Mayor Brenda Fraser, Labour Labour 36 / 60 | Seats 60 councillors Conservatives 20 / 60 | |
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Type London Borough Council of the London Borough of Merton Leader Stephen Alambritis, Labour | ||
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.
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Map of London Borough of Merton, UK
The council was created by the London Government Act 1963.
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 Merton 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.
Political background of the council
The May 2014 local government elections saw the Labour Party become the majority party, after having formed a minority administration in 2010. Previously the council had four years of a Conservative-led administration.
The Mitcham and Morden constituency held by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh has 30 Labour councillors. The Wimbledon constituency held by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond is represented by 20 Conservative councilors;6 Labour councilors; 3 Merton Park Residents and 1 Liberal Democrat.
Leaders
The following have served as leaders of Merton Council since its formation:
The longest serving councillor is Philip Jones who represents Ravensbury ward. He has served on the council continuously 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 Brenda Fraser who is Labour 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: