All you need to know as Merton heads into local elections

The turnout was 40.3% and which meant Labour remained in control despite losing three seats. The Lib Dems won 23.2% of the vote.

Labour: 31 seats (-3)

Lib Dems: 17 seats (+11)

Conservative: 7 seats (-10)

Residents: 2 seats (-1)

Boundary changes had reduced the number of seats from 60 to 57.

Since the election, one Labour councillor was suspended and now sits as an independent.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Merton is a borough where the Liberal Democrats won a parliamentary seat in the 2024 General Election, in Wimbledon.

Now the Lib Dems see this as their number one hope for further extending their south-west reach a bit further into London.

On the basis of all the facts in front of us, I think the Lib Dems are probably going to win this one.

At the moment, Labour are dominant in London - they have 21 of its 32 councils, a record-equalling high.

The Conservatives run just five - having lost their former "crown-jewel" councils of Wandsworth and Westminster to Labour at the last borough elections in 2022.

The Liberal Democrats run three councils in south-west London and will be looking to gain Merton from Labour.

The Aspire Party run Tower Hamlets and two boroughs are currently in no overall control.

Nick Bowes, insight director from the London Communications Agency, said: "These are likely to be the most consequential elections in London, certainly for the past 20 years - possibly since the first borough elections in 1964."

He added: "The ways things are fragmenting in the polls it's very difficult to predict exactly what's going to happen but it does look like being a very bad night for Labour and the Conservatives in London."

More than six million Londoners can vote in the council elections on Thursday 7 May 2026.

All 32 London boroughs are up for election.

There are also elections for the mayor in five boroughs: Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

All candidates in the Merton Council election are listed on the borough's website.

Use our tool to see what elections are being held in your area.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April 2026.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00 BST - you must be registered to vote before you can receive a postal vote.

The deadline to change existing postal or proxy voting arrangements is also Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Photographic voter ID is required to vote at a polling station - if you do not have valid Voter ID, the deadline to apply for photo ID to vote (called a Voter Authority Certificate) for this election is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Election Day: Thursday 7 May 2026 from 07:00 to 22:00.

You can find more information about voting in Merton on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Merton is in south-west London and bordered by Croydon, Sutton, Richmond and Wandsworth.

What's it like? Merton is a cultural and sporting hub best known for the world famous Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which draws about 500,000 visitors each year.

Neighbourhoods: The borough's five main town centres are: Wimbledon including Wimbledon Village, the Broadway and South Wimbledon, Mitcham, Morden, Raynes Park and Colliers Wood.

Places of interest: Merton is home to Morden Hall Park, Wimbledon Common, Merton Abbey Mills - a riverside market and heritage site - Deen City Farm, the Wandle Trail and the Baitul Futuh Mosque.

Pub quiz fact: According to the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference website, the only English Pope, Adrian IV, attended Merton Priory in around 1125.

In 1569, a Wimbledon woman was sentenced to hang for witchcraft. She was accused of killing three children and four pigs in the village by casting spells on them.

Population (2024 estimate): 218,539

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 60% of people in Merton are from a white ethnic group, almost 19% from and Asian/Asian British ethnic group and 10% from black/black British ethnic groups. Mixed or multiple and other ethnic groups make up just over 10%.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Merton in December 2025 was £602,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 was £2,080.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough in 2026/27 is £2,147.

Transport: Merton has seven train stations, five Tube stations, eight tram stops and around 445 bus stops, Transport for London says.

Merton evolved from a 10th Century Saxon farmstead into a major medieval centre of religion, law and royal ceremony.

At Merton Priory in 1236, Henry III agreed the Statutes of Merton with his barons, helping shape English common law, and in 1437 it hosted the coronation of Henry VI.

Centuries later, the area became the cherished home of Admiral Lord Nelson, who lived at Merton Place and wrote fondly of leaving his "dear, dear Merton" before departing for the Trafalgar campaign in 1805, where he was killed. His house was demolished in 1823.

In the Victorian era, William Morris transformed Merton Abbey into a celebrated centre of textile printing, stained glass, tapestry and other arts and crafts production, with his company trading until 1940.

Merton switched between Conservative and Labour in the 1960s and early 1970s, was controlled by the Tories from 1974 to 1990, then switched to Labour.

It was in no overall control from 2006 to 2014, with first a Conservative and then a Labour minority administration. However, since 2014, Merton has been Labour controlled.

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