The Merton Council Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel met on 16 September 2025 to discuss landlord licensing, quarterly performance, and the panel's work programme. The panel was scheduled to review the landlord licensing scheme, receive updates on performance monitoring, and discuss the work programme for the upcoming year.

Landlord Licensing Scheme

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on the implementation of the landlord licensing scheme in seven wards: Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Longthornton, Pollards Hill, Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, and Lavender Fields. The report, titled Update on Selective Licencing September 2025, provided an update on the licensing scheme activity following its implementation on 24 September 2023.

The licensing scheme consists of Selective Licensing in Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Longthornton, and Pollards Hill, and Additional Licensing in all seven wards. Selective Licensing requires a licence for private rented sector (PRS) properties, while Additional Licensing requires a licence for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) not covered by the mandatory HMO regulations¹.

According to the report, officers have inspected 584 premises, resulting in 350 Preliminary Improvement Notices. To date, 253 properties have been improved in line with the Enforcement Policy. Additionally, eleven Suspended Prohibition Orders have been served to minimise overcrowding in HMOs within the Additional Licensing scheme. The council has also issued three Final Management Orders, allowing it to take over the management of three properties in Graveney ward because the nominated manager was not considered a fit and proper person.

The report also included data on the number of applications received and licences issued since the scheme's implementation. The number of properties licensable in the 2023/24 financial year was predicted at 1,866, but the actual year-end data shows 1,041. For 2024/25, the original prediction was for 2,332 applications, but the actual was 623 applications. For 2025/26, the prediction was for 233 applications for the full year, but current applications indicate that this number is likely to be exceeded by the end of Quarter 2 and almost doubled by the end of the year.

To maximise licence applications, the service has drawn up plans to identify licensable properties within the seven wards through proactive actions, including:

• Working closely with Merton Council Tax team to help identify privately rented properties in the 7 wards
• Investigating problematic properties identified by the ASB team and Moat housing
• Monitoring rooms to rent websites
• Street to street surveys

The report also provided information on the income received from the licensing scheme. Income received for 2023/24 was £375,945, and for 2024/25 the income was £551,496. Income for Quarter 1 of 2025/26 was £157,896.

Appendix A of the report included case studies illustrating the types of hazards identified during inspections and the actions taken to address them. These included hazards related to crowding and space, excess cold, and fire safety.

Performance Monitoring

The panel was scheduled to discuss performance reports for Quarter 1 of 2025/26. These reports covered a range of services, including:

• Housing and Sustainable Development
• Greenspaces, Grounds Maintenance, and Arboriculture Services
• Veolia Recycling and Waste Collection Services

Housing and Sustainable Development

The HSD July 2025 Performance report included data on regeneration, housing supply, development control, and homelessness prevention. Key performance indicators (KPIs) included the average number of stalls in Mitcham Market, the number of events in Mitcham, the number of new homes, the percentage of major and minor planning applications determined within agreed timescales, the number of households in temporary accommodation, and the number of homelessness preventions.

Greenspaces, Grounds Maintenance, and Arboriculture Services

The LBM IDVerde Barkland Performance Report 16092025 Scrutiny provided performance data for the Idverde Grounds Maintenance Contract and the Barkland Tree Services Arboriculture Contract. The report included information on the average overall parks PQMS² score, the average score for highways verge maintenance, and the average PQMS score for litter in parks. It also included information on Greenspaces and Arboriculture Capital Projects completed in Quarter 1, such as drainage works at Wimbledon Park, bench installation on Cannon Hill Common, and improvements to the paddling pool at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields.

Veolia Recycling and Waste Collection Services

The Veolia Scrutiny Report Q1 2526 provided an overview of how the Recycling and Waste Collection Services contract is performing against operational KPIs for Quarter 1 of 2025/26. The report included data on missed bins per 100,000 collections by waste stream and the quality of service delivery.

Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to review and agree on the Sustainable Communities Work Programme 2025-2026. The work programme sets out the panel's planned activities for the year, including the issues under review, the nature of the scrutiny, and the intended outcomes.