The Mayor of Merton, Councillor Joan Henry, said: “We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. We join together with the rest of the capital, the country, the Commonwealth and the world in paying tribute to her lifetime of service and duty as Britain’s longest reigning monarch.”
Letter of condolence
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ross Garrod, has written a letter of condolence to the Royal Family on behalf of the London Borough of Merton.
Books of condolence
Merton Civic Centre
A book of condolence is open in Merton Civic Centre reception for anyone to leave a tribute or sign daily between 8am and 8pm until Tuesday 20 September, when it will open at 8am and close at 6pm.
Please note that the main civic centre will be closed over the Bank Holiday weekend, but the foyer at the front of the building will remain open for people to sign the book of condolence.
Merton Libraries
Condolence books are located in each of the following libraries, during opening hours:
- Mitcham and Wimbledon library, daily from 8am to 8pm, until Sunday 18 September, when they will close at 8pm.
- Colliers Wood, Pollards Hill, Raynes Park and West Barnes Libraries, open daily from 8am – 8pm until Saturday 17 September, when they will close at 8pm.
Online
A Merton online book of condolence is also available for people to sign before 6pm on Tuesday 20 September.
The Royal family have also opened an online book of condolence, which is available to sign here.
A selection of these messages will be passed onto members of the Royal Family, and may be held in the Royal Archives for posterity.
Floral tributes
On the morning of 9 September 2022, flowers were laid in tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the war memorial outside of Merton Civic Centre.
Anyone who wishes to come along and lay flowers by Merton Civic Centre memorial and pay their respects is also welcome to do so.
Recycling and rubbish collections to go ahead on Bank Holiday Monday but Garth Road closed
The street cleaning teams will be operating a reduced service, focusing on priority areas such as Town Centres and High Streets.
Garth Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre will close on Monday 20 September.
Our collections teams will continue to provide essential services on Monday and will aim to start their rounds earlier. Many of the teams will wish to observe the national two minute silence.
The street cleaning teams will be operating a reduced service, focusing on priority areas such as town centres and high streets.
Garth Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday.
#MertonRoyalMemories
Share your stories of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
To pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we are asking Merton residents to share any memories they may have that are connected to Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.
This could be anything from stories, memorabilia, photographs, drawings, videos, traditions and more. We are particularly interested in any memories connected to the borough, such as royal visits or events.
If you have any memories you would like to share with us, please post them on Twitter or Facebook including the hashtag #MertonRoyalMemories and we will share them across our social media channels. We may also share these on newsletters and on YouTube.
Proclamation
The proclamation of the ascent of King Charles III has been delivered in Merton.
On Sunday 11 September 2022, the Mayor of Merton, Councillor Joan Henry, read the proclamation of the new King to the people of Merton outside the civic centre.
Then, the National Anthem was sung and there were three cheers for His Majesty The King.
Postponed council meetings
As a mark of respect, the Council meeting, which was due to take place on Wednesday 14 September has been postponed until Wednesday 21 September.
The Joint Consultative Committee on 13 September and the Pensions Committee on 15 September have also been postponed until later dates.
National mourning protocol
The government has published guidance to be followed during the official mourning period of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The guidance can be found here.