Croydon’s Green councillors have written to Michael Gove urging on him to reconsider allowing Croydon to increase council tax by 15 per cent.

Croydon Mayor, Jason Perry, says there is “little choice” but to increase council tax in the borough but over the weekend  Green Party councillors, Esther Sutton and Ria Patel, elected in May 2022, wrote to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The department had given Croydon permission to make the 15pc council tax increase this April without the usual need for a referendum.

The letter reads: “We are writing to ask you to reconsider your decision to allow Mayor Perry to raise council tax in Croydon by 15pc and for you to fund Croydon fairly to protect our vital council services and protect those people suffering the most during this cost of living crisis.

“Croydon has been blighted by over a decade of bad decisions, dodgy deals, and secret contracts made by councillors and enabled by senior officers. These were done without the knowledge or approval of Croydon residents.

“We are now being told that another deal is being done between your department and Mayor Perry that is forcing Croydon residents to pay for the mess made by councillors’ bad decisions, while cutting services even more, and without residents having any opportunity to say whether they agree. This is neither fair nor democratic.”