Merton calls on residents to help shape the borough’s future in biggest-ever council engagement programme
Merton Council is asking residents, students, commuters and businesses for their views on the future of their area as part of the borough’s biggest-ever community conversation. The council wants to find out what local people to share their views on what their community’s priorities should be post-pandemic.
The council believes Covid-19 has shown the community at its best, with many examples of Merton coming together, and wants to here from local people how the community can build on that experience to make Merton an even better place.
Your Merton, which launches today at www.merton.gov.uk/YourMerton, will offer people the opportunity to give their views on things like local places and venues, their day to day life in the borough, how the pandemic has changed their lifestyle, and their future ambitions for where they live.
Those taking part will be able to give their views via a simple, easy-to-use website, allowing them to highlight local places and tell the council the things they love about the borough as well as the things they want to see change in the future, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Contributing your view to the future of the borough takes only a few minutes, and the website will be open for eight weeks.
It is part of the council’s widest-ever engagement programme, which includes the annual resident survey (run by telephone) and a series of discussion groups with community organisations including faith groups, young peoples’ groups, charities and community partners.
Residents can give their views at any time, with themed promotions each week on the council’s social media channels to encourage responses in each area. Views are welcome from anyone who lives or studies in the borough, as well as those who commute or work here.
Once the website closes on July 7, the responses will help form the basis of local priorities for the council and its partners from 2022 onwards. The Council will start assessing responses in September/October.
Owen Pritchard, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Performance, Recovery and the Local Economy said: “Everyone has felt the impact of the pandemic in different ways – for some of us it has been truly devastating, while for the majority of us it has been life-changing.
“The council – like all of us – is trying to work out what changes to keep, and how to adapt to a post-pandemic Britain.
”Whether it’s changing the way we travel or work, a desire to spend more time outside, or changes to the way we want essential services to be delivered, all of us have an idea on what we want our futures to look like.
“Your Merton is an opportunity for our residents to tell us what they think, what they want – and what they don’t want. Our job is to listen, understand what’s changed for people, and then build our priorities around people’s views.
“So to anyone who lives, or works in Merton, all I ask is that you take 15minutes or so to visit the website and tell us what you think.”
The website will remain open until July 7.
ENDS
- Your Merton is the largest-ever local engagement exercise in Merton, aiming to get views from thousands of people who live, work and study in the borough
- The project will run until July 7, and can be accessed at www.merton.gov.uk/yourmerton
- Cabinet Member Councillor Owen Pritchard is available for interviews on request
- For more information and media interviews email getinvolved@merton.gov.uk