A local resident has highlighted her concerns regarding proposed boundaries changes and says that Merton Park is “intrinsically a part of Wimbledon geographically, socially and historically”.
A current proposal by The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) looks to have the Merton Park ward removed from Wimbledon and instead aligned with the Morden and Mitcham constituency.
The BCE has been asked by Parliament to redraw the current constituency map in order to rebalance the number of electors represented by each MP.
Pip Dawes, who has lived in Merton Park with her family for five years, decided to launch a petition opposing the plans in order to raise awareness and highlight the thoughts of the local community.
The change.org petition now stands at 829 signatures.
Pip told the Wimbledon Times: “We feel as though we are in Wimbledon and I think from a lot of people's perspective they feel as though they use the amenities of Wimbledon.
“Wimbledon town is where they do their shopping, their children attend schools, they use parks in Wimbledon, it's where they get the train…particularly with the elderly - it's their sort of lifeline.
“An MP is meant to be representing your voice in the constituency and we would see that suddenly our voice changes.
“Our needs in Merton Park are maybe a little different to those of Mitcham for example.
“Lots of people feel that we are losing the link historically with Wimbledon too, which I think we have so many ties to.
“It would be sad to lose that connection with Wimbledon.”
BCE has said that “constituency sizes currently vary widely due to population changes since the last boundary review”.
By law, every constituency that is proposed must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 Parliamentary electors.
The consultation on these new plans closes on December 5 and the BCE says it is “looking forward to hearing how we can improve our proposals before we make our final recommendations to Parliament”.
To take part in the official consultation and view the proposals visit bcereviews.org.uk and send in comments via the website (using the make a comment button), or by email or letter.
Councillor Edward Foley, Leader of the Merton Park Independent Group, told Wimbledon Times: “There have been hundreds of residents contacting me regarding the proposals from the Boundary Commission and the overwhelming majority of residents feel more attached to Wimbledon.
“Most seem to shop in Wimbledon more than Morden and socialise there as well.
“Merton Park has a strong community and united over 30 years ago when a trunk road was proposed to run through the heart of the ward and residents united as they didn’t want it.
“A local by-election enabled residents to elect an independent councillor, which was followed afterwards at the local elections with two more independents to give the residents a voice.
“Now the residents are pulling together and have been writing objecting and making it clear they wish to remain in the Wimbledon constituency.
“It seems illogical that the Boundary Commission have done a U-turn and Cannon Hill and Coombe which are further away from Wimbledon are to be included now.
Stephen Mercer, Councillor for Merton Park Ward Independent Residents extended on these points and wrote a submission to the Boundary Commission Proposals for Merton Park.
The letter reads: “The majority of Merton Park is in SW19 and much of the northern parts of the ward are five or ten minute walk from the centre of Wimbledon.
“The historical and cultural links are considerable and self-evident – Merton Park and Wimbledon were close neighbours before Morden town centre even came into existence. “Many residents feel more connected with Wimbledon; for many this is for the simple reason that it is their local centre and closer to them than Morden.
“This is the view that has been expressed vociferously to me by numerous residents.
“It is also remarkable that West Barnes, Raynes Park and Cannon Hill, which are all more distant from the heart of Wimbledon than Merton Park, should be remaining within Wimbledon instead of Merton Park.
“The more obvious solution is that both Coombe Vale and MP should remain in their existing constituencies.
“If this is not accepted, I suggest that MP has a greater and more established connection to Wimbledon than Cannon Hill, West Barnes and Wandle wards and should remain in Wimbledon in their stead.”
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