Croydon Voluntary Action had a letter published in The Times newspaper on 12 May 2025.
Sir, Janice Turner criticises the mindset of leaders who think they always know best (“Voters are sick of lectures from lanyard class”, May 10). Instead of trying to win back trust by protesting their authenticity, leaders might heed the new Pope’s lesson in humility. As Fraser Nelson writes (“Calm, unflashy Pope is just what world needs”, May 10), Leo describes himself as a “faithful administrator”. This evokes the ideal of a public servant who doesn’t claim to have all the answers but empowers the people who do know what works best when it comes to creating a good school environment, running a business, setting up a food bank or steering young people away from gangs. Our democracy is in crisis, but devolving real responsibilities for local spending and decision-making to communities that are disaffected would disarm the populists and give local people a stake in how we’re governed.
Steve Phaure
Chief executive, Croydon Voluntary Action
Read letter here: