The Conservatives held the Selsdon Vale and Forestdale ward in Croydon when Fatima Zaman won the by-election on Thursday.

The by-election for the ward, located in the south-east of the borough was called after the death of Conservative councillor, Badsha Quadir, at the age of 64.

The balance of parties in the council as it stands is: 34 Conservative councillors, 34 Labour, 2 Green and 1 Lib Dem.

Zaman claimed the win with a 46% share of the 2125 votes cast. Her closest challengers were the Greens, with a 25% share of the vote, leaving Labour languishing behind in third with 18%.

Tweeting about her election win, Zaman said: “I am overwhelmed and grateful for all the support I received. I am thankful to all those who voted for me and look forward to serving the whole community of Selsdon Vale and Forestdale!”

Green candidate, Peter Underwood tweeted: “A huge thank you to everyone who voted Green in Selsdon Vale and Forestdale and another huge thank you to everyone who helped on the campaign

We have shown that there is a real and credible alternative to the old parties and I look forward to the Green vote continuing to grow.” He added.

Zaman, who ran for the election with the slogan, “a local mum working hard for Selsdon and Forestdale”, received a glowing endorsement from Executive Mayor, Jason Perry, who tweeted: “Well done, Cllr. Zaman. You will be a great Councillor, and I know you will work tirelessly for everybody in Selsdon Vale & Forestdale.”

Labour candidate, Tom Bowell chose to focus on the progress made in the election and his fellow candidates, tweeting: “Congratulations to Fatima Zaman who is the new councillor for Selsdon Vale & Forestdale. Proud to have increased Labour’s vote share in the ward. Commiserations to Peter Underwood who came second, and I know worked very hard in this election.”

Croydon by-election result, 3 November 2022