What Next for Croydon Labour and Economic Development?

The statistic that one in four Croydon kids are in the poverty trap, alongside the collapsing economy in Croydon, the lack of action to support the business victims of last year’s riots, and Croydon’s admission that it is supporting the food banks, makes it increasingly urgent for the development of a strategy which addresses the real needs of the local people and not the profits that developers think they may be able to make, nor the scare tactics of Town Centre employer Allianz Global Assistance about the Borough’s ‘middle class’ white collar worker exodus (Evening Standard 4 December).   

As an Opposition MP Croydon North’s Steve Reed will have very little influence on the emerging local economic development policy of the Croydon Tories. Croydon Labour will need to think very carefully about what local economic development strategy should be offered the electors in 2014. 

Although Reed’s total vote was less than Malcolm Wicks’ majority the fact he won n.65% of the vote puts him in a strong position. No longer Leader of Lambeth Council he can now devote a substantial amount of time to the economic needs of Croydon North both in the constituency and in the House of Commons through a hard hitting maiden speech, through questions and in debates on the effects of the ConDem Government’s destructive economic policies.

He should initiate an inquiry into the economic and social state of Croydon North through which to develop ideas and networking, and develop a head of steam behind a set of policies and actions which do not depend on the greed and irrelevance of commercial developers.

Some of the issues that need to be considered in such a review are discussed in my earlier blog ‘A Local Economic Strategy for Croydon and the Croydon North By-Election’ (22 October): http://historyandsocialaction.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-local-economic-strategy-for-croydon.html.

See also James Naylor's posting 'Middle Class Flight is Not All it’s Cracked-Up to Be' on Croydon Citizen: http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics/middle-class-flight-is-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be.