their right to vote. I also want to recognise all of our council staff who have worked so hard in the planning and delivery of this event. Months of preparation goes into every polling day, and I want to thank all those who have worked behind the scenes as well as all those who have manned polling stations or counted votes. As always, it has been a privilege to see local democracy in action.”