CROYDON'S leading UKIP member believes the party may win a clear majority in Croydon Central at the next general election.
Peter Staveley, a 51 year old transport consultant who lives in Davidson Road in Addiscombe,has also talked up the party's chances in next year's local elections.
UKIP is not currently a force in Croydon but following a very encouraging night, with the party having currently won 42 seats and averaging 25 per cent of the vote in wards where it is standing, Mr Staveley is confident that the political landscape could be about to change.
He will be standing for the Croydon Central seat in 2015 - as well the local elections next year - and has high hopes for the party's future.
"This is a big moment for UKIP," he said. "It demonstrates that people are no longer content with the three main parties who all have very similar policies and fail to represent their voters' interests.
"There is every possibility that UKIP could win Croydon central in 2015 - if there is the same swing with the two most popular parties from 2010 as Eastleigh saw in their recent by-election, then we would have a 1,000 majority."
In the local elections, Mr Staveley thinks residents are sick of Conservative and Labour voting along party lines rather than representing their wards.
"It's always a foregone conclusion, councillors of the same party hardly ever vote against each other. UKIP does not have a whip and we would always vote how are electorate would want us to.
"We will are gathering together a list to put one candidate in every ward. I am hopeful that there will be no overall majority in the next local elections and UKIP will hold the balance of power.
"That means Conservative and Labour councillors will have to come to us to get their policies through and we can all work together to represent residents."
UKIP have come in for some tough media attention during the past few weeks, not least for a Somerset candidate pictured doing what looked like a Nazi salute and a Leicester candidate liking 'ethnic banter' and the English Defence League (EDL) on Facebook.
Last November Winston McKenzie, the party's candidate in the Croydon North by-election, caused national outrage when he said gay people should be able to adopt.
However, Mr Staveley said: "We are the only party who ban people who have been part of the British National Party, the National Front and EDL from becoming members.
"The Tories have trawled through our social media feeds and highlighted maybe three or four racist members but these people obviously faked their forms to join the party and have since been expelled.
"I can't see why we would attract racists. It's not immigrants we are against but the current immigration policy.
"The problem is the number of unskilled workers who come here and take all the jobs. There are even skilled workers coming from abroad who are taking unskilled jobs - like trained doctors working in Starbucks.
"They send most of their money home and leave after 10 years anyway. And there is the problem of those who come, don't work and then claim benefits. I have no problem of immigrants coming here if we need them.
"Winston McKenzie will be standing for Croydon North in 2015 - he came from Jamaica and is black as they come so I don't see how we are racist. We have black, Asian, homosexual members and are very diverse. The difference is we are not members of the political class and therefore are in touch with the people unlike the career politicians of today."
At the moment, UKIP in Croydon are targeting Coulsdon East and Addiscombe for the local elections as the two area seem be attracting the most support.
"I am not being racist but these areas are more white British, Christians and over 60 - that's who the majority of our voters are. And when areas are affected by immigration, that also boosts support.
"Immigration exacerbates our housing problem and our school places shortage and they are things people really worry about."
Mr Staveley also said that most of the UK's problems nationally and locally stemmed from the country's membership to the EU.
"Even issues like recycling and waste disposal, electricity are down to EU directives which it makes no sense for us to follow. Then there is the bureaucracy and money wasting which is completely unnecessary."
The hopeful candidate, who is part of Addiscombe's Safer Neighbourhood Team and is well known in the area, said he would tackle the issues most important to residents like fly-tipping, the lack of police on the beat, sorting out road humps, rubbish and recycling.
Despite their lack of political experience, Mr Staveley said: "We have all worked for businesses or run families, we know how to work a budget - basically you spend less than what you take in.
"At the end of the day, we are the common sense party. That's what people want."
