London Borough of Merton

Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status	London borough
Area — Total	Ranked 324th 37.61 km²
ONS code	00BA
Demographics
Population — Total (2005 est.) — Density	Ranked 71st (of 354) 194,700 5,177 / km²
Ethnicity	74.8% White 65.5% British 6.0% White other 3.3% Irish 11.1% South Asian 7.8% Afro-Caribbean 1.3% Chinese
Politics
Leadership	Cllr David Williams
Mayor	Cllr Geraldine Stanford
Executive	Conservative (council NOC)
MPs	Stephen Hammond Siobhain McDonagh
London Assembly — Member	Merton and Wandsworth Elizabeth Howlett
Coat of Arms
Official website	http://www.merton.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London. Image File history File links LondonMerton. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London and forms one of the nine regions of England. ... The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London Boroughs, of which 12 (plus the City of London) make up Inner London and 20 Outer London. ... This article explains the meaning of area as a Physical quantity. ... This is a list of districts of England ordered by area. ... To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, we list here areas between 10 km² (1000 hectares) and 100 km² (10,000 hectares). ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating census and other statistical data. ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... This is a list of districts of England ordered by population. ... // The term British Asian is used to denote a person of South Asian ancestry or origin, who was born in or is an immigrant to the United Kingdom. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caribbean British. ... The United Kingdom is divided into four parts, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... The Conservative Party is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting MPs, and the largest by of public membership. ... NOC can refer to: National Olympic Committee, a group eligible to enter athletes and teams into an Olympic Games. ... This is a list of MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 to the House of Commons for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom at the United Kingdom general election, 2005, arranged by constituency. ... Stephen William Hammond (born February 4, 1962, Southampton) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for Wimbledon winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005. ... Siobhain Ann McDonagh (born 20 February 1960) is a politician in the United Kingdom, and Labour member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden in London. ... The London Assembly is an elected body that supervises the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. ... Merton and Wandsworth is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. ... Elizabeth Howlett is a Conservative Party politician and member of the London Assembly for Merton and Wandsworth. ... Arms of London Borough of Merton . ... The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London Boroughs, of which 12 (plus the City of London) make up Inner London and 20 Outer London. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area 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 Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden, of which Wimbledon is the largest. Other smaller centres include Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park and Pollards Hill. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Mitcham is a place in the London Borough of Merton. ... Wimbledon (pronounced ) is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11. ... Merton Urban District was an urban district in Surrey created in 1907 to cover the parish of Merton. ... Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties. ... Raynes Park is a primarily residential area within the London Borough of Merton. ... Colliers Wood is an area in south London, England in the London Borough of Merton. ... South Wimbledon is a place in the London Borough of Merton in south west London. ... Wimbledon park is the second biggest park in the whole of the london borough of merton, it was renovated in the year 2001, with the help of the local council and the local millionnaire [Gemini Murthen]. The facilities provided within the park is ideal for the people living around it...

The borough derives its name from the historic parish of Merton which was centred on the area now known as South Wimbledon. In a borough with a broad socio-economic range between generally affluent Wimbledon and less affluent Mitcham, the name was seen as a compromise.-1... Socioeconomics is the study of the social and economic impacts of any product or service offering, market intervention or other activity on an economy as a whole and on the companies, organization and individuals who are its main economic actors. ...

Parts of Merton

The Borough includes the following areas:

• Bushey Mead
• Colliers Wood
• Copse Hill
• Cottenham Park
• Lower Morden
• Merton Park
• Mitcham
• Morden
• Morden Park
• Motspur Park
• Phipps Bridge
• Pollards Hill
• Raynes Park
• St.Helier
• South Wimbledon
• Summerstown
• West Barnes
• Wimbledon
• Wimbledon Park

Colliers Wood is an area in south London, England in the London Borough of Merton. ... Lower Morden is an area within the district of Morden in south west corner of the London Borough of Merton, to the west of Morden Park and south of Raynes Park. ... Merton Park is a place in the London Borough of Merton. ... Mitcham is a place in the London Borough of Merton. ... Morden is a place in the London Borough of Merton. ... Morden Park is an area within the district of Morden in the London Borough of Merton, and includes the Park itself, an area of green space in an otherwise dense cluster of 1930s suburban housing. ... Motspur Park, also known locally as West Barnes is a suburb in South West London situated across the boundary between the London boroughs of Merton and Kingston upon Thames. ... Raynes Park is a primarily residential area within the London Borough of Merton. ... St. ... South Wimbledon is a place in the London Borough of Merton in south west London. ... Wimbledon (pronounced ) is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11. ... Wimbledon park is the second biggest park in the whole of the london borough of merton, it was renovated in the year 2001, with the help of the local council and the local millionnaire [Gemini Murthen]. The facilities provided within the park is ideal for the people living around it...

History of the Borough

In 1236 Henry III met his Barons at the priory to agree the Statutes of Merton, an important foundation of modern English Common Law. The king also brought Queen Eleanor to be crowned at the priory in the same year. Henry VI, the only king of England to be crowned outside of Westminster Abbey in the last 1,000 years, held his coronation ceremony at Merton Priory in 1437. Among those educated at the priory were Thomas Becket and Nicholas Brakespeare, who was the only ever English Pope. Adrian IV (Brakespeare) was the pope who granted the English king Henry II the lordship of Ireland in 1155. Also educated there were Walter de Merton, a future Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Rochester. He is also famous for being the founder of Merton College at Oxford University in 1264. The priory by the river was dismantled in 1538 as part of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries and only a few remnants survive off Merantun Way. Henry III (01 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) is one of the least-known British monarchs, considering the great length of his reign. ...

The area soon passed from the hands of royalty into those of successful tradesmen. Industry expanded on the banks of the Wandle, whose fast-flowing waters provided ideal power for the milling process. Flour, snuff, copper, iron, leather and dye works all flourished on the river at points like Mitcham Bridge and Phipps Bridge. By 1750, Merton Abbey and Mitcham had become the main centres of calico cloth printing in England. Increased industrial output in the Wandle Valley led to the construction of the world's first public railway, the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway, which opened in 1803.

In 1881, William Morris opened a factory at Merton Abbey producing high quality goods: printed and woven fabrics, stained glass, furnishings, tapestry and carpets. Morris is famous as a founder of the Arts and Craft Movement, which rejected the mass-produced workmanship of the industrial age. His company continued trading until 1940. William Morris, socialist and innovator in the Arts and Crafts movement William Morris, publisher Davids Charge to Solomon (1882), a stained-glass window by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris in Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts. ...

Abbey Mills was also the base for Arthur Liberty, another eminent Victorian and founder of the famous Liberty's shops. The Liberty works produced thousands of yards of hand printed silks that made Liberty a household name.

Nelson moved into Merton Place House off Merton High Street in 1801. He loved his country home in Merton, and wrote in his diary as he departed for the Trafalgar campaign: "At half past ten I drove from dear, dear Merton where I left all I hold dear in this world to go and serve my king and country". The highly respected sailor remained in Merton until his death in 1805 at the hands of Napoleon's fleet during the battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson and his family worshipped at the 12th Century St Mary's Church in Merton Park.

London's gentry began to populate Merton soon after the railway reached the borough. Shops such as Elys in 1876 opened to cater for the tastes of the new suburban residents. In 1868 the All England Croquet Club was founded in Worple Road. Its name was changed in 1877 to the now world-famous All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, and it later moved to Church Road. Merton expanded as London grew to become the largest city in the world.

Trams came to Mitcham and Wimbledon in 1906 and 1907 respectively. Motorbuses picked up their first passengers from Raynes Park and dropped them off at Liverpool Street in 1914. The London Underground reached Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon and Morden by 1926. These transport improvements turned Morden from a small farming community of 1,000 in 1900 into a residential suburb of 12,618 within thirty years.

World War II caused considerable damage to Merton. Housing was in great demand in the post-war era and new estates were constructed at Phipps Bridge, Pollards Hill and High Path in Wimbledon. Recovery from the war was painfully slow and food shortages did not end completely until 1956. Redevelopment schemes were remarkably successful and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 marked the beginning of a new era.

Affluence had settled in by 1965, when the creation of the new borough provided impetus for more growth. Five new town centres emerged to form the Merton we know today: Colliers Wood, Mitcham, Morden, Raynes Park and Wimbledon. They are all primarily residential areas, each with their own commercial and shopping centres. People are entertained by theatres, cinemas, greyhound racing, football teams, the international tennis tournament, and cricket played on the world's oldest cricket green at Mitcham.

Source of History of the Borough, London Borough of Merton website: http://www.merton.gov.uk/leisure/history/makingmerton.htm

Political background of the Council

The May 2006 local government elections saw the Labour Party lose control of the council for the first time since 1990. Prior to 1990 the Council had been predominately Conservative controlled with only one period of Labour control between 1971 and 1974. The current council is under no overall control and its composition is: 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Labour Party has, since the early twentieth century, been the principal left wing political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year. ... The Conservative Party is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting MPs, and the largest by of public membership. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

• Conservatives: 30
• Labour: 27
• Merton Park Residents: 3

The political split of council wards between parties parallels almost exactly the division of the borough between its two parliamentary constituencies. The eastern and southeastern wards in the Mitcham and Morden constituency held by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh are respresented by Labour councillors. The northern and western wards in the Wimbledon constituency held by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond are represented by Conservative councillors, together with the three Merton Park Residents councillors. Mitcham and Morden is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Siobhain Ann McDonagh (born 20 February 1960) is a politician in the United Kingdom, and Labour member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden in London. ... Wimbledon is a constituency covering the district of Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. ... Stephen William Hammond (born February 4, 1962, Southampton) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for Wimbledon winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005. ...

Only in the south western ward of Lower Morden which is part of the Labour held Mitcham and Morden parliamentary constituency but is represented by Conservative councillors is there a difference between the political affiliation of councillors and MP.

At the Annual General meeting on 24th May, Cllr David Williams was elected leader and formed a minority Conservative administration. Cllr Geraldine Stanford of the Labour party was elected mayor of the London Borough of Merton. The following have served as leaders of Merton Council since its formation:

• 1965-71 Cllr Vincent Talbot (Conservative)
• 1971-74 Cllr Dennis Hempstead (Labour)
• 1974-75 Cllr Vincent Talbot (Conservative)
• 1975-80 Cllr Allan Jones (Conservative)
• 1980-88 Cllr Harry Cowd (Conservative)
• 1988-90 Cllr John Elvidge (Conservative)
• 1990-91 Cllr Geoff Smith (Labour)
• 1991-97 Cllr Tony Colman (Labour)
• 1997-99 Cllr Mike Brunt (Labour)
• 1999-2000 Cllr Philip Jones (Labour)
• 2000-01 Cllr Peter Holt (Labour)
• 2001-06 Cllr Andrew Judge (Labour)
• 2006- Cllr David Williams (Conservative)

The longest serving member of Merton Council is currently Cllr Sheila Knight who was first elected in 1964 and has served continuously since 1971. 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Key Facts

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. The percentage of population from ethnic minorities is predicted to rise across the borough within the next decade. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Census 2001 is the name by which the national census conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 is known. ... This article is about the concept of a minority. ...

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. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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

By London and national measures, deprivation and recorded crime are low.

External links

• Merton Council
• Profiles of Merton's 20 wards

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