The meeting was held via Zoom, and chaired by Councillor James Holmes. Seven residents and six councillors attended on Zoom with 45 additional views on YouTube. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained how the meeting would work.

Leonie Cooper, Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth

Leonie Cooper, Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth gave an update on activities at the London Assembly but a poor connection meant this update was shorter than planned.

Leonie said the main things that have been coming up locally were:

• The AELTC has submitted a planning application for a new 8,000 seater court and development in Wimbledon Park crossing both Merton and Wandsworth. Leonie has submitted questions to the Mayor on behalf of local residents and has met with local organisations to hear their concerns
• The Met Police has launched an Action plan on tackling violence towards women and girls. There are two investigations in the police and their practice, one by Louise Casey
• The ULEZ expansion to the South Circular launched in November
• There is still no long term deal for TfL, with the current 6 month deals restricting planning. No other area in the UK has had such a protracted negotiation with central government. London no longer receives any money being returned from Vehicle Excise Duty.

Kris Witherington, Engagement and Consultation Manager for Merton Council gave a presentation on the results from the Your Merton engagement exercise. The presentation is attached to this report.

The engagement exercise had included a large telephone survey of a random sample of residents, a website where residents were free to comment and targeted focus groups. Residents highlighted that green spaces and the sense of community were major assets in Merton whilst traffic and litter were major frustrations. The pandemic had caused problems with isolation but had also brought out an increased sense of community spirit. Future ambitions for the borough included making high streets community hubs and maximising the benefits of local green spaces.

The emerging priorities and a set of ambitions for the borough will be considered by Cabinet early in 2022.

Cllr David Williams said that officers working with residents groups to improve greenery on Wimbledon Hill Road. They are using Community Infrastructure Levy funding to make improvements but if anyone has ideas they can contact Cllr Williams or Paul McGarry at Future Merton.

David Hall from Wimbledon Community Association said that they are celebrating their 75^th Anniversary with stories being posted on their website. Anyone is welcome to contribute.

Cllr Holmes discussed the future of Community Forums. The Forums play and important role in holding local elected officials to account but COVID has presented a particular challenge and reduced the numbers of attendees. Cllr Holmes said he would welcome any ideas for fresh ways of keeping Community Forums relevant.

• Cllr Gretton suggested ward updates, for example Haydon Road regeneration. Cllr Holmes said this would be best come from residents.
• Cllr Kohler said there was a lot of power in Community Forums through motions, but relatively small numbers attending meant it was not really exploited
• A resident suggested including dates in communications from Merton Council.
• A resident suggested using local residents groups to share the messages and encourage involvement. 

Wednesday 23 March 2022 at 7.15pm venue to be confirmed

Councillor James thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.

The next meeting will be at 7.15pm on Wednesday 23 March 2022, venue to be confirmed