The former soldier and financial analyst says the borough has been “dominated” by Labour and Conservative rule since its creation and believes his party can offer a “fresh vision” at the local election next May.
In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mr Howard delivered a frank assessment of Croydon Council and highlighted areas he says are crying out for “radical change”, chief among them the need for fairer and more transparent planning and housebuilding across the borough.
“We’ve got to say, if you don’t have new families coming in, you don’t have young people in your area, then the high street will die,” he said.
“On the other side, I don’t think it’s acceptable just to knock down a big family house and build nine flats on it.”
Mr Howard also suggested that development in the south of Croydon is often rejected, with the support of Conservative MP Chris Philp.
He said: “What we have seen from the Conservatives in the south of Croydon is they play to the idea that we don’t want our communities to change.
“We need to have that discussion with them to say that if your communities don’t change, and if you don’t bring new people in, the high street will die.
“It is not an easy conversation to have. The decline of the high street is a very slow process, but a new set of houses on their street is immediate.”
Mr Howard acknowledged that some residents “never want a single brick laid” but says he worries about whether his four sons will ever be able to afford homes in the borough.
He argues that Croydon cannot keep opposing schemes and then be surprised when housing pressures worsen, although he lamented the conversion of the borough’s family homes into HMOs.
As a self-proclaimed “huge believer in localism”, Mr Howard wants to create neighbourhood forums under the Localism Act.
He says these groups could help shape sustainable development that communities genuinely consent to.
He also proposes increasing the share of local Community Infrastructure Levy funding that’s retained by neighbourhoods from 25% to 50%, arguing centralisation has directed money towards major projects such as Fairfield Halls rather than supporting local areas.
“This way people will see the benefits, but what we have ended up with is centralisation,” he said.
Mr Howard, who received 9,967 votes when he stood against Conservative Mayor Jason Perry in 2022 – who himself got 33,413 votes – says he has spent the last three years learning from that experience.
He believes Croydon needs a decisive break from both Labour and Conservative rule.
He believes years of Labour–Conservative dominance have created “endless political bickering”, where “constant point-scoring means everything becomes a political football”.
He pointed to a recent debate on the Green Belt as an example, arguing that neither side is offering a balanced position and that “the truth lies somewhere in between”.
Elsewhere, he rated Mayor Perry a “big fat F” for failing to fix the council’s finances, citing continued reliance on government support to balance the books. He also criticised the council’s reliance on agency staff, calling for more full-time hires to improve reliability.
During his election campaign, Mayor Perry also pledged to reopen Purley Pool, which was closed by the previous Labour administration in March 2020.
However, work on the new facility, now being led by developer Polaska, remains at the planning stage.
Mr Howard argues that Mayor Perry has failed to deliver on his promise, noting the lack of “spades in the ground” and that the approved scheme, which removes hundreds of parking spaces and includes older living accommodation, differs from what residents were initially promised.
Mr Howard said: “Jason Perry said he would open the existing pool, I know that because I was standing next to him when he said it. He filmed a video saying it needed a lick of paint here and there and that it could be reopened for under £3million.”
Mr Howard also criticised the council’s “tragic lack of ambition” for Croydon’s role in London over the past 15 years. He says the town has been waiting for URW’s Westfield project to “bail us out” with a plan for the high street that was outdated even when first proposed.
He argues that people’s habits have changed and that Croydon should focus on experiences, culture, and nightlife rather than retail alone. Arts and culture, he says, are the areas Croydon should now build its identity around.
He feels Fairfield Halls is underused: “It should be the jewel in Croydon’s cultural crown, but it sits empty most of the year.”
He wants Fairfield Halls to anchor a wider arts ecosystem with smaller venues around it and argues the borough missed an opportunity during its year as London Borough of Culture, joking that all he remembers from it “was the giraffes” – a reference to an art trail involving brightly-painted giraffes that was created in the town centre.
Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood Councillor Claire Bonham is currently the Lib Dems’ only representative on the council. When asked why his party has so far been unable to break through as they have in neighbouring Lib Dem-run Sutton, he blamed the polarised north–south split between red and blue.
He added: “We get squeezed as a result of that and that is why I am excited to see how the election is going to go. If you vote for the same parties, please do not be surprised if the same things happen.”
In response, Conservative Councillor Jason Cummings, Cabinet Member for Finance, told the LDRS: “Every major decision has been anchored in a four-year transformation and savings plan which is stabilising the council’s finances after the catastrophic failures of the previous Labour administration.
“Mr Howard’s comments are ill-informed and irrelevant to the real work underway to put Croydon back on a sustainable footing. On Purley Pool, planning work for the new pool and leisure centre is well advanced, designs have been published, and delivery remains a top priority for Mayor Perry. Suggesting there has been no progress is simply untrue.”
Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, defended the Conservative-led planning approach in Croydon, arguing that family homes and the character of green suburban areas must be protected. He believes new flats should be built in town centres and on brownfield land, not by demolishing houses in established neighbourhoods.
Mr Philp criticised the previous Labour council for approving “over-intensive” developments and said Mayor Jason Perry now properly considers applications, rejecting schemes that would replace family homes with flats.
He emphasised his support for projects like the new M&S in Purley and the £19m Purley leisure centre, while condemning Labour for closing Purley Pool and missing post-Covid funding opportunities.
Labour’s mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis said: “I’m leading a campaign for Fair Funding for Croydon which would secure millions of pounds for our borough after years of not being given our fair share. Thousands of residents have signed our petition, and I think we’re going to win. I’d encourage Mr Howard to spend less time criticising and more time getting things done for local people. He can start by signing our petition.”
Fairfield Halls’ operator BH Live were approached for comment.
