Apologies were received from Cllr Daniel Holden, with Cllr Max Austin as substitute.

Apologies were received from Cllr Stuart Neaverson, with Cllr James Williscroft as substitute.

There were no declarations of pecuniary interest.

The action log is to be re-added to the minutes.

Panel Members confirmed that these were a true and accurate record of the previous meeting

Carl Leadbetter introduced the presentation by showing that Thames Water have operational teams aligned to boroughs. Merton is in the crossness area which has 136 pumping stations, although there are no treatment works in the Merton area. Merton is a lead flood authority which means the borough is responsible for coordinating flooding prevention. Local landowners (with private sewers) also play a role which demonstrates why it is important for all parties to have positive working relationships.

Water flow increases in sewers after rainfall due to infiltration, misconnections, inundation and physical damage. Other factors also play a role, for example there has been a trend towards front gardens having harder materials for car parking. However, overflows can be prevented by stopping extra water getting into the sewer network or by making sewer networks bigger to treat more flow, although this would require more investment.

Thames Water explained that they help to protect a significant number of rivers in the area and that Merton is part of the catchment strategic plan. There have also been community engagement projects held in Merton and Thames Water are open to holding more if there is interest. Thames Water have a commitment to provide storm discharge data, and a significant number of monitors have been put into the Merton area. These can be monitored live, and they turn red if there is a warning.

Thames Water stated that wet wipes are the single biggest cause of blockages and as a result the wet wipes must be taken to landfill. Work with the public needs to be done to try and decrease this. Thames Water also have a team who inspect food establishments due to the oil being used. Merton ranked 67^th out of 124 local authorities in sewer blockages.

There is a mechanism that allows residents to report a local flood issue online by marking an ‘X’ on a map, rather than putting an address. This allows Thames Water to attend to the issue quicker and feedback seems to suggest that it is working well.

In response to questions Thames Water confirmed

-Financial plans are submitted on a 5 year basis. The stakeholders pack which was received last week can be shared with councillors. 

-Thames Water are actively working on the flood alleviation scheme in Raynes Park and will provide an update to councillors.

-Being able to monitor sewer levels will reduce the risk of flooding partly because understanding which parts are used more than others will allow Thames Water to put automatic valves in place.

-When a flood issue is reported online Thames Water can see if the ‘X’ is on a piece of land that Thames Water owns. The online system to report issues will be sent to councillors and Alice Keeping confirmed that she was happy to share her contact details with councillors as well.

-Thames Water legally have to put up a sign with their contact information when there are roadworks. There are also signs with specific information about the work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Jefferson Nwokeoma explained that the service continues to perform well, and the quarterly reports show an encouraging start to 2024/2025. Idverde statistics have improved on 2023/2024, although there is still more work to do.

There have been challenges regarding maintenance due to an unusual amount of rainfall, although it is hoped that there will be an improvement in the 2^nd quarter as there has been better weather. Positively, the tree contract continues to make progress while trying to minimise disruption to residents. Cllr Ross Garrod agreed with update provided by Jefferson Nwokeoma.

In response to questions:

-Jefferson Nwokeoma will investigate if work can be expedited on the closed cemetery at Mitcham Parish Church which holds war graves as roots have lifted pathways and stones which can be difficult for buggies etc. Jefferson Nwokeoma will find out the service level agreement for visits to open and closed cemeteries and inform councillors.

-It will be confirmed if the Performance Quality Management System score for parks is an improvement on previous years.

-Idverde will be contacted about problems with weed in gutters.

-More CCTV cameras would be installed if there were resources to do so.

-Cllr Ross Garrod confirmed there has been no change of plan to bring street cleaning in house away from Veolia. This is because more money would have been needed to be put into the service regardless of who was the provider, and it is hoped that more investment will result in a better service. In addition, extensive consultation with residents showed that they were not happy with street cleaning.

-There are not extensive reports on Veolia’s performance regarding bins being left on pavements. However, more budget has been allocated in the service to flats above shops in town centres etc. Residents are ultimately responsible for dealing with their waste, but fines can be given to residents who don’t comply.

- Jefferson Nwokeoma stated that allotments may be moving back in house but he will look into how allotment users feel about idverde.

James McGinlay introduced the Housing & Sustainable Development report by explaining that there has been positive feedback. Planning and building control applications are being determined promptly and backlogs are decreasing. Merton is on target for the total number of applications and the national Planning Resource magazine has recently ranked Merton Council as being the 35th best performing Local Planning Authority in the whole country.

Work has been done in Mitcham town centre improving the number of stalls and the council have hosted two Food and Crafts Markets on 17th February and 27th April with local traders. Dinner clubs have also been held to bring the community together.

Merton Council has the lowest number of people in temporary accommodation in London, although the housing needs team are working on an action plan to reduce numbers and costs.

In response to questions, it was confirmed that

-The town centre manager has taken over some of the roles of the external manager. An update is expected in the next few months.

-James McGinlay will confirm exactly how the target for homelessness prevention works and inform councillors. James McGinlay will also find out when the temporary accommodation action plan will be produced.

-The council do want to work alongside TFL for the redevelopment of Mitcham centre. 

Dan Jones introduced the Environment, Civic Pride, & Climate report by explaining that there has been a slight increase in the number of MARAC cases. This is possibly due to the European football championship tournament.

The ASB team continue to work actively with internal and external agencies to address anti-social behaviour.

The CCTV upgrade is on track for completion and cameras installed are all being used.

There has been a decline in leisure centre usage in the Wimbledon area. This could be linked to a new budget gym that opened. However, Morden has seen an increase in usage.

Fly-tip removal teams are exceeding their targets and missed bin collections are down.

In response to questions, it was confirmed:

-CCTV cameras are checked regularly to make sure they are working. It will need to be checked why they weren’t on any specific occasions.

-Dan Jones will check how integrated the councils CCTV is with British Transport Police CCTV.

-It will be checked why there is no CCTV around South Wimbledon tube station.

The Tenants Champion report will be moved forward to November’s panel where Cllr James Williscroft can provide an update. The next update will be after full council next year.

A task group considering procurement of temporary housing will be initiated.

Officers will be contacted to see if the walking and cycling strategy can include a safety aspect (clutter, lighting, poles etc).

It is unclear if the sustainable communities scrutiny panel is the best place for resident engagement in planning process to be discussed. The chair will talk to Cllr Stephen Mercer and Cllr Andrew Judge about this.