Press Release: Romford residents deliver damning verdict on MP’s 25-year record

David Taylor

3 days ago

4 min read

Romford residents deliver damning verdict on MP’s 25-year record

For immediate release

17 September 2026

MP rated just 3.61 out of ten as more than nine in ten say Romford has declined

More than nine in ten respondents to the Romford Summer Survey believe the town is a worse place to live than it was 25 years ago.

The annual survey, organised by former Romford councillor David Taylor, received more than 500 responses from verified local residents during summer 2026.

Asked whether Romford was a better place to live than 25 years ago, 93.3% said it was worse. This included 80.5% who described it as “much worse” and 12.8% who said it was “slightly worse”. Just 4.1% believed Romford had improved, while 2.5% said it was about the same.

Safety emerged as a major concern. Some 60.2% said they felt unsafe in Romford town centre, comprising 34.2% who felt fairly unsafe and 26% who felt very unsafe. Only 17.8% said they felt safe, with a further 22.1% feeling neither safe nor unsafe.

When residents were asked to choose the three biggest issues facing Romford, crime and antisocial behaviour came first, selected by 79.5% of respondents. Overdevelopment followed on 58.4%, with GP and NHS services on 41.2%, empty shops on 39.3% and town-centre cleanliness on 33.7%.

Other concerns included traffic and parking on 19.7%, roads and pavements on 17%, homelessness on 16.6%, housing on 9.5%, parks and green spaces on 4.1%, and public transport on 1.7%.

The survey also delivered a decisive rejection of the record of Romford’s MP, Andrew Rosindell, who has represented the constituency for the last 25 years.

His average performance rating was just 3.61 out of ten. A quarter of respondents awarded him zero, three-quarters gave him five or below, and only 7% awarded nine or ten.

A Net Promoter Score is a widely used measure of the strength of public support, calculated by balancing strong supporters against critics. On a scale running from –100 to +100, Mr Rosindell recorded a score of –74.5.

David Taylor said:

“People have been saying for years that Romford isn’t what it used to be. These results show that this is no longer a passing complaint or nostalgia for an imagined past. There is an overwhelming consensus that our town has declined, alongside a damning rejection of the MP who has represented it throughout those 25 years.

“Andrew Rosindell has spent a quarter of a century presenting himself as Romford’s champion. Residents have now judged that record for themselves and awarded him just 3.61 out of ten. A quarter gave him zero and only 7% rated his performance at nine or ten. He cannot dismiss that as the grumbling of a small number of political opponents. He needs to listen to these results and make himself more present in Romford.

“Romford is not broken beyond repair. It has been abandoned by political leaders who have treated objecting to every change as a substitute for having a plan. That approach has not made our streets safer, filled our empty shops or restored pride in the town centre.

“There remains a great deal to be positive about. Romford has excellent transport connections, a large catchment across east London and Essex, strong schools and a growing population of young families. We should be capable of creating a safe, clean and thriving town centre.

“The survey must be a turning point. Romford needs new leadership, stronger representation and a confident vision for the next 25 years. We must stop managing decline and start investing in our future.”

At the 2024 General Election, Mr Rosindell retained Romford with 15,339 votes. However, he secured only 34.8% of votes cast - approximately 21% of the constituency’s registered electorate.

Nearly two-thirds of those who voted, 65.2%, backed another candidate.

Mr Taylor added:

“The fact is that almost two-thirds of those who voted backed somebody else, while only around one in five registered voters supported him.

“Now, when more than 500 residents have been asked to judge his performance rather than choose between political parties, the verdict is even more severe. Romford has rejected his record. After 25 years, our town needs new leadership and representation.”

The full findings and accompanying graphics are available at DavidTaylor.online.

Ends

Notes to editors

The Romford Summer Survey was conducted during summer 2026 and received more than 500 responses
Residents were verified by using a self-submitted address
The survey was open and self-selecting. Its findings represent the views of respondents and should not be treated as a demographically weighted opinion poll
For the question about Romford’s biggest issues, respondents could select up to three answers. Percentages therefore do not total 100%
The MP performance question asked respondents to provide a rating between zero and ten
The 2024 election figures are taken from the official UK Parliament result for the Romford constituency. Turnout was 60.4%.
David Taylor represented St Edward’s ward on Havering Council from 2022 to 2026 and chaired the council’s Places Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee.