The Lewisham and Newham mayors will be the first directly elected (executive) mayors in London boroughs. Other boroughs such as Hackney are in the process of holding referenda to decide whether to have such mayors.
Gabrielle Rolf, Green Mayoral Candidate for Newham said: "The Green Party does not believe that having executive mayors is the best way to make councils democratically accountable. However, where mayors are directly elected, Greens are standing as candidates in order to give people a chance to vote Green and to put the issues that matter onto the agenda."
The Green Party is getting a very positive response from voters on the doorstep, particularly those disillusioned with Labour, and expects a large shift to the Green Party on May 2nd. In Lewisham, former Labour councillor, Sinna Mani is standing as the Green Mayoral Candidate. He has endured an apparently blatant racist poster campaign from the Tories but considers Labour to be the only serious contender for Mayor.
Sinna Mani said: "In my mayoral campaign, I have been putting forward positive policies on education, the environment and employment. New Labour has failed significantly to provide decent educational opportunities for all children in Lewisham. Some children as young as 14 in the north of the borough are forced to attend a further education college for want of adequate secondary places. Others have to travel all the way to schools in the south of the borough. Traffic conditions mean that children arrive at schools in an exhausted condition. This is all due to bad planning."