Merton Park Ward Boundary Review Submission

MPWIR have been genuinely overwhelmed and humbled by the sheer mass of responses to the Boundary Commissions plan to tear Merton Park Ward apart and reduce it to a two Councillor ward.

With over 100 of you writing in to the Boundary Commission, that we know of; we hope they will not ignore such a strong representation. MPWRA will of course keep you updated with the outcome. However, this is not the end of the line as any changes will once again be subjected to consultation across all wards.

For your interest, we have included our summary and supporting documentation that MPWRA & MPWIR submitted to the Boundary Commission below and you can see all of the submissions from all parties and organisations on the LGBCE website

Summary

In summary, our submission explains how:

Current Ward boundaries follow historic parish boundaries, and include most of the John Innes Estate, the first Garden suburb
Proposed new boundaries are inferior to current boundaries:

– Dividing rather than enclosing our community

– Not always clear or easy to follow

Sense of community extends across the whole Ward, and is not confined to its historic centre around St Mary’s Church
Merton Park Ward is the highest scoring ward in Merton for social capital ie. it is the most effective community
Merton Park Ward needs three councillors to continue supporting MPWRA’s full range of activities for the community
Merton Park Ward can achieve electoral equality by expanding into the remaining part of the John Innes Estate north of Kingston Road
Over 100 residents have submitted individual objections to the Boundary Commission, explaining what Merton Park Ward means to them and why they do not want to lose 1900 of their neighbours