Lewisham Labour politicians prioritising careers over the needs of the borough have had disastrous results, argues the Green Party’s new mayoral candidate, councillor Liam Shrivastava.
Liam Shrivastava: standing for the Green Party
Shrivastava, a former Labour councillor who defected to the Greens in June, vowed to end the party’s dominance in Lewisham after being selected as the Green Party candidate for Mayor of Lewisham at the 2026 local elections:
The New Cross Gate councillor and Leader of the Opposition was joined by Green Party Deputy Leader Mothin Ali at the event on Lewisham High St on Sunday 14 December, days after the current Mayor, Brenda Dacres MBE announced she would not be seeking re-election following her nomination for a seat in the House of Lords:
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After finishing second in 2022 and 2024, the Green Party is now looking to end over half a century of Labour control, with Shrivastava promising to break the ‘one party state’ in Lewisham and put more power back into the hands of communities. Speaking to supporters, Cllr Shrivastava argued that the historic lack of opposition councillors in Lewisham has led to poor scrutiny of decision making and governance, contributing to serious failings, including a damning housing ombudsman report earlier this year.
Standing up for Lewisham
The ombudsman found a high rate of ‘severe maladministration’ in cases handled by the Council and questioned its preparedness for Awaab’s Law which imposes strict timelines on a social landlord for dealing with damp and mould.
Shrivastava said:
The damning ombudsman report is the logical conclusion of an administration that hasn’t been held accountable for over a decade. Without proper scrutiny, Lewisham Labour have become dangerously complacent and have completely lost grip of ensuring our residents have safe and secure homes to live.
He also pointed to a number of stalled and controversial developments as symbolising Lewisham Labour’s inability to improve the borough:
From Ladywell Playtower being left to rot to Catford Mews cinema being closed for over a year alongside the paucity of genuinely affordable homes offered under the Lewisham Shopping Centre development, this Labour-led Council has run out of ideas and is completely failing Lewisham.
Green Party Deputy Leader Mothin Ali addressed the crowd:
He criticised the Labour government since it came into power and pointing out that Dacres becomes the second Lewisham Mayor in quick succession to swap her post for a seat in parliament after predecessor Damien Egan resigned in 2024 when he was selected to contest the Kingswood parliamentary by-election.
He said:
Labour promised change in 2024 but all we’ve ended up with is a continuation of Tory austerity. For too long, Labour Mayors in Lewisham have used this borough as a stepping stone on the way to parliament. The Green party is ready to serve this borough with candidates that are from the community, for the community and here to represent the community.
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The Green surge?
Following Egan’s resignation, Dacres was elected in a Mayoral by-election which cost the Council over £635,000. Shrivastava added that Lewisham would be damaged further by another Labour Mayor:
Lewisham Labour have become too comfortable, forgetting that they’re elected to serve ordinary working people, not their own careers. With so many former councillors now sitting in parliament, Lewisham has become a finishing school for careerists. Given the crises in housing, children’s services and adult social care, we simply cannot afford to be led by yet another career politician – we need to put the needs of Lewisham residents first and that’s exactly what I will do if elected Mayor.
Since joining the Green Party earlier this year, Shrivastava has led the only opposition group alongside Deputy Leader, councillor Hau-Yu Tam, who also left Labour in 2024 before joining the Greens in March 2025. Both councillors were disciplined by Labour for their pro-Palestinian stances following the genocide in Gaza.
Lewisham Green Party has seen a significant influx of members since the election of its leader, Zack Polanski in September, with its current membership now standing at over 2,400, making it the second largest Green Party in London. The party hopes to translate its membership rise into council seats at the elections in May 2026 as it targets a number of Labour-held seats across the borough.
Featured image and additional images via the Canary
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.