The Conservative mayoral candidate for Lewisham says he would open a youth empowerment hub in every single ward and believes a ‘housing tsar’ could be one way of tackling the crisis.
Sylbourne Sydial is the Conservative candidate for the Mayor of Lewisham and is also standing as a councillor candidate for Grove Park Ward. Mr Sydial came to the UK from Jamaica in 1992 to study law. Having graduated with a Law degree in 2002, Mr Sydial has gone on to work as a child and family lawyer for multiple local authorities up and down the country.
As well as a career in law, Mr Sydial presents his own talk show and is a motivational speaker and content creator. Mr Sydial has been a member of the Conservative party for a number of years, and was previously a Conservative party member in the constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood.
On why he joined the Conservatives, Mr Sydial told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I felt that it was more something that I could relate with and also I didn’t believe that as Black people, we should all be in one party. I believe that we need to be very strategic. So I saw a long-term vision at the same time for people.”
Mr Sydial says he felt it was very important to still be involved in politics in Jamaica and in 2003 he founded Facilitators for a Better Jamaica (FFBJ), a lobbyist group which acts as a voice on a range of issues affecting Jamaicans across the globe and at home.
He is now hoping to become the next Mayor of Lewisham, and says he will restore trust and will be a voice for residents if he is elected.
From 1968 to 1971, the Conservatives held a majority control at Lewisham Council however since then, the borough has been mostly controlled by Labour.
Asked how he felt standing as a Conservative in a historically Labour-controlled borough, Mr Sydial said: “Many people say to me ‘why don’t you just join Labour, you’ll get a seat quicker and you can go far’, but I don’t believe in a handout and I don’t believe in those quick fixes – I’m not a person that defects.
“The councillors for my street, they’re great Labour people and I know them very well. We have street parties and most of the time I’m the only Conservative. It’s a challenge and I know it’s an uphill struggle but I believe if you want change, you’ve got to be [different] and you can’t be the same.”
He added: “Labour is bankrupt of ideas, there’s nothing inspiring. It’s more like just keeping the status quo. I have a vision, I believe that we can change the game in politics in Lewisham and I realise when people meet me it changes their mindset because they see beyond the politics.”
Supporting the next generation of young people, tackling fly-tipping and solving housing problems are some of the top priorities for the Lewisham Conservatives and their mayoral candidate Mr Sydial.
Mr Sydial said: “A central pillar of my mayoral vision is investing in the next generation through Lewisham youth empowerment hubs.
“Too many young people feel disconnected from real opportunity. These hubs will create a clear, structural pathway linking education, skills, training, mentoring and employment and will ensure every young person in Lewisham has a chance to build a successful future.”
He added: “I just have this passion for youth empowerment hubs, I want to see one in every single ward. Every single ward should have a youth centre, and when I say a youth centre, I’m actually giving an extension to the word youth centre. I’m going to call it ‘YEH’, for youth empowerment hubs.”
Mr Sydial says he believes in “working together” to solve national issues such as the housing crisis, and says there should be a housing tsar who “goes around finding empty homes”.
He said: “With the Lewisham Shopping Centre [development], they say it’s going to have 20 per cent [affordable] housing, but are we actually looking in the meantime for empty homes? Is there an intention? There’s got to be an intention to do that.
“I’m not one who is going to fight development but what I will say is that when it comes to housing or social housing, I believe advocacy is crucial. I believe that instead of having a go and fighting with developers, have a conversation [from the] start whereby you can speak to these people as much as possible.”
Mr Sydial has also vowed to crack down on fly-tipping by publishing “a public clean-up map” so residents can see what has been reported, what has been cleared and where there have been repeated offences.
He said: “If there’s a repeat offence of fly-tipping in a particular area, could it be not that the people are dirty, but could it be that they can’t afford to take it to the dump? Could it be that we need to do some deals with another borough like Bromley that may have two dumps if anything?
“Not everybody [can] drive to the dump, it’s very difficult. So I believe in a clean-up campaign, I believe there should be a clean-up day in Lewisham where you take pride in your community.”
On May 7 Lewisham residents who are eligible to vote will be participating in two local elections: one is for the next set of local councillors while the other is for the next Mayor to lead the council.
Lewisham is one of five London boroughs that has a directly-elected Mayor, with the other boroughs being Croydon, Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
A directly-elected Mayor is voted in by residents. The role is different to a ceremonial mayor, and they are in charge of leading the council, directing the council’s strategy and are responsible for proposing the annual budget. They also chair the council cabinet which is made up of elected councillors.
The LDRS has compiled a list of the eight candidates who are hoping to become the next Mayor of Lewisham.
- Jay Delaney Coward – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- Kayode Damali – Independent
- Amanda De Ryk – Labour and Co-operative Party
- Josh Matthews – Liberal Democrats
- Roger Mighton – Independent
- Pete Newman – Reform UK
- Liam Shrivastava – Green Party
- Sylbourne Sydial – Conservatives
