The Merton Council cabinet met to discuss financial monitoring, regeneration projects, and strategies for electric vehicle charging and sexual health services. They approved recommendations for the 2026-30 budget, the Morden regeneration programme, and the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy, among other items. The cabinet also considered a recommendation from the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel regarding Clarion Housing¹ and addressed concerns about land use at Cannizaro Park.

Financial Monitoring Report

The cabinet reviewed the Period 3 Financial Monitoring Report, which included financial data for period 3, and noted a forecast £6.530m unfavourable variance, including corporate and funding items. They approved amended adjustments to the programme outlined in appendices 3, 3i, and 3ii of the Updated Period 3 Report. The cabinet approved the following:

• Release of £259,445 from housing reserves for the Housing Delivery Programme.
• Release of £171,573 from housing reserves for the Morden Regeneration Project.
• Release of £1.1m from the balancing budget reserve to the Environment, Civic Pride and Climate directorate for a Parks & Greenspaces contract extension.
• Release of £216,411 from strategic priority reserves to meet cost-of-living commitments.
• Release of £147,398 from the Early Years reserve to fund the wraparound programme in the Children Lifelong Learning and Families directorate.
• Delegated authority to the Executive Director for Adult Social Care, Integrated Care and Public Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Health & Social Care, to finalise terms for the s75 Agreement for Better Care Funded Services between the council and the SWL ICB² for 2025/26.

Budget 2026/27 and MTFS 2026-30

The cabinet discussed the approach to rolling forward the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2026-30 and agreed to the timetable for the financial management cycle, including the revenue budget for 2025/27, the MTFS for 2026-30, and the capital programme for 2026-30. They also noted the council's response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation paper.

The report CLT LSG Budget 2026-27 and MTFS 2026-29 VERSION FOR PUBLICATION noted that the council was required to set a balanced budget for 2026/27, and that the initial phase of the business planning process was to re-price the MTFS and roll it forward for an additional year.

The report noted that the MTFS agreed by the council in February 2025 included 2% for pay awards from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and that each 1% of pay inflation costs c. £1.3m. It also noted that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.8% in the 12 months to July 2025, and that it was proposed to increase the provision for price inflation to 3% in 2026/27.

The report also noted that the government's Core Spending Power projections over the three year forecast period assume that council tax will increase by 5% per annum, and that a 1% council tax increase will raise approximately £1.3m.

The report noted that the council had submitted a response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation paper, and that based on current London Councils projections, most London boroughs (two-thirds) are expected to receive a lower share of funding under the new formulae.

Morden Town Centre Regeneration

The cabinet approved the reset of the Morden regeneration programme, with the council taking the lead in enabling the regeneration of Morden Town Centre. They authorised the Executive Director for Housing and Sustainable Development to prepare a procurement process to seek a development partner to deliver the council’s vision and objectives for the town centre, and agreed to the key outcomes and objectives the council is seeking to achieve for the future of Morden Town Centre, as set out in paras 4.10-4.15 of the Cabinet report - Morden Town Centre - 22nd Sept 2025 - FINAL.

The report noted that a further report setting out the approach to procuring a development partner will be presented to cabinet prior to launching the procurement process.

The council's vision for Morden is of a bustling town centre, filled with a mix of quality independent and national outlets, and more of the businesses and facilities residents want and need on their doorsteps such as a gym and a cinema.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy and Action Plan

The cabinet agreed to adopt the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030, as detailed in the Cabinet 22nd Sept 2025EVCIStrategyfinal. They also delegated authority to the Executive Director for Environment, Civic Pride & Climate, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport and Cleaner Streets, Councillor Stuart Neaverson, to make minor amendments to the strategy and action plan.

The strategy sets out Merton's vision for EVs as part of a sustainable transport network and sets out four strategic principles that will ensure the council will deliver EV charging infrastructure that is comprehensive, sustainable, affordable and accessible.

The strategy examines future demand projections for numbers of EVs and EVCPs and estimates that a total of at least 1700 residential on-street chargepoints will be required by 2030 to meet demand.

The strategy also sets out policies and actions to support home charging whilst preserving highway safety and protecting pedestrians, and includes a clear policy that does not support the use of cross pavement charging solutions³.

Land at Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon

The cabinet considered representations regarding the proposed disposal of an area of land at Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, as detailed in the Land at Canizaro Park Wimbledon Cabinet 22 Sept 2025 12-09 report. They noted that the subject land does not fulfil requirements as an operational site and is therefore surplus, as it has not been maintained by the service for many years.

The report noted that the council had been approached by the adjoining landowner of the Subject Land with a request to acquire the Subject Land.

The report noted that the Subject Land has not been used by the council for some time (allegedly 40+ years, although disputed), and that the council's Greenspaces team have confirmed that the Subject Land may have historically been used as an access to the park, but do not consider the Subject Land as suitable for that purpose at this time or in the immediate future due to size restraints for vehicle access and the availability of current alternative access points available to the park.

Procurement of Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) service

The cabinet approved Merton Local Authority’s procurement of a new contract for Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) Services for a contract term of 5.5 years with option for a contract extension of up to 5 years, as detailed in the FINAL LSG and Cabinet ISH service procurement Gateway 1 Report updated 11.09.2025.

The cabinet approved Merton’s inclusion in a four-borough collaborative approach to commissioning the Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) Service along with the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Sutton, and Richmond upon Thames, with Wandsworth taking on the lead authority role for the procurement, and approved procurement of the ISH service using the Most Suitable Provider process under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations.

The cabinet also approved the Local Authority’s financial commitment to the Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) Service for Merton residents as detailed in appendix 1 section 1 of the report, and delegated authority to award the contract and any subsequent contract extensions arising from this procurement exercise to the Executive Director for Adult Social Care, Integrated Care & Public Health, in consultation with the Lead Member for Health & Social Care, Councillor Peter McCabe.

Recommendation from the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel - Clarion Housing

The cabinet received, considered, and responded to a recommendation from the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel that requests that cabinet “Calls on Clarion to introduce a formal ambassador scheme for estates which don’t have tenant or resident associations."

The Report250903SustainableCommunitiesScrutinyrecommendationtoCabinetREVISEDFINAL noted that Clarion Housing was invited to attend the Sustainable Communities Overview & Scrutiny Panel meeting, and that the Committee received a presentation from Clarion Housing a broad range of services they provide. The report noted that the recommendation objective is to ensure that Clarion Housing have a strong relationship with their residents with the creation of ambassador style roles ensuring all Clarion residents have the opportunity to engage directly with their landlord where there is no existing tenant or resident association.

2024-25 -Treasury Management Strategy Annual Review

The cabinet noted the update on the Merton Treasury management activity during 2024-2025, as detailed in the Merton Treasury Management Strategy Annual Review -2024-25- New format 080925. The report also detailed any differences in activities from the Treasury management strategy approved in March 2024.

The report noted that during 2024/25, the Authority complied with its legislative and regulatory requirements, and that in May 2025 Merton Council's treasury advisors Link Group became part of MUFG Pension & Market Services, and that the new trade name is MUFG Corporate Markets.