Croydon Votes on £185M Transport and Jobs Plan This September

The Croydon Jobs and Infrastructure Referendum, scheduled for 12 September 2026, asks voters to approve a £185 million bond for road repairs, new bus lanes and skills centres across the borough.

Why the measure reaches the ballot now

Croydon Council recorded a £62 million shortfall in its 2025-26 highways maintenance budget, according to the council's draft capital programme published in March 2026. National changes to local government funding formulas, confirmed in the 2026 Local Government Finance Settlement, reduced Croydon's allocation by 8 per cent compared with the previous year.

Residents in Thornton Heath and South Norwood would see direct changes to daily travel if the bond passes. The proposal allocates £47 million for resurfacing 28 kilometres of local roads and £31 million for dedicated bus priority measures on the A23 corridor between West Croydon station and Coulsdon.

Projected effects on jobs and services

The legislation states that 40 per cent of bond proceeds must support construction apprenticeships and adult retraining at the Purley Jobcentre Plus site. Council documents project 2,800 temporary construction roles and 650 permanent positions in transport operations over the five-year delivery period.

Local advocates note that current waiting times for council-funded skills courses average 14 weeks. The measure would add 1,200 training places each year at venues in Broad Green and Addiscombe. The Productivity Commission has found that similar local infrastructure bonds in other London boroughs produced an average 11 per cent increase in resident employment within three years of completion.

Voters will decide the measure after a six-week information campaign that begins on 1 August. If approved, the first contracts for road works in Fieldway ward are expected to be let by January 2027.