London needs a real opposition, not a Labour/Green merry-go-round
Voting tactically in the local elections just rewards the same old left wing cycle, says Sylbourne Sydial
Alys Denby’s City PM article captures something we hear every day on the doorstep: many people in south-east London are tired of Labour and worried about the Greens.
In Lewisham, that feeling is not abstract. Labour has dominated the council for 50 years. In 2022, it won every single council seat, while the Greens came second across the borough with 22.2 per cemt of the vote, the highest Green borough vote share in London.
As a Conservative living and campaigning across Lewisham, I recognise the scale of the challenge. But that does not mean giving up the fight.
When one party, and one left-wing political culture, dominates everything, then there is too little scrutiny, residents feel unheard, and bad ideas go unchallenged.
For example, Lewisham ranks only 153rd out of 274 councils on one independent council attendance tracker, with with 11 of 54 councillors attending fewer than 75 per cent of expected meetings. And the Greens also raise serious concerns for many residents, campaigning for rent controls and more protected cycle lanes in a borough where residents already struggle with the cost of living. Not to mention trying to turn a local election into a referendum on international politics, with Gaza placed at the heart of their campaign.
Residents are, of course, entitled to strong views on world events, but this is not the fight most residents are having.
Residents are asking why their council tax keeps rising while streets are dirty, roads are broken, small businesses feel ignored, crime and anti-social behaviour are not being tackled properly, and basic services still do not work well enough
Residents are asking why their council tax keeps rising while streets are dirty, roads are broken, small businesses feel ignored, crime and anti-social behaviour are not being tackled properly, and basic services still do not work well enough.
Voting Labour to stop the Greens only rewards the same left-wing cycle. Labour pushes further left to win Green votes back, while residents who want a real change in direction are taken for granted.
The Conservatives are the only opposition party fielding a full slate of candidates across every ward in Lewisham, unlike the Greens, Lib Dems and Reform. In Grove Park and Downham we remain Labour’s strongest challengers. In 2022 we achieved our best result in Downham since 1986.
Lewisham needs a proper opposition, who will challenge the council from a different starting point: lower waste, better value, safer streets, cleaner neighbourhoods, support for local enterprise and common-sense decisions on roads, planning and housing.
Real change starts by refusing to be taken for granted. Every vote for the Conservatives on May 7 helps break Lewisham out of the same left-wing cycle and builds the opposition this borough so desperately needs.
Sylbourne Sydial is The Conservative Party Mayoral candidate for Lewisham