Merton London Borough Council Explained

Merton London Borough Council
Coa Pic:Coat of arms of the London Borough of Merton.svg
Coa Res:100px
Coa Caption:Coat of arms
Logo Pic:Lb merton logo.svg
Logo Res:200px
House Type:London Borough
Leader1 Type:Mayor
Leader1:Slawek Szczepanski
Party1:
Labour
Election1:22 May 2024[1]
Leader2 Type:Leader
Leader2:Ross Garrod
Party2:
Labour
Election2:25 May 2022
Leader3 Type:Chief Executive
Leader3:Hannah Doody
Election3:July 2021[2]
Members:57 councillors
Structure1:United_Kingdom_Merton_Council_2024.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:
Administration (30)
  • Labour (30)
    Other parties (27)
  • Conservative (7)
  • Merton Park RA (2)
  • Independent (1)
  • Voting System1:First past the post
    Last Election1:5 May 2022
    Next Election1:7 May 2026
    Session Room:Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden (geograph 3090736).jpg
    Session Res:250
    Meeting Place:Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM45DX

    Merton London Borough Council, which styles itself Merton Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Merton in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014. The council is based at Merton Civic Centre in Morden.

    History

    The London Borough of Merton and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[3] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the councils of the municipal boroughs of Mitcham and Wimbledon and the urban district of Merton and Morden.[4] The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[5]

    The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Merton", but it styles itself Merton Council.[6]

    From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Merton) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Merton has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[7]

    Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[8]

    Powers and functions

    The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[9] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[10]

    Political control

    The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014.

    The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[11] [12] [13]

    Party in control Years
    1965–1968
    1968–1971
    1971–1974
    1974–1989
    1989–1990
    1990–2006
    2006–2014
    2014–present

    Leadership

    The role of Mayor of Merton is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[14] [15]

    Councillor Party From To
    Vincent Talbot 1965 1971
    Dennis Hempstead 1971 1974
    Vincent Talbot 1974 1975
    Allan Jones 1975 1980
    Harry Cowd 1980 1988
    John Elvidge 1988 1990
    Geoffrey Smith 1990 1991
    1991 1997
    Mike Brunt 1997 1999
    Philip Jones 1999 2000
    Peter Holt 2000 25 Apr 2001
    Andrew Judge 25 Apr 2001 24 May 2006
    David Williams 24 May 2006 26 May 2010
    Stephen Alambritis 26 May 2010 18 Nov 2020
    Mark Allison 18 Nov 2020 8 May 2022
    Ross Garrod 25 May 2022

    Composition

    Following the 2022 election and a change of allegiance in January 2024,[16] the composition of the council was:

    Party Councillors
    30
    17
    7
    2
    1
    Total 57
    The next election is due in May 2026.

    Elections

    Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[17]

    The political voting patterns in Merton broadly follow the geographical divide between Merton's two UK Parliament constituencies. The eastern Mitcham and Morden constituency, which is held by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, contains ten wards and has only elected Labour councillors since 2014, with the exception of a single Conservative councillor elected in Lower Morden in 2022.[18]

    The western Wimbledon constituency, which is held by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond, contains ten wards with 27 councillors, 17 of which are currently Liberal Democrats. Since 1990, the ward of Merton Park has only ever returned councillors for Merton Park Ward Residents Association.[19] The most recent elections in 2022 saw the Liberal Democrats replace the Conservatives as the main opposition on Merton Council, winning 17 seats across the Wimbledon wards. They won all council seats in four of the wards, while another four wards were split between the Liberal Democrats and either the Conservatives or Labour. The only ward completely held by the Conservatives is Village, while Labour maintains only a single councillor in each of the Abbey and Wandle wards.[20]

    Premises

    The council is based at Merton Civic Centre on London Road in Morden. The building began as a 15-storey office block that was privately built as 'Crown House', opening in 1962.[21] The council moved into the building in 1985, having previously been based at Wimbledon Town Hall.[22] A three-storey extension in front of the older building was completed in 1990, including the council chamber.[23] [24]

    Mayors

    At the annual council meeting, a mayor is elected to serve for a year. At the same time, the council elects a deputy mayor. Since 1978, each mayor must also be an elected councillor.

    The mayor also acts as the ceremonial and civic head of the borough during his/her year of office, including chairing council meetings. The post is non-political, although they do get an additional casting vote in the event of a tie. Each year the mayor also chooses two charities which will benefit from a series of fundraising events throughout the mayoral year.

    The following have served as mayor since the formation of the borough in 1965:[25]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: First Polish-born Mayor of Merton, Councillor Slawek Szczepanski, champions community unity . Merton Council . 24 May 2024.
    2. News: O'Connor . Tara . A new chief executive has been appointed to lead Merton Council . 25 April 2024 . My London . 4 May 2021.
    3. act. London Government Act 1963. 33. 16 May 2024.
    4. Book: Youngs, Frederic . Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England . I: Southern England . 1979 . Royal Historical Society . London . 0901050679.
    5. Book: Youngs, Frederic . Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England . I: Southern England . 1979 . Royal Historical Society . London . 0901050679.
    6. Web site: European Database of Asylum Law . 25 April 2024.
    7. act. Local Government Act 1985. 1985. 51. 5 April 2024.
    8. Book: Leach, Steve . Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. 107. Routledge. 1998. 978-0714648590.
    9. Web site: Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities. Council Tax Rates. 8 April 2020.
    10. Web site: Local Plan Responses – within and outside London. 12 November 2015 . Mayor of London. 9 April 2020.
    11. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 4 March 2016 . 3 March 2023.
    12. Web site: London Borough Council Elections. London Datastore. London County Council. 29 March 2015.
    13. News: Local elections: Merton . 2009-09-11 . BBC News Online.
    14. Web site: Council minutes . Merton Council . 8 July 2022.
    15. Web site: London Boroughs Political Almanac . London Councils . 5 July 2022.
    16. News: Mendonça . Susana . Kelly . James W. . Merton Labour councillor quits over Israel-Gaza posts . 25 April 2024 . BBC News . 27 January 2024.
    17. si. The London Borough of Merton (Electoral Changes) Order 2020. 2020. 1382. 25 April 2024.
    18. Web site: Councillors. Merton Council. 12 May 2024.
    19. Web site: Merton Park Ward Residents Association. www.mertonpark.org.uk. 19 April 2017.
    20. Web site: Councillors. CS-Democracy. Services. 5 May 2022. democracy.merton.gov.uk.
    21. Web site: Merton Civic Centre. https://web.archive.org/web/20201205034008/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/139439/merton-civic-centre-london-united-kingdom. dead. 5 December 2020. Emporis. 9 May 2020.
    22. Book: London's Town Halls . 1998 . Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England . London . 155 . 25 April 2024.
    23. Web site: Merton Civic Centre, showing the new library and office extension. Merton Photo Archive. 9 May 2020.
    24. Web site: London Road: Building Crown House, Morden. Merton Photo Archive. 9 May 2020.
    25. Web site: London Borough of Merton, Past Mayors of Merton . Merton.gov.uk . 23 May 2011 . 9 August 2011.