London Borough of Merton - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Merton

London Borough of Merton

Coordinates: 51°23′N 0°10′W

The London Borough of Merton (/ˈmɜːtən/ ⓘ) is a

borough in Southwest London, England. London Borough of Merton

The borough was formed under the London Government Act London borough
1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of
Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton
and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey. The
main commercial centres in Merton are Mitcham, Morden and
Wimbledon, of which Wimbledon is the largest. Other smaller
Council logo
centres include Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon
and Wimbledon Park. The borough is the host of the Coat of arms
Wimbledon tournament, one of tennis's Grand Slam
competitions.

The borough derives its name from the historic parish of Merton
which was centred on the area now known as South Wimbledon.
Merton was chosen as an acceptable compromise, following a
dispute between Wimbledon and Mitcham over the new
borough's name. The local authority is Merton London Borough
Council, which is based in Morden.

Districts Merton shown within Greater London

▪ Bushey Mead Sovereign state United Kingdom
▪ Colliers Wood Constituent country England
Region London
▪ Copse Hill
Ceremonial county Greater London
▪ Cottenham Park
Created 1 April 1965
▪ Crooked Billet
▪ Lower Morden Admin HQ Civic Centre
Morden
▪ Merton Park
Government
▪ Mitcham
• Type London borough council
▪ Mitcham Common • Body Merton London Borough
▪ Morden Council
▪ Morden Park • Leadership Ross Garrod (Labour)
▪ Motspur Park (also partly Royal Borough of Kingston upon • Mayor Joan Henry
Thames) • London Assembly Leonie Cooper (Lab) AM
for Merton and
▪ New Malden (also partly Royal Borough of Kingston upon Wandsworth
Thames) • MPs Stephen Hammond
▪ Norbury (also partly in London Borough of Croydon and (Conservative)
London Borough of Lambeth) Siobhain McDonagh
(Lab)
▪ Pollards Hill (also partly in London Borough of Croydon)
▪ Raynes Park Area
• Total 14.52 sq mi (37.61 km2)
▪ St. Helier (also partly in the London Borough of Sutton)
• Rank 287th (of 314)
▪ South Wimbledon

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▪ Summerstown (also partly in the London Borough of Population (2021)

Wandsworth) • Total 215,186
▪ Wimbledon • Rank 85th (of 314)
▪ Wimbledon Park • Density 15,000/sq mi
(5,700/km2)
Time zone UTC (GMT)
History of the Borough • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes CR, KT, SM, SW
Governance Area code 020
ONS code 00BA
GSS code E09000024
Merton London Borough Council
Police Metropolitan Police

The May 2022 local government elections saw the Labour Party Website http://www.merton.gov.uk
win an overall majority. The current council has a Labour
majority and its composition is:

▪ Labour: 31
▪ Liberal Democrats: 17
▪ Conservatives: 7
▪ Merton Park Residents: 2

Greater London representation

A map showing the wards of Merton
For elections to the Greater London Council, the borough formed the Merton since 2002
electoral division, electing two members. In 1973 it was divided into the
single-member Mitcham and Morden and Wimbledon electoral divisions.[1]
The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986.

Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough forms part of
the Merton and Wandsworth constituency.

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. Merton Civic Centre
The first female Mayor of Merton, Vera Maud Bonner, served from 1973 to
1974.[2] Since 1978, each Mayor must also be an elected councillor. Gill
Manley who is a councillor for Cricket Green ward is currently the Mayor.[3]

Media
A lot of filming for former ITV police drama The Bill took place in Merton, particularly in the districts of
Mitcham and Colliers Wood. The set of Sun Hill police station was also located in the Borough. Ray Austin, born
at 9 Abbey Rd Merton on the 5 December 1932, is an English television and film director, television writer,
novelist and former stunt performer and actor who worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
He filmed episodes of The Avengers and The Saint in and around Merton. He served as director on episodes of
some 150 programs between 1968 and 2010.

The main local newspaper in Merton is the Wimbledon Times (recently changed name from Wimbledon
Guardian). This newspaper was founded in 1977 by a former Conservative councillor on Merton Council, but
since then the paper has been sold on and it is now widely published in different editions across South London.
The newspaper is available free, though there is a charge if bought from a newsagent. It is published each Friday.

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Economy
Notable businesses with their headquarters in Merton including:

▪ Eidos Interactive, a subsidiary of Square Enix, located in Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon.[4]
▪ Lenstore, an online optical retailer, located in Wimbledon Park
▪ Square Enix Europe: located in Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon.[4]
▪ Lidl head offices, located in Wimbledon, although they are moving out of Wimbledon heading for Tolworth.

Education
London's Poverty Profile (https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/) (a 2017 report by Trust for London (http
s://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/) and the New Policy Institute (https://www.npi.org.uk)) found that 40%
of Merton's 19-year-olds lack level 3 qualifications. This is the 5th worst figure out of 32 London boroughs.[5]

Transport
Merton is served by a wide range of National Rail stations across the borough, as well as the southern tip of
London Underground's Northern line and the District line on the Wimbledon branch. The borough is also served
by several Tramlink stops from Wimbledon, that goes to Croydon, New Addington, Elmers End and Beckenham.
It is the only London Borough which has tube, rail and tram services.

London Underground stations

▪ Colliers Wood
▪ South Wimbledon
▪ Morden
▪ Wimbledon Park
▪ Wimbledon

Tramlink stops

▪ Wimbledon
▪ Dundonald Road
▪ Merton Park
▪ Morden Road
▪ Phipps Bridge
▪ Belgrave Walk
▪ Mitcham
▪ Mitcham Junction

National Rail stations

▪ Tooting
▪ Haydons Road
▪ Wimbledon
▪ Wimbledon Chase
▪ South Merton
▪ Morden South
▪ St Helier

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▪ Mitcham Junction
▪ Mitcham Eastfields
▪ Raynes Park
▪ Motspur Park

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van,
19.2% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 13.0%; train, 13.0%; bus, minibus or
coach, 7.5%; on foot, 5.0%; work mainly at or from home, 3.4%; bicycle, 2.4%.[6]

Demographics and social conditions

In 2001, the census recorded that 25% of the population of the borough was
from an ethnic minority. The highest ethnic populations were recorded in
wards in the east of the borough in Mitcham, Eastfields and Pollards Hill.
The percentage of population from ethnic minorities is predicted to rise
across the borough within the next decade.

A 2017 report by Trust for London (https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk) and

the New Policy Institute (https://www.npi.org.uk) found that Merton has a
poverty rate of 20%, which is the 7th lowest rate in London. It also found that
the level of pay inequality in Merton is lower than in any other borough, Population pyramid of the Borough
except neighbouring Croydon.[5] of Merton in 2021

According to the council's comparative assessment of wards made in 2004,

the most deprived wards within the borough were in the south and east where unemployment rates, educational
attainment and the quality of health were worst. The most affluent wards were in the north and west of the
borough.

Comparative crime rates appear to be unrelated to the deprivation ranking of wards. The wards containing
Mitcham town centre and the St Helier Estate are ranked highest for crime within Merton with the wards
containing the commercial shopping centres of Colliers Wood and Wimbledon also featuring high in the ranking.

The constituency area of Wimbledon is an affluent area of London with a high proportion of city workers, while
Mitcham and Morden is relatively deprived by comparison, which explains the geographical split of political
representation of the borough at both national and local elections.

Merton currently operates a Police Cadet scheme under the Metropolitan Police Service.

Ethnicity Population census

Year Pop. ±%
1801 4,831 —
1811 5,656 +17.1%
1821 6,433 +13.7%
1831 6,652 +3.4%
1841 7,364 +10.7%
1851 7,334 −0.4%
1861 14,118 +92.5%
1871 20,901 +48.0%
1881 27,684 +32.5%
1891 41,318 +49.2%
1901 63,273 +53.1%
1911 96,895 +53.1%
1921 122,245 +26.2%
1931 154,267 +26.2%

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1941 174,151 +12.9%

1951 196,599 +12.9%
1961 187,074 −4.8%
1971 178,023 −4.8%
1981 165,098 −7.3%
1991 171,808 +4.1%
2001 187,908 +9.4%
2011 199,693 +6.3%
Note:[7]

Year

Ethnic 1981
1991[9] 2001[10] 2011[11] 2021[12]
Group estimations[8]

Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %

White:
146,376 89.3% 141,093 83.7% 140,883 74.97% 129,606 64.8% 129,617 60.2%
Total

White:
– – – – 120,378 64.1% 96,658 48.4% 88,673 41.2%
British

White: Irish – – – – 5,464 2.9 % 4,417 2.2% 4,337 2.0%

White:
Gypsy or
– – – – – – 216 0.1% 194 0.1%
Irish
Traveller

White:
– – – – – – – – 813 0.4%
Roma

White:
– – – – 15,041 8.0% 28,315 14.1% 35,600 16.5%
Other

Asian or
Asian
– – 14,688 8.7% 23,292 12.4% 36,143 17.9% 40,019 18.6%
British:
Total

Asian or
Asian
– – 5751 8,043 % 8,106 4.0% 9,607 4.5%
British:
Indian

Asian or
Asian
– – 2241 4,504 % 7,337 3.6% 9,667 4.5%
British:
Pakistani

Asian or
Asian
– – 882 1,702 % 2,216 1.1% 2,470 1.1%
British:
Bangladeshi

Asian or
Asian
– – 1216 2,485 % 2,618 1.3% 3,615 1.7%
British:
Chinese

Asian or
Asian
– – 4598 6,558 % 15,866 7.9% 14,660 6.8%
British:
Other Asian

Total 163,848 100% 168,470 100% 187,908 100.00% 199,693 100.00% 215,187 100%

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Year
Ethnic
1981 estimations[8] 1991[9] 2001[10] 2011[11] 2021[12]
Group
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %

Black or
Black
– – 9,657 5.7% 14,626 7.7% 20,811 10.6% 22,887 10.6%
British:
Total

Black or
Black
– – 3314 6,976 % 10,442 5.2% 12,218 5.7%
British:
African

Black or
Black
– – 4899 6,438 % 8,126 4.0% 7,632 3.5%
British:
Caribbean

Black or
Black
– – 1444 1,212 % 2,243 1.1% 3,037 1.4%
British:
Other Black

Mixed or
British
– – – – 5,869 3.1% 9,334 4.5% 12,765 5.9%
Mixed:
Total

Mixed:
White and
– – – – 1,630 % 2,579 1.2% 3,009 1.4%
Black
Caribbean

Mixed:
White and
– – – – 734 % 1,279 0.6% 1,722 0.8%
Black
African

Mixed:
White and – – – – 1,918 % 2,829 1.4% 3,756 1.7%
Asian

Mixed:
– – – – 1,587 % 2,647 1.3% 4,278 2.0%
Other Mixed

Other:
– – 3032 1.8% 3,238 % 3,799 1.8% 9,899 4.6%
Total

Other: Arab – – – – – – 1,413 0.7% 1,923 0.9%

Other: Any
other ethnic – – 3032 3,238 % 2,386 1.1% 7,976 3.7%
group

Ethnic
minority: 17,472 10.7% 27,377 16.2% 47,025 25.0% 70,033 35.2% 85,570 39.8%
Total

Total 163,848 100% 168,470 100% 187,908 100.00% 199,693 100.00% 215,187 100%

Features of interest

Wimbledon tennis tournament

Each year The Championships, Wimbledon, better known as simply Wimbledon, one of the four tennis Grand
Slam tournaments (along with the US, French and Australian Opens) is held at the All England Lawn Tennis and

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Croquet Club in Church Road Wimbledon. The event takes place over a fortnight at the end of June and
beginning of July and is the largest annual sporting event to take place in the United Kingdom with over
200,000 visitors during the Wimbledon fortnight.

Football

The borough gained a football team in 1889 when Wimbledon Old Centrals were founded, and were soon a
member of the local football leagues.[13] The club later adopted the title Wimbledon FC and moved into a new
stadium at Plough Lane in 1912, where it would spend the next 79 years. As the 20th century wore on, the club
enjoyed considerable success in non-league football.[14] The club was elected to the Football League in 1977[15]
and enjoyed a great run of success when began in 1983 with the Fourth Division title, and saw them reach the
First Division in 1986 – a mere nine years after joining the Football League. They quickly established themselves
in the highest division of English football, and as clear underdogs, pulled off a shock win in the 1988 FA Cup
Final against Liverpool, England's most successful and dominant club side in Europe during that era.[16] They
were founder members of the FA Premier League in 1992[17] and survived at that level until 2000, before
relocating to Milton Keynes, some 70 miles away in Buckinghamshire, in a controversial move in 2003, being
rebranded as Milton Keynes Dons in 2004. The club had left its Plough Lane stadium in 1991 to ground-share
with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with numerous plans to build a new stadium in a number of different
locations (including back in London and even in Dublin or Cardiff) being considered over the following decade
before the club's owners chose Milton Keynes as their destination.

However, a new Wimbledon club – AFC Wimbledon – was formed to represent the local area in 2002 by fans of
the original club after the move to Milton Keynes was given the go-ahead. The new Wimbledon club's progress
was rapid, and after just nine years in existence they won promotion to the Football League in 2011.[18] The club
gained permission in 2016 it to build a new stadium back on Plough Lane, using the former Greyhound Stadium
around a hundred yards from its old stadium site and still within the London Borough of Merton. In 2018 the
final agreements were signed off and demolition work started on the site (for both stadium and 600 flats) in
April 2018. Building was completed for the 2020–21 season.[19][20][21] The first competitive game in front of
fans was played on 14 August 2021, a 3–3 draw against Bolton Wanderers.

The borough also has five non-League football clubs: Colliers Wood United F.C. who play at Wibbandune Sports
Ground; Raynes Park Vale F.C. who play at Prince George's Fields; Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. who play at
Imperial Fields, Morden; and Merton Forest F.C who also play at Prince George's Fields and a Celebrity
Fundraising Football team – Celeb FC (http://www.CelebFC.co.uk) who play all over the UK without charge for
small UK charities.

Television
The Talkback Thames television studio on Deer Park Road was used as Sun Hill Police Station in the ITV police
drama The Bill from its inception in 1984 until it was axed in 2010.[22]

Sister cities
▪ Irving, Texas, United States[23]

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Merton.

Individuals
▪ Andy Murray: 20 July 2014.[24]

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▪ Angela Mortimer: 27 June 2014.[25][26]

▪ Ann Haydon-Jones: 27 July 2014.[25][26]
▪ Virginia Wade: 27 July 2014.[25][26]
▪ Dickie Guy: 16 July 2021.[27]

References
1. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Merton" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160324
125743/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/glc/glcmt.html). United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from
the original (http://www.election.demon.co.uk/glc/glcmt.html) on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 7 September
2023.
2. "Merton pays tribute to borough's first woman Mayor" (https://news.merton.gov.uk/2017/02/23/merton-pays-tr
ibute-to-boroughs-first-woman-mayor/). 23 February 2017.
3. "The Mayor of Merton" (http://www.merton.gov.uk/council/mayor.htm). Merton London Borough Council.
4. "About us" (http://eu.square-enix.com/en/aboutus/). Square Enix Europe.
5. "London's Poverty Profile" (https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/boroughs/merton-poverty-and-inequality-in
dicators/). Trust for London. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
6. "2011 Census: QS701EW Method of travel to work, local authorities in England and Wales" (http://www.ons.
gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-and-quick-statistics-for-wards-and-output-areas-in-england
-and-wales/rft-qs701ew.xls). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Percentages are of
all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode,
specified as the journey’s longest part by distance.
7. "Merton: Total Population" (http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP
&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10057346&c_id=10001043&add=N). A Vision of Britain Through Time. Great
Britain Historical GIS Project. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
8. "Ethnic minorities in Britain: statistical information on the pattern of settlement" (https://jstor.org/stable/comm
unity.28327806). Commission for Racial Equality: Table 2.2. 1985.
9. "1991 census – theme tables" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180930205650/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/q
uery/asv2htm.aspx). NOMIS. Archived from the original (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/asv2htm.aspx)
on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
10. "KS006 – Ethnic group" (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/submit.asp?forward=yes&menuopt=2
01&subcomp=). NOMIS. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
11. "Ethnic Group by measures" (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/QS201EW/view/1946157259?cols=
measures). NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
12. "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics" (https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/
1/filter-outputs/d2f0a39a-75b6-4995-b4bd-a5b68ff79027#get-data). www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved
29 November 2022.
13. "1889 to 1899" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120206062036/http://www.historicaldons.com/1889.htm).
Memories of The Dons. historicaldons.com. Archived from the original (http://www.historicaldons.com/1889.h
tm) on 6 February 2012.
14. "Plough Lane – Wimbledon" (http://www.oldgrounds.co.uk/plough_lane_wibledon.htm). Wayback Machine.
Old Football Grounds. 13 February 2020.
15. "1970 to 1979" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120219002745/http://historicaldons.com/1970.htm).
Memories of The Dons. historicaldons.com. Archived from the original (http://historicaldons.com/1970.htm)
on 19 February 2012.
16. "1980 to 1989" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110930110421/http://historicaldons.com/1980.htm). Memories
of The Dons. historicaldons.com. Archived from the original (http://historicaldons.com/1980.htm) on 30
September 2011.
17. "The second coming of Wimbledon" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/9223993.stm). BBC
Sport – Football. 25 November 2010.
18. "AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Luton Town (4-3 on pens)" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13418508.stm).
BBC Sport – Football. 21 May 2011.

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19. "New stadium update featured on the agenda" (http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/summary-of-dtb-

meeting-828310.aspx).
20. "New stadium update" (https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/club/new-stadium/).
21. "Home Sweet Home" (https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2019/july/home-sweet-home/). AFC
Wimbledon. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
22. "Talkback Thames" (https://www.imdb.com/company/co0135632/). IMDb.
23. "Interactive City Directory" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224757/http://www.sister-cities.org/interact
ive-map/Irving,%20Texas). Sister Cities International. Archived from the original (http://www.sister-cities.org/i
nteractive-map/Irving,%20Texas) on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
24. "Andy Murray given Freedom of Merton | Merton Council News Room" (https://news.merton.gov.uk/2014/06/
20/andy-murray-given-freedom-of-merton/). News.merton.gov.uk. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
25. "Freedom of The Borough" (https://democracy.merton.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=1850). London Borough of
Merton. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
26. Archived at Ghostarchive (https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/5HfRIicBWx8) and the
Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20170807211257/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfRIic
BWx8): "Former Wimbledon Champions awarded Freedom of Merton" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5
HfRIicBWx8). YouTube. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
27. Charsley, Monica (16 July 2021). "AFC Wimbledon president to be granted the Freedom of Merton" (https://
www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/dropthedons/19448431.afc-wimbledon-president-granted-freedom-merton/).
Wimbledon Times. Retrieved 21 July 2021.

External links
▪ Merton Information (http://www.visitmerton.wordpress.com/)
London portal
▪ Merton Council (http://www.merton.gov.uk/)
▪ Merton Council – Areas and wards (http://www.merton.gov.uk/neighbourhood.htm)
▪ Merton Voluntary Service Council – local voluntary, community and political groups (http://www.mertonconne
cted.com/)
▪ London Borough of Merton – openlylocal (https://web.archive.org/web/20100303020218/http://openlylocal.co
m/councils/1-London-Borough-of-Merton)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=London_Borough_of_Merton&oldid=1179921823"

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