Merton London Borough Council
Encyclopedia
Merton London Borough 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 the United Kingdom capital of London
. Merton is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors.
The council was created by the London Government Act 1963
.
on 1 April 1965.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963
that London local authorities would share power with 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when London Borough Councils gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council
, such as waste disposal.
become the council largest party, following the loss of three seats by the Conservative Party, two to the Liberal Democrats and one to Labour. This followed four years of a Conservative-led administration. The current council is under no overall control but run by a Labour minority administration and its composition is:
Since 1964 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
The political split of council wards between parties parallels almost exactly the division of the borough between its two parliamentary constituencies. The eastern and southeastern wards in the Mitcham and Morden constituency held by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh
are represented by Labour councillors, apart from Lower Morden ward where there are three Conservative councillors. The northern and western wards in the Wimbledon constituency
held by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond
are represented by Conservative councillors, except for West Barnes where there are two Liberal Democrats and one Conservative councillor, together with the three Merton Park Residents councillors and Abbey ward where there are two Conservatives and one Labour councillor.
The longest serving councillor is Philip Jones who represents Ravensbury ward. He has served on the council continuiously since 1986 and prior to that, between 1971–74 and 1978-82. However, Cllr David Williams has served on the council since 1990 and previously between 1974–87, by total number of years he is the councillor with the most years of service.
The Mayor also acts as the ceremonial and civic head of the borough during his/her year of office and the post is non-political. 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 and reflects their status on the council at the time they were elected as Mayor:
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Merton is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors.
The council was created by the London Government Act 1963
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...
.
History
There were previously a number of local authorities responsible for the Merton area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of MertonLondon Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
on 1 April 1965.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...
that London local authorities would share power with the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
. 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when London Borough Councils gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
, such as waste disposal.
Political background of the Council
The May 2010 local government elections saw the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
become the council largest party, following the loss of three seats by the Conservative Party, two to the Liberal Democrats and one to Labour. This followed four years of a Conservative-led administration. The current council is under no overall control but run by a Labour minority administration and its composition is:
- Labour: 28
- Conservatives: 27
- Merton Park Residents: 3
- Liberal Democrats: 2
Since 1964 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
| Party in control | Years |
|---|---|
| No overall control No overall control Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament... |
1964–1968 |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1968–1971 |
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1971–74 |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1974–1990 |
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1990–2006 |
| No overall control No overall control Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament... |
2006–present |
The political split of council wards between parties parallels almost exactly the division of the borough between its two parliamentary constituencies. The eastern and southeastern wards in the Mitcham and Morden constituency held by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh
Siobhain McDonagh
Siobhain Ann McDonagh is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden since 1997. She previously served as an Assistant Whip in the Labour Government, but was fired following comments regarding a leadership contest to replace PM Gordon Brown.She...
are represented by Labour councillors, apart from Lower Morden ward where there are three Conservative councillors. The northern and western wards in the Wimbledon constituency
Wimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)
Wimbledon is one of two parliamentary constituencies in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
held by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond
Stephen Hammond
Stephen William Hammond is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Member of Parliament for Wimbledon since winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005 with a 7.2% swing....
are represented by Conservative councillors, except for West Barnes where there are two Liberal Democrats and one Conservative councillor, together with the three Merton Park Residents councillors and Abbey ward where there are two Conservatives and one Labour councillor.
The following have served as leaders of Merton Council since its formation
- 1965-71 Vincent Talbot (Conservative)
- 1971-74 Dennis Hempstead (Labour)
- 1974-75 Vincent Talbot (Conservative)
- 1975-80 Allan Jones (Conservative)
- 1980-88 Harry Cowd (Conservative)
- 1988-90 John Elvidge (Conservative)
- 1990-91 Geoff Smith (Labour)
- 1991-97 Tony Colman (Labour)
- 1997-99 Mike Brunt (Labour)
- 1999-2000 Philip Jones (Labour)
- 2000-01 Peter Holt (Labour)
- 2001-06 Andrew Judge (Labour)
- 2006-10 David Williams (Conservative)
- 2010- Stephen Alambritis (Labour)
The longest serving councillor is Philip Jones who represents Ravensbury ward. He has served on the council continuiously since 1986 and prior to that, between 1971–74 and 1978-82. However, Cllr David Williams has served on the council since 1990 and previously between 1974–87, by total number of years he is the councillor with the most years of service.
Mayors
At the Annual Council Meeting, a ceremonial mayor is elected to serve for a year. At the same time, it elects a deputy mayor to serve alongside the mayor. Since 1978, each Mayor must also be an elected councillor. Cllr Gilli Lewis-Lavender who is a Conservative councillor and represents West Barnes is currently the Mayor of the London Borough of Merton.The Mayor also acts as the ceremonial and civic head of the borough during his/her year of office and the post is non-political. 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 and reflects their status on the council at the time they were elected as Mayor:
- 1965-66 Alderman Cyril Marsh
- 1966-67 Councillor Sir Cyril BlackCyril BlackSir Cyril Wilson Black was a British Conservative politician. He was Member of Parliament for Wimbledon from 1950 to his retirement at the 1970 general election.-Birth and education:...
(also MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for WimbledonWimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)Wimbledon is one of two parliamentary constituencies in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
) - 1967-68 Alderman George Pearce
- 1968-69 Alderman Norman Clarke
- 1969-70 Councillor Philip Corbishley
- 1970-71 Councillor Alf Leivers
- 1971-72 Mr Jim Coombes
- 1972-73 Councillor Jim Brown
- 1973-74 Councillor Vera Bonner
- 1974-75 Councillor Bernard Clifford
- 1975-76 Councillor Norman Healey
- 1976-77 Councillor John Watson
- 1977-78 Alderman Peter Kenyon
- 1978-79 Councillor George Watt
- 1979-80 Councillor Ron Haddow JP
- 1980-81 Councillor Tom Bull
- 1981-82 Councillor Vincent Talbot
- 1982-83 Councillor Rothesay Mackenzie
- 1983-84 Councillor Frank Meakings
- 1984-85 Councillor Tony Nicholson
- 1985-86 Councillor Diana Harris
- 1986-87 Councillor Dennis Taylor
- 1987-88 Councillor Harold Turner
- 1988-89 Councillor Allan Jones
- 1989-90 Councillor Barry Edwards
- 1990-91 Councillor Joe Abrams OBE
- 1991-92 Councillor Peter McCabe
- 1992-93 Councillor Slim Flegg MBE
- 1993-94 Councillor Marie-Louise de Villiers
- 1994-95 Councillor Malcolm Searle
- 1995-96 Councillor Bridget Smith
- 1996-97 Councillor Slim Flegg MBE
- 1997-98 Councillor Sheila Knight
- 1998-99 Councillor Linda Kirby
- 1999-2000 Councillor Joyce Paton
- 2000-01 Councillor Ian Munn
- 2001-02 Councillor Stuart Pickover
- 2002-03 Councillor Edith Macauley JP
- 2003-04 Councillor Maxi Martin
- 2004-05 Councillor Margaret Brierly
- 2005-06 Councillor Judy Saunders
- 2006-07 Councillor Geraldine Stanford
- 2007-08 Councillor John Dehaney
- 2008-09 Councillor Martin Whelton
- 2009-10 Councillor Nick Draper
- 2010-11 Councillor Oonagh Moulton
- 2011- Councillor Gilli Lewis-Lavender