Building A Better Merton Together

· by · in Borough of Sport, Civic Pride, Clean streets, Cost of living, Health and social care, Housing, Leader of the council, Parks and green spaces, Planning, Public health, Regeneration, Traffic and Highways, Transport. ·

Residents, businesses, charities, community groups and a range of public services, including the police and the NHS, are being invited to work with the council on an ambitious set of plans to shape Merton’s future.

At a meeting tonight (Wednesday 19 April) Council adopted a plan, called Building A Better Merton Together, which focuses on three priorities: nurturing civic pride, building a sustainable future and creating a Borough of Sport.   

Nurturing civic pride

Communities are at the heart of nurturing civic pride and the aim is for everyone in Merton to feel proud of the place where they live. That is why the council is investing millions into cleaning up our streets, rejuvenating high streets, providing good schools and looking after our parks and green spaces.

The council will do more to support voluntary groups and community organisations, following the allocation of £2m through civic pride grant funding earlier this year. This is in addition to dedicated funding of £2m which is continuing to support residents through the cost of living crisis.

Building a sustainable future

Plans are being drawn up to build 400 affordable new homes on council land by 2026 and the council is taking action to improve housing conditions in both the social and private rented sectors. There are plans to grow the borough’s tree canopy further after the milestone of planting 10,000 trees in a year is reached this spring and Merton is on the road to becoming the best outer London borough for electric vehicles. The council will work with health services to ensure they are meeting the needs of residents across the borough.

Creating a Borough of Sport

Merton has an impressive sporting heritage and iconic venues and investment is being put into expanding and upgrading grassroots sports facilities. The council has commissioned London Sport to get more residents active, particularly those aged under 16 and over 65, by promoting and increasing the range of sporting opportunities available for every level of fitness. 

Council Leader, Councillor Ross Garrod, said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be leading the borough where I grew up. I am proud of Merton, but I’m also ambitious for our future.

“Our new council plan, Building a Better Merton Together, sets out our goals for Merton between now and 2026, focusing on three themes: nurturing civic pride, building a sustainable future, and creating a Borough of Sport.

“Communities are at the heart of all that we are aiming to achieve and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to build a better Merton together.”