Merton Council has approved the Climate Delivery Plan for Year 5.
The Climate Delivery Plan for Year 5 outlines progress made in 2024 and plans for 2025, as part of our path to become a net zero council by 2030 and a net zero borough by 2050. You can read an abridged version of our progress to deliver a greener, healthier, more resilient borough in our Resident Summary Report of the Climate Delivery Plan for Year 5.
Some of the successes over the last year include:
- Supported residents in making their homes more energy efficient and to reduce their energy bills through Merton’s Home Energy Efficiency Loan scheme, household guidance and recruiting a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Officer;
- Increased community climate action in Merton by launching a Faith & Climate Action Group, continuing to support Merton’s Green Schools Network and Climate Action Group, and allocated funding to nine community-led climate action projects through the first round of Merton’s Community Climate Action Fund in early 2024, and another 11 community led projects in March 2025;
- Planted 500 trees across Merton’s streets and parks, double the replacement planting in previous years;
- Secured funding to replace and upgrade 100 lamp columns to enable the installation of lamp column EV charge points;
- Adopted a new Local Plan in November 2024 which sets ambitious climate policies to ensure that new build development is fit for the future;
- Worked with the Energy Savings Trust to develop an options appraisal for the decarbonisation of the Council’s fleet;
- Secured funding to decarbonise the heating system in the Civic Centre, including £3million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
The Council has also published a Climate Engagement Strategy which provides a framework for the council’s existing and future climate engagement activities in the borough to ensure that everyone in Merton can be involved in the borough’s journey to achieve net zero by 2050.
In February 2023, Cabinet approved Merton’s draft Climate Engagement Strategy which provided a framework for the council’s climate engagement activities in the borough up until 2026.
Further consultation was carried out in 2023 to better understand what role organisations see for themselves in encouraging community climate action; to identify climate attitudes and priorities; and to develop routes for engaging with new, less heard and more diverse communities, to better address their priorities and overcome challenges to enable community climate action. The updated Climate Engagement Strategy for 2024-2026 has now been published alongside Merton’s annual Climate Delivery Plans here.
The Council will continue to ensure that both documents are at the heart of its decision-making – in 2025 and beyond.
Councillor Eleanor Stringer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Civic Pride and Climate Change, said:
We have been putting Merton on the map over the last year, delivering projects with and for our residents which are at the forefront of climate action in London.’’
“By approving our Climate Delivery Plan for Year 5, Cabinet has ensured that we continue to deliver on initiatives which help residents save money on their energy bills, support their health, and reduce carbon emissions.”
“Our Climate Delivery Plan and Climate Engagement Strategy aim to foster community climate action to ensure that all residents and stakeholders are empowered to contribute to Merton’s 2050 net-zero target.
You can read the full version of the Climate Delivery Plan, the Summary Report and the Climate Engagement Strategy here.