Merton London Borough Council elections

in London, England is elected every four years; it has administrative control over the London Borough of Merton.
Since the last boundary changes in 2002, 60 councillors have been elected from 20 wards.

Political history

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 in the Merton Park ward. The MPWRA has three 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 a by-election that October in the Merton Park ward, 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 local elections, the MPWRA gained all three council seats of the Merton Park ward, which it has since maintained in all subsequent elections. The A24 relief road was not extended.
Since then, 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.

Political control

Since the foundation of the council, political control of the council has been held by the following parties:

Borough result maps

List of council elections

1964-1968

There were no by-elections.

1968-1971

1971-1974

1974-1978

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 A. Hillhouse.

1982-1986

The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Peter J. Glasspool.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Michael L. Page.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Nancy Bone.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Robert A. Dilley.

1986-1990

The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. James B. Garwood.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. David Mason.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. David T. Williams.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Kathryn E. 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. 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 J. G. Menhinick.

1994-1998

The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. David R. Proctor.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Arthur M. Kennedy.

1998-2002

The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Terence J. 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 D. Mutch.

2006-2010