We are really pleased to hear that train company South Western Railway have applied to the Government's ‘Access for All’ fund for funding to put a lift or ramps into Raynes Park and Motspur Park stations.

Lib Dem councillors Eloise Bailey (West Barnes) and Anthony Fairclough (Dundonald) have been working since Summer to encourage the train company to apply, and to get Merton Council to agree to look at a financial contribution to help the application.

Following the councillors' work, Merton Council has confirmed they provided a letter of support for these improvement works, indicating that they would consider supporting the projects financially should the applications be successful. And in September, Council bosses accepted a Lib Dem proposal to work to support access improvements at stations across the borough.

Thank you for signing our petition on this, and please keep letting us know your problems with using the stations.

We want businesses in our local area to succeed and grow.

The Liberal Democrats believe in individuals reaching their full potential, as active participants within their wider society. We believe in small and new business as a positive agent of change: contributing fresh ideas and social solutions that drive us all forward.

Published on Small Business Saturday 2018, here is some information on support for local businesses.

In addition, you can find details of businesses in the borough on local site WimbledonSW19.com here and on the Small Business Saturday Small Business Finder.

Tonight Merton Council approved building a new school in South Wimbledon, despite serious air quality concerns.

Cllr Simon McGrath - a member of the Planning Applications Committee - ultimately voted against granting planning permission. Reflecting on his decision, he said:

“Air pollution is a silent killer, and it really needs to be treated as the public health emergency it is.

"After looking at all the evidence, I felt that the proposal should only go forward with significant, measurable improvements in pollution levels near the school site.

“Labour Council bosses are putting our children’s health at risk by pushing through new Harris Academy without doing anything to improve the air quality. The Council's own research shows that air pollution levels are far above the acceptable level, and the argument that pollution will simply have reduced by the time the school opens is an unacceptable risk.

“It is extraordinary that the Council did not look into the need to reduce pollution levels before they spent millions of pounds buying the site. Local children deserve better from Merton.

“Local Lib Dems have long pushed for improvements to air quality across Merton - and specifically near to our schools. It's time the Labour Council faced up to their poor record on air quality.”

Merton Liberal Democrats have previously highlighted research showing that a number of Merton schools are located in areas with dangerously high pollution levels. They are calling for a radical and ambitious plan to improve air quality as an urgent priority.

Merton Lib Dem Councillor Paul Kohler has given the Mayor of London 14 days to agree to reconsult on the closure of Wimbledon Police Station before launching further legal action in his bid to preserve a police presence in Wimbledon.

The ultimatum was issued following a response from the Mayor's office indicating they were not intending to re-consult prior to making a fresh decision on whether to close Wimbledon Police Station.

The Mayor's original decision to close Wimbledon Police station was quashed by the High Court this summer following legal action brought by Cllr Kohler.  

Councillor Paul Kohler commented:

"It is critical that the Mayor re-consults before making a new decision on the future of Wimbledon Police Station. So much has changed since the original consultation ended over a year ago."

"There are now severe doubts over whether Mitcham Police Station is large enough to accommodate police officers and vehicles from Wimbledon Police Station, and there are concerns about the valuations and costings which the Deputy Mayor relied on in making the original decision. Furthermore, increased police funding is openly being discussed in Government, so now is an inappropriate time to make irreversible decisions such as closing police stations. " 

"New proposals to maintain a police presence in Wimbledon have been formulated from many sources, including the Labour Party, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, and Merton Chamber of Commerce. It would show utter contempt for the residents and businesses of Wimbledon if the Mayor refused to listen to the new ideas that have now emerged."

Merton’s new rubbish collection scheme has been in place since 1st October, and we have been made aware of a number of issues. Recurring problems include wheelie bins not being returned to properties after rubbish collection, and collections being missed. 

Cllr Paul Kohler has been in touch with council officers regarding bins being left in the pavements / roads after collection, and it has been confirmed that instructions given to Veolia staff are to replace bins on properties after collection. If your bins are not replaced on your property after collection please let your local ward councillors know so they can raise it with the relevant team at the council, who will handle the complaint. 

If your rubbish isn’t collected you can report it on the Merton Council website, and a team will come out to collect it provided the rubbish was `presented'. Some residents are having issues with rubbish not being collected as it wasn’t presented properly - information on how rubbish should be presented can be found here. If moving the bins each week is difficult for you, you can apply for assisted collection. 

The new scheme of wheelie bins and fortnightly collections begins on 1 October.

There is some flexibility in the system if wheelies don't work for you.

So: please call the Council on 020 8274 4902 if

1. You will struggle to store the bins in your front garden (or if you don’t have one!) - the Council will reassess your property [although still trying to get them to confirm the size of garden they think is needed].
   
   
2. Moving the bins each week would be difficult for you. You can apply for an assisted collection. You can also do this online here.
   
   
3. You are in a household of five or more, or have a medical condition, to request a larger bin.
   
   
4. You want to share some bins with a neighbour.

Lastly, it's really annoying/not possible for lots of people to wait in a phone queue - your councillors can contact the relevant Council department for you (without needing to call). Find your councillor here.

If you haven't any wheelie bins, but they've been delivered to your neighbours, you can report a missing, lost or stolen bin online. Please use your current method of collection until your new wheelie bins arrive.

AND - your old bins can be collected by the Council for recycling using the bulky waste collection service, *apparently*.

Find your NEW COLLECTION DAY here.

The leader of the Council said on 18 September, that they are considering a borough-wide collection of old bins for recycling, we should know in a few months.

Merton Council has passed a Liberal Democrat motion to help get lifts and ramps at local stations.

The plan commits the Council to look into positive action it could take to improve accessibility of stations across the borough, including encouraging and assisting train companies to apply for funding designed to make more stations in Merton accessible, and step-free.

Labour council bosses have blocked investigation into why the street cleaning and bin collection contract is failing.

Lib Dem councillors had proposed a new task group that would focus on: improving Veolia’s performance, training Council employees for the task, and the costs and legal process to maintain weekly bin collections. 

Cllr Anthony Fairclough, Leader of Merton’s Lib Dem councillors said:

“You just have to look down any road in the borough to see missed rubbish and recycling collections, ignored flytips, litter and mess. This seems likely to get worse with the switch to wheelie bins and collecting rubbish fortnightly.

“It’s extraordinary that Labour councillors blocked a new way of looking at these problems in detail and making some recommendations”.

Cllr Fairclough added: 

“It’s also a bit odd that Conservative councillors wouldn’t back our suggestion of looking at ways to restore weekly bin collections and the costs of that. We also wanted a close look at the training and effectiveness of council staff in managing Council contracts, and the problems caused for residents by the roll-out of wheelie bins. Labour blocked these suggestions and the Conservatives refused to support them”.