Merton London Borough Council election, 2018

Merton London Borough Council election, 2018
3 May 2018
All 60 council seats on Merton London Borough Council

  First party Second party
 
Party Labour Conservative
Last election 36 seats, 49.6% 20 seats, 31.6%
Seats won 34 17
Seat change Decrease2 Decrease3
Popular vote 83,890 56,223
Percentage 46.9% 31.5%
Swing Decrease2.7% Decrease0.1%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Party Liberal Democrat Merton Park Residents
Last election 1 seat, 8.9% 3 seats, 3.7%
Seats won 6 3
Seat change Increase5 Steady
Popular vote 26,158 5,898
Percentage 14.6% 3.3%
Swing Increase5.7% Decrease0.4%
Map of the results of the 2018 Merton council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Merton Park Ward Residents Association in white.
Council leader before election

Stephen Alambritis
Labour

 Council leader after
election

Stephen Alambritis
Labour

Elections for the London Borough of Merton were held on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Merton London Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England.[1]

Campaign

In February 2018, Peter Walker, a former Labour councillor for Figges Marsh who was suspended by the party in October 2017, claimed that the local Labour Party was excluding supporters of the national party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, from becoming councillors.[2]

Labour pledged to complete the building of a new leisure centre, bring AFC Wimbledon's home grounds within Merton, consider the introduction of a landlord licensing scheme, establish targets for affordable housing and introduce 20 mph zones.[3]

The Conservatives pledged to reintroduce weekly street cleaning, increase mobile CCTV, deliver a masterplan for Wimbledon, regenerate Morden, establish a 24/7 anti-social behaviour hotline, rebuild St Helier Hospital, introduce borough-wide anti-idling measures and reintroduce webcasting of council meetings.[4]

The Liberal Democrats pledged to institute a target of 50% affordable housing in large developments, install more public bins and public drinking fountains, increase cycling infrastructure, introduce default 20 mph zones, make Raynes Park and Motspur Park railway stations fully accessible, replace the closed walk-in surgery in Mitcham, introduce a levy on planning developments to pay for local schools, scrap charges for the use of Council-owned parks and playing fields, develop incubator sites for start-ups and establish neighbourhood plans.[5]

A key issue during the campaign was the proposed closure of Wimbledon police station by the Labour Mayor of London. The Conservatives proposed to buy the police station[4], while the Liberal Democrats supported a legal action against the closure.[6]

Demolition of Merton Hall

A key issue during the campaign was the partial demolition of the historic Merton Hall in South Wimbledon, which was given planning permission by the council in September 2017.[7] Under the plans, the Elim Pentecostal Church would assume tenancy of Merton Hall after the year-long works, under the condition that the site could still be hired as a community space by local residents.[8] Elim Church's current High Path site would then become a Harris Federation school hosting 1,200 students from September 2020.[7]

A petition opposing the plans and calling on Historic England to list Merton Hall attracted over 4,000 signatures.[9] The plans attracted national attention in March 2018 over concerns that Elim Church could seek to prevent LGBT groups from hiring Merton Hall.[10] The Conservatives opposed the demolition plans and pledged to end the demolition works immediately if elected; they also alleged that the demolition broke pre-election purdah rules, given that it was using public money on a contentious issue.[11] The Merton Park Ward Residents Association also expressed their regret over the council's plans; their councillors suggested alternative sites for the secondary school and questioned the extent of the demolition required.[12]

The demolition works began in April 2018.[9] In the election, the ward of Abbey, in which Merton Hall is situated, returned one Conservative councillor.[13] After the election, responding to criticism of the plans, council leader Stephen Alambritis claimed that the council is building a brand new hall and not demolishing the existing one. Alambritis confirmed that two investigations were underway, one by the Local Government Ombudsman and another by Ernst and Young.[14]

Results

Labour retained its control of Merton Council, its majority reduced to four seats. The Conservatives gained two seats from Labour (one each in the wards of Cannon Hill and Abbey) and the Liberal Democrats gained five seats from the Conservatives (two in West Barnes, two in Dundonald and one in Trinity). The Merton Park Ward Residents Association maintained its three councillors in Merton Park.[1] By seat count, this was the best ever election result for the Liberal Democrats in the borough.

Paul Kohler, who achieved significant recognition after leading a legal campaign against the proposed closure of Wimbledon police station,[15][16] was elected for the Liberal Democrats in Trinity.[17]

Merton Local Election Result 2018[18]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 34 0 2 Decrease2 56.7 46.9 83,890 Decrease2.5%
  Conservative 17 2 5 Decrease3 28.3 31.5 56,223 Decrease0.1%
  Liberal Democrat 6 5 0 Increase5 10.0 14.6 26,158 Increase5.7%
  Merton Park Residents 3 0 0 0 5.0 3.3 5,898 Decrease0.4%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 2.8 4,970 Increase1.3%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 836 n/a
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 459 Decrease3.3%
  Democrats and Veterans 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 151 n/a
  TUSC 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 77 Decrease0.1%
  Duma Polska = Polish Pride 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 33 n/a

On 11 May 2018, it was announced that the council's cabinet would be reshuffled.[19] Mary Curtin, a Labour councillor for Lower Morden, was voted in as the council's new mayor at the Annual Council Meeting on 23 May 2018.[20]

Ward results

Abbey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Eleanor Stringer 1,476 42.8
Conservative Nigel Benbow 1,446 41.9
Labour Ben Butler 1,405 40.7
Conservative Emma-Louise Vetriano 1,399 40.6
Conservative Sivas Ranjan 1,383 40.1
Labour Dave Treanor 1,323 38.4
Liberal Democrat Matthew Payne 547 15.9
Liberal Democrat Barry Smith 464 13.5
Liberal Democrat Panos Topalis 419 12.1
TUSC Piero Miloro 77 2.2
Turnout 3,458 45
Labour hold Swing
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Labour hold Swing
Cannon Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Nicholas McLean 1,644 45.2
Labour Pauline Cowper 1,642 45.1
Labour Mark Kenny 1,636 44.9
Conservative Michael Patterson 1,562 42.9
Labour Muhammod Rahman 1,445 39.7
Conservative Harry Todd 1,406 38.6
Liberal Democrat Geoff Cooper 411 11.3
Liberal Democrat Klaar Dresselaers 313 8.6
Liberal Democrat Cosette Malik 303 8.3
UKIP Andrew Mills 141 3.9
Turnout 3,649 50
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Colliers Wood
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Laxmi Attawar 1,908 63.1
Labour Caroline Marbiah 1,824 60.4
Labour Dave Ward 1,812 60.0
Conservative Max Austin 565 18.7
Conservative Sally Patricia Hammond 434 14.4
Conservative Krystal Miller 424 14.0
Green Kenneth Green 413 13.7
Green Harriet Edwards 389 12.9
Green Charles Barraball 285 9.4
Liberal Democrat Emily Robertson 232 7.7
Liberal Democrat Brigid Finlayson 206 6.8
Liberal Democrat Shipra Gupta 204 6.8
Turnout 3,028 38
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Cricket Green
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Rebecca Lanning 2,054 71.6
Labour Owen Pritchard 2,004 69.9
Labour Russell Makin 1,994 69.5
Conservative Gary Watkinson 422 14.7
Conservative Linda Joan Taylor[n 1] 407 14.2
Conservative Cesa Sepulveda 368 12.8
Green Christopher Stanton 249 8.7
Liberal Democrat Claire Bolt 215 7.5
Liberal Democrat Guilliana Castle 189 6.6
Liberal Democrat Vincent Bolt 159 5.5
Democrats and Veterans Kay Evans 151 5.3
Turnout 2,881 34
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Dundonald
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Anthony Fairclough 1,576 44.9 +19.6
Liberal Democrat Simon McGrath 1,389 39.6 +13.8
Conservative David Thomas Dean 1,361 38.8 -6.8
Conservative Michael Martin Bull 1,301 37.1 -6.8
Liberal Democrat John Tippett-Cooper 1,299 37.0 +11.7
Conservative Suzanne Ellen Grocott 1,284 36.6 -6.4
Labour Wayne Busbridge 594 16.9 -4.1
Labour Daniel Stefan Johnston 549 15.6 -9.0
Labour Bupe Ngoy 517 14.7 -6.8
Green David Clive Wood 332 2.2 n/a
Turnout 3,515 51
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Figge's Marsh
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Rebecca Aisha Lanning 2,457 80.7
Labour Owen Pritchard 2,361 77.6
Labour Russell John Makin 2,313 76.0
Conservative Charlie Gregory 380 12.5
Conservative Hamish Alexander Badenoch 378 12.4
Conservative Marina Hardwick 369 12.1
Liberal Democrat David Busby-Cartwright-Owen 187 6.1
Liberal Democrat Eliane Patton 125 4.1
Liberal Democrat Giorga Gamba 115 3.8
Turnout 3,058 36
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Graveney
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Linda Christine Kirby 2,181 80.5
Labour John Dehaney 2,139 79.0
Labour Tobin Byers 2,080 76.8
Conservative Maureen Kyalya 324 12.0
Conservative Charlie Chirico 319 11.8
Conservative Thomas Sebastian George Moulton 304 11.2
Liberal Democrat Luke Alexander Taylor 246 9.1
Liberal Democrat Sarah Weber 179 6.6
Liberal Democrat Quresh Shehab Mukadam 149 5.5
Turnout 2,723 37
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Hillside
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David Tyrie Williams 1,427 55.4 +4.7
Conservative Daniel Sean Holden 1,425 55.3 +5.1
Conservative David Ward Simpson 1,391 54.0 +2.2
Labour Joseph Day Archer 614 23.8 -1.3
Labour David William Barnes 593 23.0 -0.9
Labour Philip Mervyn Jones 567 22.0 +0.9
Liberal Democrat Samantha MacArthur 565 21.9 +4.0
Liberal Democrat Richard Gerald Williams 491 19.1 +5.8
Liberal Democrat Nicholas James Sanders 435 16.9 +3.6
Turnout 2,583 40
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Lavender Fields
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mark G Allison 1,711 72.5
Labour Edith Joan Macauley 1,664 70.5
Labour Billy Christie 1,637 69.4
Conservative Alice Sophie Jane Hammond 308 13.1
Conservative Jay Crush 295 12.5
Green Stephen McKeever 287 12.2
Conservative David James Sawer 257 12.8
Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Jean Barker 206 10.9
Liberal Democrat Mary-Jane Jeanes[n 2] 165 7.0
Liberal Democrat Christopher Adam Oxford 127 5.4
Turnout 2,365 30
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Longthornton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Brenda Lorraine Fraser 2,048 77.1
Labour David Anthony Chung 1,981 74.6
Labour Marsie Vanesser Skeete 1,914 72.1
Conservative Peter Charles Thomas Borthwick 447 16.8
Conservative Sarah Jane Bosley McAlister 441 14.8
Conservative John Burke Telford 393 12.1
Liberal Democrat Hamish Thomas Ellis Norbrook 129 4.9
Liberal Democrat Kaweh Beheshtizadeh 126 4.7
Liberal Democrat Benedict Isambard Statham Fletcher 111 4.2
Turnout 2,668 33
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Lower Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Sally Isabel Kenny 1,634 51.3
Labour Stan C Anderson 1,632 51.3
Labour Mary Anne Curtin 1,588 49.9
Conservative Maurice Groves 1,294 40.7
Conservative Geraldine Veronica Mary Kirby 1,248 39.2
Conservative Hamna Humayun Qureshi 1,098 34.5
Green Alban Godfrey Thurston 191 6.0
Liberal Democrat Asif Ashraf 188 5.9
Liberal Democrat Anne Babington Blanchard 169 5.3
Liberal Democrat Gabriel Luck 141 4.4
Turnout 3,186 45
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Merton Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Merton Park Residents Peter William Southgate 2,034 57.6 -4.0
Merton Park Residents Edward William Foley 1,981 56.1 -5.3
Merton Park Residents Dickie Wilkinson 1,883 53.3 -10.4
Labour Mervin Eubamks 644 18.2 +1.6
Labour Liz Sherwood 622 17.6 +2.7
Labour Michael Mannion 613 17.3 +2.4
Conservative Andrew Harry Walton Cunningham 574 16.2 -0.8
Conservative Alastair James Gunn 547 15.5 -0.1
Conservative Asher Raphael Ross 511 14.5 -1.0
Green Rachel Brooks 360 10.2 n/a
Liberal Democrat John Matthew Braithwaite 269 7.6 +3.3
Liberal Democrat Stephen Kenneth Harbron 186 5.3 +1.0
Liberal Democrat Philip Ling 172 4.9 +1.4
Turnout 3,543 50
Merton Park Residents hold Swing
Merton Park Residents hold Swing
Merton Park Residents hold Swing
Pollards Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joan Henry 2,214 80.6
Labour Aidan Michael Mundy 2,140 77.9
Labour Martin James Whelton 2,119 77.2
Conservative Beth Mitchell 382 13.9
Conservative Rachel Georgina Pryor 346 12.6
Conservative Michael Ormrod 344 12.5
Liberal Democrat Emma Madison 122 4.4
Liberal Democrat Duncan John Burch 118 4.7
Liberal Democrat Tony Reiss 76 4.3
Turnout 2,761 34
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Ravensbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Stephen Alambritis 1,892 67.7
Labour Natasha Dawn Irons 1,793 64.2
Labour Peter Joseph McCabe 1,742 62.4
Conservative Anton Gjeta 354 12.7
Conservative Henry Richard Lennox Nelless 353 12.6
Conservative Daniel Jon Page 328 11.7
Independent Mark Gale 303 10.8
Independent Christopher Michael Holt 279 10.0
Independent Tracy Wilson 254 9.1
Green Thomas Killick 187 6.7
Liberal Democrat Somayeh Aghnia 148 5.3
UKIP Terry Sullivan 143 5.1
Liberal Democrat Amanda Jane Harvey 137 4.9
Liberal Democrat Richard Arthur Shillito 107 3.8
Turnout 2,797 37
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Raynes Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Stephen Paul Crowe 1,486 48.5 +2.2
Conservative Adam Bush 1,470 47.9 +1.5
Conservative Omar Bush 1,351 44.0 -2.6
Labour Clare Gardner 897 29.2 +2.6
Labour Clare Antenen 799 26.1 +2.6
Labour Peter McGinity 695 22.7 +0.6
Liberal Democrat Martin Edward Lewis 583 19.0 +1.0
Liberal Democrat David Edward Tourle 553 18.0 +2.5
Liberal Democrat Vivian Vella 542 17.7 +3.1
Green Sonja Nadine Timpson 475 15.5 n/a
Turnout 3,074 42
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
St Helier
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Kelly Marie Braund 1,809 68.9
Labour Dennis Pearce 1,724 65.7
Labour Nicholas Gregory Draper 1,671 63.6
Conservative Sandy Gretton 479 18.2
Conservative Raymond Walter Hutchings 456 17.4
Conservative Nick Kwilecki 414 15.8
Green Philippa Zielfa Maslin 245 9.3
Liberal Democrat Matthew Graham Lowing 194 7.4
Liberal Democrat Nicholas Paul Harris 178 6.8
UKIP Bob Grahame 145 5.5
Liberal Democrat Simon William Parritt 107 4.1
Turnout 2,632 33
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Trinity
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Paul Christopher Kohler 1,279 35.8 +23.1
Conservative James Dominic Rupert Holmes 1,199 33.6 -10.0
Conservative Hayley Emma Ormrod 1,196 33.5 -10.6
Liberal Democrat Tamara Xaviere Josephine Kohler 1,156 32.4 +22.3
Liberal Democrat Richard Drake Hackforth-Jones 1,117 31.3 +21.5
Conservative Abdul Latif 1,116 31.2 -7.7
Labour Becky Hooper 1,023 28.6 -4.1
Labour Ryan Stephen Barnett 935 26.2 -2.1
Labour Billy Hayes 852 23.9 -2.6
Green Elizabeth Jane Matthews 358 10.0 -8.9
Duma Polska = Polish Pride Marcin Maria Moraczewski 33 0.9 n/a
UKIP Rod Scott 30 0.8 -8.3
Turnout 3,579 48
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Village
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Thomas James Barlow 2,206 75.2 +2.4
Conservative Andrew Geoffrey Eliot Howard 2,160 73.7 +1.3
Conservative Amer Najeeb Latif 2,094 71.4 +6.3
Liberal Democrat Susan Bucknall 407 13.9 +6.1
Liberal Democrat Dan Bradman 404 13.8 +6.3
Liberal Democrat Hugo James Forshaw 341 11.6 +5.8
Green Lisa Florence Wood 292 10.0 +0.6
Labour Maria Pamela Bentley-Dingwall 287 9.8 -3.8
Labour Teresa Ocansey 221 7.5 -3.1
Labour Charles Kwabena Francis Ocansey 203 6.9 -2.0
Turnout 2,934 47
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
West Barnes
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Eloise Bailey 1,624 40.2 +2.5
Liberal Democrat Hina Bokhari 1,534 38.0 +3.0
Liberal Democrat Carl Oliver John Quilliam 1,454 36.0 +10.1
Conservative Gilli Lewis-Lavender 1,419 35.1 -5.8
Conservative Brian Ernest Lewis-Lavender 1,380 34.1 -1.9
Conservative Logie Lohendran 1,292 32.0 +4.2
Labour Caroline Monica Charles 976 24.1 +7.4
Labour Rebecca Antoinette Ann Moses 935 23.1 +6.5
Labour Abdul Aziz Atcha 880 21.8 +6.9
Green Conal Edward Cunningham 304 7.5 -5.6
Turnout 4,054 54
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Wimbledon Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Oonagh Jane Moulton 1,822 50.8 +6.5
Conservative Janice Mary Elizabeth Howard 1,792 50.0 +3.4
Conservative Ed Gretton 1,748 48.7 +6.1
Labour Hugh Darcy Page Constant 1,021 28.5 +0.4
Labour Pam Treanor 996 27.8 +4.5
Labour Terry Daniels 886 24.7 +1.5
Green Juliet Dorothy Boyd 603 16.8 +0.5
Liberal Democrat Robin Napier Goodchild 536 14.9 +3.4
Liberal Democrat Victoria Jane Watt 525 14.6 +3.7
Liberal Democrat JB Tanqueray 509 14.2 +4.9
Turnout 3,592 43
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Linda Taylor had previously served as a Conservative councillor for the ward of Wimbledon Park between 2012 and 2018.[21][22]
  2. ↑ Mary-Jane Jeanes had previously served as a Liberal Democrat councillor for the ward of West Barnes between 2010 and 2018.[23][24]

References

  1. 1 2 "Election Summary 2018". Merton Council. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Merton Labour accused of excluding pro-Corbyn members". South West Londoner. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Pledges". Wimbledon Labour. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Merton Conservatives 2018 Manifesto". Merton. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. ↑ http://www.libdems.org.uk/ (8 April 2018). "A fresh start for Merton - 2018 local election manifesto". Merton Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "'Evening Standard covers police station closure court case'".
  7. 1 2 "'Giving away Merton Hall a tragedy' - controversial planning application gets approved". Wimbledon Guardian. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Bond, George (25 March 2018). "Campaigners continue fight as construction work begins on Merton Hall". South West Londoner. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Residents and campaigners shocked as demolition starts on Merton Hall". Wimbledon Guardian. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  10. ↑ Booth, Robert (11 March 2018). "Merton hall faces partial demolition to make way for evangelical church". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Jones, Sophie (20 March 2018). "Demolition of Merton Hall against pre-election rules, say Conservatives". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Local Issues". Merton Park Ward Residents Association. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Councillors". democracy.merton.gov.uk. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  14. ↑ O'Connor, Tara (11 May 2018). "'We are not demolishing Merton Hall' - Council leader defends plans". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  15. ↑ "Victim fights 'unlawful' police closures". BBC News. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Pilat, Lauren (18 September 2017). "Academic left for dead by burglars pleads: don't shut police station". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  17. ↑ Krause, Riley (8 May 2018). "Man who campaigned against closure of Wimbledon police station after suffering brutal attack elected as Merton councillor". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "Local Elections - Thursday 3 May 2018". 3 May 2018.
  19. ↑ Krause, Riley (11 May 2018). "Cabinet shake-up as councillors receive promotions". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Meet the Mayor of Merton". Wimbledon Guardian. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "Wimbledon Park Election Results, 22 May 2014". Merton Council. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "Councillor Details: Linda Taylor". Merton Council. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "West Barnes Election Results, 22 May 2014". Merton Council. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  24. ↑ "Councillor Details: Mary-Jane Jeanes". Merton Council. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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