Yesterday Croydon headed to the polls to have their say in the Mayoral and London Assembly elections, and two local by-elections. Every voter deserves to have their voice heard and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who worked at the polling stations yesterday and who are working at the counts today and tomorrow, helping to make the process run smoothly.
Making Croydon safer for young people is a priority for me and we’re working with our voluntary and community partners to help and support them. Croydon’s MyEnds programme has secured £800,000 of funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), to continue their important work in bringing positive change and creating better opportunities for young people. This achievement highlights the effectiveness of partnership working between the council and our communities in preventing and reducing violence.
This week I met with Croydon Drop In, another community group supporting our young people – through advice, counselling and advocacy. The charity is working with Chardine Makaveli-Singh showcasing her film ‘A Cronx Tale’, an animated film which is being shared in schools and community groups to help divert young people from knife crime. Find out more.
We are supporting Plantlife’s ‘No Mow May’ initiative this month by letting some of our verges and open spaces grow, to help bees, butterflies and biodiversity. Careful consideration has been given to the areas left to grow and making sure sight lines are clear for safety. After May, the usual four-to-six-week cutting cycle is due to resume. Find out more.
Finally, congratulations to Crystal Palace Women’s FC, who were crowned winners of the 2023/24 Women’s Championship at Selhurst Park on Sunday. This secured their place in the Women’s Super League for the first time in the club’s history! The team are an inspiration to Croydon’s young people and we are hugely proud of their record win.
Enjoy the bank holiday weekend.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
