Merton London Borough Council elections
Merton London Borough Council in London, England is elected every four years; it has administrative control over the London Borough of Merton.
Since the last boundary changes in 2022, 57 councillors have been elected from 20 wards.
Local political parties
Longthornton and Tamworth Residents Association
Longthornton and Tamworth Residents Association is a residents association in the Longthornton area, which lies in the triangle between Pollards Hill, Streatham Vale and Mitcham Eastfields. Between 1964 and 1994, LTRA contested elections in Merton, initially in the Mitcham Central ward. After the borough's wards were redrawn in 1978 and the Mitcham Central ward abolished, the LTRA contested elections in the Longthornton ward.LTRA won between three and four seats in the elections between 1964 and 1978. At the 1982 election, it was defeated by the Conservatives, who took all three seats in Longthornton. It subsequently regained a seat at a by-election in March 1984 and retook all three seats in the 1986 election. At the 1994 election, LTRA lost two seats to Labour. This was the last election that was contested by LTRA. By the time of the 1998 election, its last councillor no longer sat for the party.
Merton Park Ward Residents Association
Merton Park Ward Residents Association is a residents association, active in the Merton Park ward. The MPWRA has two councillors on Merton London Borough Council, and for this purpose is registered as the political party Merton Park Ward Independent Residents.The MPWRA was formed in 1989 in order to contest the October 1989 Merton Park by-election, caused by the resignation of a Conservative councillor. The MPWRA opposed the proposed extension of the A24 relief road across a corner of the Merton Park Conservation Area, which required the demolition of several Victorian houses. At the by-election, Bridget Smith was elected for the MPWRA; this hung the council. In the following year's borough general election, the MPWRA gained all three council seats of the Merton Park ward, becoming the third-largest party on the council. The A24 relief road was not extended.
The MPWRA held every seat in the ward in all subsequent elections, although the number of seats for the ward was reduced to two ahead of the 2022 elections. After the 2010 elections, the MPWRA provided support for a minority Labour administration until Labour regained a majority at the 2014 elections. Following seat gains for the Liberal Democrats on other wards at the 2018 elections, the MPWRA became the fourth-largest party on the council.
Since its founding, the MPWRA has campaigned for the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital and the regeneration of Morden's town centre. The MPWRA publishes a quarterly local publication known as Forum.
List of council elections
- 1964 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1968 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1971 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1974 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1978 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1982 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1986 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1990 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1994 Merton London Borough Council election
- 1998 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2002 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2006 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2010 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2014 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2018 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2022 Merton London Borough Council election
- 2026 Merton London Borough Council election
By-election results
1964-1968
There were no by-elections.1978-1982
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr George Watt.The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr William Hillhouse.
1982-1986
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Peter Glasspool.The by-election was called following the death of Cllr Michael Page.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Nancy Bone.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Robert Dilley.
1986-1990
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr James Garwood.The by-election was called following the death of Cllr David Mason.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr David Williams.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Kathryn Nicholls. The result meant that the Conservatives lost their one-seat majority on the council, placing the council under no overall control until the next election. Since this by-election, the Conservatives have yet to win back majority control of the council. This was the first election ever contested by the Merton Park Ward Residents Association, which had run in opposition to the council's proposed extension of the A24 relief road.
1990-1994
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Michael Menhinick.1994-1998
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr David Proctor.The by-election was called following the death of Cllr Arthur Kennedy.
1998-2002
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Terence Daniels.The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Jennifer Willott.
2002-2006
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Tony Giles.The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Leslie Mutch.
2006-2010
There were no by-elections.2010-2014
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr Tariq Ahmad.The by-election was called following the death of Cllr Gam Gurung.
2014-2018
The by-election was triggered by the death of Cllr Maxi Martin of the Labour Party.The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Imran Uddin of the Labour Party.
2018-2022
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Mark Kenny of the Labour Party.The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Kelly Braund of the Labour Party.
2022-2026
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Natasha Irons of the Labour Party.The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Helena Dollimore of the Labour Party.