Merton Green Party Manifesto 2022

Accessibility

We will work with disabled people who live and work in the borough, to review all public rights of way and public building infrastructure, in order to identify all locations that are unsafe or unusable, and to make improvements accordingly.

We anticipate that this would include:

installing handrails, ramps, Changing Places facilities, charging points for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and other aids and equipment where necessary;
removing obstacles to wheelchair and mobility scooter users;
introducing more resting spots, including benches and shelters;
tackling illegal pavement parking more effectively;
seeking to increase the one-metre gap where pavement parking is allowed, to at least 1.5 metres, but preferably 2 metres;
working with local businesses to help make Merton accessible for all.

Active travel

We will work hard to improve infrastructure across the borough to facilitate and encourage walking and cycling. Where this reduces car journeys, it will help to improve air quality and is crucial to Merton’s transition to carbon neutrality by our proposed target of 2030 (see Climate Emergency section).

We will:

Work systematically to improve footways, cycleways, crossings, signage, and lighting, in order to create a more coherent and safer walking and cycling network – for journeys to work, school and the shops, as well as for leisure;
Work to upgrade all cycling infrastructure to meet the requirements set out in the government’s Local Transport Note 1/20 guidance on cycle infrastructure design – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120;
Install more facilities that allow people to store their bicycles securely, safely and, where possible, for free;
Prioritise the implementation of measures to reduce injuries to and deaths of pedestrians and cyclists. This includes lobbying the Mayor’s Office and the London Assembly to bring forward the target in Transport for London’s Vision Zero action plan, from 2041 to 2030. Vision Zero aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network.

Antisocial Behaviour

We will work with residents and the police to understand better both the root causes and the impact of antisocial behaviour, to identify effective policies for its reduction. We anticipate that this will include looking at access to:

affordable housing appropriate to needs;
improved health and social care;
improved educational and training opportunities;
fairly paid and fulfilling employment;
free or affordable sports and entertainment facilities and activities, and activities covering the arts, humanities and sciences more widely;
well-maintained green spaces.

Climate Emergency

In 2019, one of our members created the petition that led to the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency. Following this, four of our members were part of a Climate Emergency Working Group, who worked with the Council to create a Climate Strategy and Action Plan, with one member going on to lead the transport theme in the subsequently formed Climate Action Group.

Last August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a ‘code red for humanity’, stating that ‘greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk’, and that ‘We must act decisively now to keep 1.5°C alive. We are already at 1.2°C and rising’ (https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/sgsm20847.doc.htm).

We will campaign to bring forward the Council’s target for a carbon-zero Merton, from 2050 to 2030 – to match the current target for the Council to become a net-zero organisation.

In particular, the Council needs to engage as widely and as deeply as it can with the business sector, the education sector, the health sector, the voluntary sector, Housing Associations, developers, transport bodies, community groups, places of worship, and so on, to give this borough the best opportunity of transitioning successfully to carbon neutrality.

In terms of how else we will address the climate crisis, please see the following sections:

Active Travel
Motoring
Food
Green Spaces and Waterways
Housing
Public Transport
School Streets
Town Centres
Waste and Recycling

Energy

Renewable energy is essential to Merton’s transition to carbon neutrality by our proposed target of 2030 (see Climate Emergency section). Therefore, we aim to bring better value solar energy system and heat pump schemes to homeowners and landlords.

Furthermore, we recognise that solar energy system and heat pump schemes are unsuitable for many properties, and inaccessible to private renters and residents of Housing Associations. Thus, the only practical way forward that will guarantee reduced energy costs is to press for a comprehensive home insulation programme, which would involve:

Working with the various Housing Associations to insulate existing stock where necessary;
Finding funding for the introduction of combined-purchase insulation installations for private homeowners and landlords;
Using the money raised from the levy that we would like to impose on developers for failure to meet affordable housing targets;
Exploring the viability of a Council-owned energy company;
Creating and piloting an Environmental Loan Fund, which would issue loans rather than grants, so that money returned to the Fund can be used to lend to new people. Loans could be repaid using the savings on energy bills. Early repayment would be allowed. It would need to be coupled with a training programme for people to learn the skills required for the jobs. Ideally, this would become a long-term project on a national basis, with lending at low interest rates and a long repayment period.

We will seek to increase the use of LED lighting, where appropriate, across the borough.

We will also seek to phase out the use of wood burning where it is not needed as a source of heat, as it emits high levels of pollution. This would include a campaign to discourage households from contributing to wood-burning pollution e.g. from bonfires or patio heaters.

Food

We believe that helping people on a low income and preventing food waste can go hand in hand, hence we will:

Work with supermarkets in the borough to increase the amount of food donated to food banks;
Create mechanisms to enable more local restaurants and cafes to donate unsold produce.

We will also:

Support schools to make sure that they have high quality healthy-eating programmes, including a reduction in the use of meat and dairy because of its enormous carbon footprint;
Oppose planning applications for any new fast food outlets near schools, and seek to amend planning policy accordingly in the long term;
Research the ratio of fast food outlets to restaurants and cafes with healthy eating options, in the various parts of the borough, and work with the Council and residents to ensure a balance in favour of the latter;
Work with idverde to overhaul the reservation and waiting list processes for allotments to ensure that vacant plots are allocated and taken up actively;
Work with residents to identify suitable spaces for community orchards, and then help to make them a reality.

Green Spaces and Waterways

We will work with idverde, who hold the green spaces contract with the Council, to improve their management of the flora, fauna and facilities in our parks, streets and town centres. This will include:

Ensuring that litter is picked before mowing and trimming commences;
Reviewing disabled access to green spaces and facilities therein, and making improvements accordingly;
Addressing the biodiversity crisis by:
- advocating less mowing and the retention of mown grass, cuttings and fallen leaves, where appropriate;
- introducing more pollinator friendly plants;
- installing more insect hotels;
- reducing the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers including banning glyphosate wherever we are able;
- and pressing for more rigorous ecological surveys to inform the protection and enhancement of biodiversity;
Revitalising the numerous green spaces that have so much potential, yet lay bare or overgrown, with rewilding always an option;
Designing in more wildlife corridors to join up our green spaces more effectively;
Increasing tree canopy coverage by planting more street trees – substantially beyond the replacement of losses due to storm damage, disease and decay – and improving the management of street trees, with explicit directions to contractors on leaving minimum areas around tree trunks free of metalling such as tarmac;
Protecting people from air pollution by planting more hedges near our roads;
Overhauling the reservation and waiting list processes for allotments to ensure that vacant plots are allocated and taken up actively;
Bringing a community garden to every neighbourhood that wants one;
Campaigning to make Little League free again;
Educating the public about their local environment and how to care for it.

We are grateful for and will continue to be fully supportive of the work of the Tree Wardens, Friends, and other like-minded groups, who volunteer their time, energy and expertise to nurture many of our much-loved green spaces.

We will hold a consultation on the future of our parks, with local residents at the heart of the process and any subsequent decision making. Lots of people used our parks for their daily exercise throughout the lockdowns. There is increased appreciation and interest. Many people want to see more and better facilities, including play areas, toilets, cafes and community orchards. Concerns about safety require an evidence-based approach. Proposed events should be considered on a case by case basis.

Both maintaining and increasing tree canopy coverage is essential to Merton’s transition to carbon neutrality by our proposed target of 2030 (see Climate Emergency section). The Council is beginning to consult on a long called for Tree Strategy. We will work hard to ensure that the consultation is meaningful and conducted in a timely manner, and that the Strategy is comprehensive, ambitious, sustainable, and updated as progress is made. Likewise, we will facilitate tree planting by individuals, communities and businesses.

The health of our rivers, lakes and ponds demands greater attention. We are grateful for and will continue to be supportive of the South East Rivers Trust, whose mission of lifelong stewardship of our rivers is helping to improve the habitats of the River Wandle, Beverley Brook and Hogsmill River. However, we also recognise that more funding and new legislation (ideally, a new Rivers Act) is needed to protect our waterways from pollution and climate change, hence we will lobby accordingly.

Health and Social Care

Access to high quality health and social care is a right. We will:

Help residents to understand and contribute to consultations about local health and social care services, in order to make their voices heard and get what they need. For example, there is already a need for mental health services to expand, so that people can get help as soon as they need it.
Work with local NHS services to protect and enhance provision. For example, we will work to integrate social care more closely with primary healthcare, to provide seamless services where possible.
Campaign to bring free social care to all who need it. There is a lot to learn from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who are the first Council in England to have abolished charges for home care – https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/articles/news/2014/12/tax-disability-be-abolished

Housing

There is a clear lack of truly affordable housing in the borough. The Council keeps missing its own target that 40% of new homes should be affordable. We are pleased to see that an increase of the target to 50% is under consideration but, more importantly, we will work hard to make sure that the target is actually met. We will also seek to impose a levy for missed targets.

We will push for a review of the existing target for new housing and the type of new housing needed, as the pandemic has seen a number of people move out of London and brought increased home or hybrid working. In particular, home or hybrid working makes equal access to well-maintained green spaces essential, hence we will endeavour to ensure that this is built into plans from the outset.

We support high-density housing development where there is demonstrable need. We will oppose proposals for large-scale, high-density housing development which does not include substantial and demonstrable advantages to occupants, the wider community, and the environment.

Developments should be aesthetically pleasing and provide community infrastructure to complement their primary purpose e.g. recreation and play areas, exercise equipment, educational facilities, community gardens and orchards, allotments, community kitchens, function rooms, etc.

Housing Associations

Too many residents of and leaseholders with Housing Associations are paying rent and/or service charges for poorly maintained homes and grounds. In addition, leaseholders are too often subject to unreasonable Major Works bills. We will support residents and leaseholders to demand better services from Housing Associations.

We are following the progress of the controversial Clarion regeneration schemes in Ravensbury, High Path and Eastfields, and are committed to ensuring that the new homes, grounds and facilities are of a high quality, and that promises of ‘like for like’ are fulfilled.

Motoring

We recognise that vehicle ownership is vital for those with limited mobility and with particular jobs, and that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are essential to reduce emissions. We will:

- Identify ways in which existing parking spaces can be used to address the conflict of interest between on-street EV charge points and parking for any vehicles;
- Review the use of existing parking spaces more widely, as there are currently parking problems on many roads across the borough because of a poor use of the available space;
- Pursue all legal methods to restrict the use of diesel vehicles in the borough, as they are the most polluting vehicles on our streets, whilst ensuring that the measures are fair to sole traders and small and medium-sized businesses, through, for example, scrappage schemes and electric car conversion schemes;
- Review the existing distribution of EV charge points and service providers in order to:
  - identify the areas where charge points will have maximum utility for the benefit of most residents;
  - press for the best-value service providers to develop those locations.

Charge points must meet the needs of people who do not have their own private driveway and cannot afford the high charge price rates at most public charge points.

The Mayor’s proposed extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone does not go far enough to address the climate emergency. We would lobby the Mayor’s Office and the London Assembly to introduce a more effective and fairer system known as Smart Road Pricing, which would see drivers charged according to the distance that they travel and how polluting their vehicle is, whilst also taking into account the time of day and surrounding levels of congestion and pollution, as well as the availability of public transport. It is already working in some major cities around the world.

New Building Development

Construction should be sustainable, with developers required to show, through relevant environmental analyses like the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), how their design is more efficient than other options. Homes and community infrastructure should run on renewable energy. The Green Guide (2015) should be followed – The Green Guide Explained.

Building height must complement the existing environs and we believe that the construction of buildings of over ten storeys stands in direct contradiction to the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and carbon reduction plans.

All planning applications should require applicants to provide precise and auditable details of trees and shrubs of more than a certain volume and trunk girth that may be impacted by the proposed development, and how the level of tree canopy coverage and plant density will be maintained in the development, if not increased. Stringent penalties should be applied where work deviates from the plan’s stated tree and shrub impact.

The sanctity of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) must be respected. Metropolitan Open Land should be recognised as a vital urban resource and protected from any non-essential building work. Also, floodplains play a key role in protecting our urban environment from the consequences of extreme weather conditions, and should not be built upon in any way that diminishes their function.

Community-led forms of home and land ownership and management should be supported and prioritised in housing strategies where they improve access to affordable, long-term and secure homes. For example, where public land is used for the provision of housing, it should either remain in public ownership or be transferred to a Community Land Trust to preserve it as a community-owned asset.

We will insist on meaningful public consultation, with the views of those affected brought into much sharper focus. For example, regeneration projects are always controversial and we believe that the community in question should be at the heart of decision making e.g. ballotted, offered the opportunity to help to design and build the new space, etc. Indeed, where retrofitting is an environmentally sound option, demolition should be the last resort.

Public Transport

Affordable, comfortable, fast and frequent public transport is critical to Merton’s transition to carbon neutrality by our proposed target of 2030 (see Climate Emergency section).

We will:

work with residents and Transport for London (TfL) to establish where bus and tram routes could be changed or introduced for the benefit of those living and working in areas with a low Public Transport Access Level (PTAL) score;
work with Network Rail and TfL to address the fact that, across the borough, 5 out of 7 Network Rail stations, and 2 out of 6 Underground stations, have no disabled access.
seek to introduce local, shuttle bus routes following spoke-type routes around the town centres, to facilitate access for people with mobility difficulties, families with young children, etc.

School Streets

School Streets improve the safety of children and staff walking or cycling to and from school, and not only have health benefits by cutting out vehicle pollution and its dreadful impact on children’s lungs in particular, but also help to reduce carbon emissions.

We will:

review for effectiveness the programme of School Streets rolled out so far;
extend existing School Streets where this would improve results;
apply additional School Streets where these have not been implemented and traffic routes allow;
revitalise the programme of education to parents on avoiding both idling and driving to school.

Town Centres

Retail and Community Spaces

Our town centres are fundamental to our community identity, and their commercial vitality is a direct measure of the health and sustainability of their surrounding neighbourhoods. The last two decades have seen accelerating changes in the nature of retail, such that many large chain stores have ceased to be viable, and the model for well-presented shopping arcades, such as Centre Court, cannot be sustained solely by eclectic retail ventures and short-term outlets.

We will endeavour to help successful local businesses to remain so, and to attract ethical and sustainable new businesses to the area, including lobbying to make business rates and rents fair for all.

Equally, as consumers make more of their purchases online and expect them to be delivered to the door, and the trend for increased home and hybrid working continues, we would like to see traditional retail space usefully repurposed to provide:

shared work spaces, with facilities for printing, photocopying, scanning, 3D printing, teleconferencing, presentations, in-person meetings, studio facilities, etc.
community spaces for classes, workshops, exhibitions, rehearsals, performances, etc.
Makerspace-type workshops and facilities;
art and music studios;
swap shops;
repair shops;
leisure opportunities;
green space;
homes.

Town Centres: Modes of Travel

The changing nature of our town centres is a major opportunity to reshape the ways in which people travel to and from, and move around in them. As detailed in the Accessibility, Active Travel, and Public Transport sections, we would like to see a typical visit to the town centre to be made by an active travel mode or public transport, and every town centre to be accessible for all. An increase in pedestrianised space is key to this. Merton can learn from successful incarnations of the 15-minute neighbourhood model, where everybody’s daily needs can be met within a 15-minute walking radius, whilst air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced dramatically. Likewise, we would like to help to facilitate, where appropriate, last-mile delivery using zero-emission e-cargo bikes and ultra low-emission electric vehicles.

Noting that public transport is already good in specific places, especially Wimbledon, due to its role as a major intermediate rail interchange right in the centre of town, we would seek to introduce local, shuttle bus routes following spoke-type routes around the town centres, to facilitate access for people with mobility difficulties, families with young children, etc. These shuttle bus routes would use small buses with full wheelchair access, and run circular routes that typically take them no more than a mile from the centre, unlike the extensive Transport for London’s primary bus routes.

Having established viable alternatives to using the car to access Merton’s town centres, it will become possible to reduce the capacity of the large car parks, potentially using the space for more congenial and productive purposes, such as open markets. More importantly, it will become possible to reduce the width of carriageway dedicated to larger motor vehicles through our centres, freeing up space for pedestrians, cycles, cargo bikes, mobility scooters, small-format vehicles, on-street trading, al-fresco lunching, and leisure and entertainment provision. Equally, in the face of rapidly changing climate conditions, it will become possible to create an ambient microclimate in the heart of each town centre, through cultivating extensive tree cover to provide a green canopy.

Town Centres: Green Spaces

As detailed in the Green Spaces and Waterways section, both maintaining and increasing tree canopy coverage is essential to Merton’s transition to carbon neutrality by our proposed target of 2030 (see Climate Emergency section), and the Council is beginning to consult on a long called for Tree Strategy. We will ensure that town centre trees are included in this Strategy. They are important for their aesthetic value, contribution to biodiversity, absorption of carbon dioxide emissions, and shade. Storm damage, disease and decay should be factored into planning. Tarmacked tree pits should be banned. Good management is essential.

We will work with idverde to introduce more pollinator friendly plants to, and reduce the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers (glyphosate should be banned) in our town centres.

We will seek funding for more Sustainable Drainage System (SuDs), such as rain gardens, and green walls and roofs – all of which are needed to mitigate for and adapt to climate change.

Town Centres: Building Development

Large-scale traditional office development, such as that proposed for St George’s House East, is neither economically viable nor sustainable, and unlikely to yield a reliable business rate revenue stream for the Council. We believe this to be true regardless of the building height, but would add that as building height rises, its building material requirements and ongoing maintenance requirements become exponentially greater and measurably less sustainable environmentally. We therefore oppose high-rise commercial development in our town centres in Wimbledon, Mitcham, Morden, Colliers Wood and Raynes Park.

Developments should be aesthetically pleasing and building height must complement the environs. We believe that the construction of buildings of over ten storeys stands in direct contradiction to the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and carbon reduction plans. In principle, increased building height is associated with increased efficiency, but lower emissions during the use phase are usually cancelled out during the build phase because more energy-intensive materials are needed to provide higher storeys.

Construction should be sustainable, with developers required to show, through relevant environmental analyses like the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), how their design is more efficient than other options. Infrastructure should run on renewable energy. The Green Guide (2015) should be followed – The Green Guide Explained.

Planning applications (including commercial and private residential ones) should require applicants to provide precise and auditable details of trees and shrubs of more than a certain volume and trunk girth that may be impacted by the proposed development, and how the level of tree canopy coverage and plant density will be maintained in the development, if not increased. Stringent penalties should be applied where work deviates from the plan’s stated tree and shrub impact.

Town Centres: Community Energy

The transformation of our town centres has the potential to allow for cooperative models for renewable energy, whereby community groups generate their own renewable energy, and community investors share the costs of renewables installation in buildings like schools, community centres, etc.

Town Centres: The Merton Pound

Council-run swap shops could exchange items donated for Merton Pounds (MPs), which would be usable in local businesses who sign up to the scheme.

At the end of the financial year, we would give the businesses who have signed up the option to exchange the MPs for GBP, have the amount deducted from their business rates, or maintain their stock of MPs for use in purchasing items from swap shops or exchanging with other local businesses.

We would allow grants to be taken in MPs for direct investment in local businesses, with the purpose of the system akin to a small enterprise Merton bank, providing interest-free loans to businesses or private interest groups to improve the local area.

Waste and Recycling

Litter and fly-tipping on our streets and in our green spaces is a source of widespread frustration. The state of our streets, whether residential or commercial, is a disgrace which drags down everyone’s impression of Merton as a good place to live and work. Small but vital improvements in waste management will have big improvements in attracting people here and in marginalising littering and dumping.

Bulky waste collection charges are too high and many people lack the transportation needed to take their items to Garth Road, which incentivises dumping.

Residents of Housing Associations and flats above shopping parades need help to manage their waste more effectively where they do not have access to hygienic waste storage space or wheelie bins.

It is unacceptable that the target for council recycling rates was revised downwards last year, from 48% to 40%.

It is also unacceptable that about 60% of our waste collected by Veolia is burned at Viridor’s incinerator, and incredible that, following a 15% increase in 2020, there is currently an application for a further 10% increase at the Beddington incinerator.

We will:

Work with the Council to renegotiate the contract with Veolia, who collect our general waste and recycling;
Improve waste and recycling facilities for residents who do not have access to Veolia’s wheelie bins, recycling boxes and food caddies;
Implement innovative ways of reducing the high levels of littering and fly-tipping;
Support garden giveaways and jumble trails;
Campaign to reinstate free bulky waste collection.
Trial community skips and mobile recycling units, following successful models in other parts of the UK;
Work with the Council, residents and businesses to set increasingly ambitious recycling rates for the borough.
Oppose all applications to increase throughput at the Beddington incinerator;
Support the expansion of Morden Library of Things to other parts of the borough;
Facilitate the introduction of repair shops and swap shops into empty commercial units and suitable council-owned spaces;
Lobby the national government to progress a waste deposit scheme which would place a monetary value on recyclable waste such as cans and bottles.