BUILDING THE MERTON WE’RE PROUD TO CALL HOME
Merton Liberal Democrats’ 2026 Manifesto
We want Merton to be the place people choose to live - not because they have to - but because it’s the community they want to be part of. To make that a reality, we are fighting for a Council that is open, competent, and caring: one that listens, acts boldly, and puts residents first.
This manifesto sets out our ‘Six to Fix’ – the six key outcomes we’ll deliver in partnership with residents to help make Merton the place we’re proud to call home.
Cllr Anthony Fairclough, Leader of Merton Liberal Democrat group and Leader of the Opposition, Merton Council
Our 6-to-fix
1. A fairer and more affordable Merton, mitigating the cost of living crisis so that people can afford to live here - with Council bills kept under control, and where everyone gets the support they are entitled to. We will fight nationally to reform local government finance to ensure local councils are properly resourced and Council Tax increases can be kept down. We will review Merton Labour’s above inflation hikes in charges for hundreds of Council services.
2. A thriving local economy with lively high streets, thriving town centres and Morden regeneration finally delivered, creating opportunity across the whole borough rather than leaving some communities behind.
3. A healthier Merton, bringing care closer to people, focusing on prevention as well as treatment, and making Merton a place where everyone can stay active, supported and well.
4. A safer, cleaner borough, with visible policing, safer streets, cleaner pavements and a council that gets the basics right, consistently.
5. A great place to grow up, with safe places to play, opportunities to take part in sport and culture, and real support for families and young carers.
6. A borough ‘fit for the future’, fixing the Council’s ‘front door’, so you can get clear and fast support when you need it, standing up against poor-quality development, and planning properly for the challenges ahead, from housing to transport to climate change.
Our record of action
We are proud of our record of action. As councillors and campaigners - even from opposition - local Liberal Democrats and Wimbledon’s Liberal Democrat MP have achieved the following:
Fairer and more affordable
- Pushed the Council to agree to free period products in all Council-owned buildings.
- Campaigned for fairer parking charges across the borough.
- Called on the Council to abolish blue badge application fees.
- Sought a Benefits Boost strategy to ensure all those eligible for benefits in Merton can claim any extra financial support they are entitled to.
Thriving economy
- Made Merton a Living Wage employer, by ensuring its contractors paid the London Living Wage.
- Saved Raynes Park Post Office from closure.
- Organised a meeting with the Housing Minister about the barriers to Morden’s regeneration, and pushed for funding to be brought forward after Labour voted against this - which has now happened.
- Toilets at Morden Underground Station
Healthier
- Secured a Council commitment to fight for a breast cancer screening centre (although sadly still not delivered).
- Called for a Youth Mental Health & Body Image Summit to tackle the growing issue of mental health problems among young people.
- Saved the minor injuries unit at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton from closure.
- Urged the Council to become London’s first Healthy Weight Borough, as obesity rates in Merton continue to increase seemingly beyond control.
Safer and cleaner
- Promoting community-based policing, and campaigning against the closure of Wimbledon and Mitcham police stations, fighting the closure of public-facing front counters.
- Met with representatives from Lime and Human Forest over the issue of poorly managed e-bike bays, and successfully pushed the Council to remove some problem bays.
- Pushed the Council and local police teams to enforce weight limits on residential roads - to prevent rat-running HGVs.
A great place to grow up
- Proposed introducing a ‘blue corridor’ programme to make Merton’s water accessible and healthy for both wildlife and people.
- Repeatedly raised concerns over tube noise in South Wimbledon to Mayor Sadiq Khan.
- Cllr Paul Kohler MP has continually raised the issue of signal failures on the District Line causing delays in Parliament.
Fit for the future
- Established trials of pop up community recycling collections.
- Successfully fought to make Motspur Park Station step free. Engineering plans to put lifts at Raynes Park Station are being developed because of our decade-long campaign, bringing that station a step closer to being ‘step free’
- Pushed the Labour administration to double the street tree replanting rate across the borough.
- Sought to ensure that the All England Club keeps its historic promises not to build on parts of Wimbledon Park (that it bought for a knock-down price in 1993 because of those promises), including establishing a meeting between the Club and residents to seek a compromise.
- Secured recommendation for trials of cross-pavement solutions for EV charging as part of cross party task group - that was initially adopted, and then rejected by Labour Council bosses.
