Could Croydon be run by a directly elected mayor?

Gavin Barwell, Conservative MP for Croydon Central, claimed changing Croydon Council's leadership model could bridge the “stark political divide” between the north and south of the borough.

He made the comments after holding talks with council chief executive Nathan Elvery about the issue on Friday.

Mr Barwell said: "I have had a number of residents groups raise the idea with me because they feel the council is favouring some areas over others.

"I'm not going to push for this myself unless local residents want it. [But] if you want to change the political culture in Croydon, that's the way to do it."

Croydon Conservatives frequently accuse the current administration of favouring Labour strongholds in the north of the borough, although Mr Barwell admitted similar claims were made against his own party before it lost power in 2014.

The MP, a former Conservative councillor for Coulsdon West, said his desire for change pre-dated policies like the ending of free garden waste collection - a Labour policy affecting mainly Tory-voters in the south of the borough.

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He said: "When I was a councillor [for Coulsdon West], I tried to persuade the Conservative council to do this.

"If you had a system where the leader was chosen by everybody, the person couldn't afford to play one area off against another. It's a big problem in Croydon because of the stark divide between north and south.

"I'm biased, but I do think that's happening at the moment. But I don't want to make this an issue just about [Croydon Council leader] Tony Newman and his behaviour."

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Mr Barwell declined to go into detail about his conversation with Mr Elvery, simply describing the exchange as a "fact-finding mission".

As well as the Greater London Authority, four boroughs in the capital currently have directly elected leaders - Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.

Croydon is currently run on a "cabinet and leader" system similar to central government.

After being told of Mr Barwell's comments, council leader Tony Newman said: "I see the point he's making but I don't accept the premise. You're speaking to the council leader that campaigned for the Purley BID, the Purley pool, the leader who immediately got the Coulsdon car park reopened. So I don't buy the starting point.

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"Historically Croydon has been hugely divided. [But] I'm absolutely committed that I am the leader of the council for the whole of Croydon."

Coun Newman said that "no one on the door step" had raised the issue with him, and expressed concerns about the cost of holding the referendum that would be required change systems.

He added: "It does place an awful lot of power in the hands of one person. Regardless of political sides, my personal preferences is to have a strong cabinet system."

Do you think Croydon should be run by a directly elected mayor? Get in touch at letters@croydonguardian.co.uk