- Written by Susana Mendonca
- BBC London political reporter
Laura said she wanted playgrounds to be safer, while Ann said she felt dirtier streets were being created as a result of logging.
Voters will head to the polls in Lewisham, south-east London, next week to choose a new mayor in a by-election.
Seven candidates are running for election on Thursday, intensifying their campaign to win votes.
The by-election is being held after former Labor mayor Damien Egan resigned to stand for election to Kingswood City Council in Bristol.
Lewisham is one of five London boroughs where voters directly elect a mayor to run the government.
Under normal circumstances, local mayoral elections would not be held until 2026.
Labor candidate councilor Brenda Dacres says housing is her top priority
On a windy street in Catford, I join Labor candidate Councilor Brenda Dacres. He brandished a red rosette and knocked on doors, flanked by a group of party activists carrying clipboards and leaflets.
“Decent house”
Ms Dacres, who has lived in Lewisham for more than 40 years, is the ward’s deputy ward leader, having been acting since January when Damian Egan resigned to run for Bristol City Council and was elected. . last month.
Regarding housing as a top priority, Dacres said, “I believe everyone should have a decent home. I want to look at the current inventory and make sure we have it from scratch.” Told.
But local issues were not the only issues at hand.
One Labor voter said he would not vote for Labor in the general election because of Keir Starmer’s approach to Gaza, but added he would still vote for Labor in the upcoming local by-elections.
Lewisham is a borough that has been ruled by the Labor Party for many years.
Ms Dacres said the conflict between Israel and Hamas had come up for some voters in Lewisham, but Labor had been “consistent in wanting a “humanitarian ceasefire” and “an end to the fighting”. “There is,” he claimed.
Lewisham is a borough that has been ruled by the Labor Party for many years.
The party has won every council seat in local elections since 2018, with then-Labour mayor Damian Egan winning 58.1% of the vote two years ago. However, the momentum of the opposition did not stop.
At a pub in Heiser Green, I met Mike Herron, an academic and Green Party candidate who has lived in the borough for 30 years.
Herron said addressing homelessness is a priority. He said the Greens would achieve this through “rent control, creating more social housing and cracking down on rogue landlords”.
Green Party mayoral candidate for Lewisham Mike Herron said tackling homelessness was a priority.
The council is in the midst of budget planning and, like many other cities, Lewisham will increase council tax by the maximum allowable 4.99%.
I met Anne and Laura outside Heiser Green station and they said they were worried about the impact budget pressures would have on local services.
“The council’s expenses have been cut so much that the streets are getting dirty,” Anne said.
Laura, who has twins, added: “Children’s playgrounds are also quite dangerous and can put a lot of stress on the children.”
Lewisham resident Paul raised concerns about the cost of living crisis.
Another local, Paul, who said he was a former Labor voter, expressed concerns about the cost of living crisis and told me that Labor was “taking the black vote for granted”.
He said he would like to see local politicians do more to address issues that affect black communities, such as youth unemployment.
Handing out flyers outside Grove Park Station, I joined Conservative candidate Sciamma Kadar, who says she’s “not a politician.”
Conservative Lewisham mayoral candidate Sciamma Kadar says her main pledge is to tackle crime.
The entrepreneur grew up in Deptford and now runs a factory and dairy-based clothing company. Her main pledge is to fight crime, which she promises: “She will eradicate crime.”
She told me that the fence would be removed from the park to increase safety. She explained: “It will give women and girls more confidence that if they have to run, they can run in any direction.”
At a coffee shop in Blackheath, I met Liberal Democrat candidate Chris Maynes. He was a local councilor before the Liberal Democrats were wiped out on Lewisham council in 2014.
He criticized the resignation of former Labor mayor Damien Egan, saying it led to the council wasting money on unnecessary “vanity by-elections”.
Lib Dem candidate Chris Mains says by-election money could have been spent on more trees and libraries.
Mr Maynes said: “This by-election is costing us £635,000, but it’s because someone decided they wanted to advance their career and that’s not a very good use of public money.”
He added that the money would have been spent on “more street trees or building a library in the center of Lewisham”.
“I would like to see more resources given to the voluntary sector because they are really picking up where councils are missing out.”
Other candidates standing in the Lewisham by-election are:
- John Hamilton of the British Labor Party has promised to reopen all libraries and community centres.
- Maureen Martin of the People’s Christian Alliance to Combat Knife Crime
- Independent candidate Nick Long wants to abolish the role of elected mayor.
Nick Long stands as independent candidate
complete list of candidates (Listed alphabetically)
• Brenda Dacres – Labor
• John Hamilton – British Labor Party
• Michael (Mike) Herron – Green Party
• Nick Long – Independent
• Chris Mains – Liberal Democrats
• Maureen Martin – Christian People’s Union
• Seema Kadar – Conservative