Merton ranks among top UK councils for climate action

Climate Emergency UK published its second Council Climate Action Scorecard on 23 June, 2025. The scorecard which placed the London Borough of Merton in joint-third position out of 198 authorities with a score of 67%, significantly ahead of the UK average of 38%. For this particular scorecard, Merton also came first in the Planning & Land Use category which indicates that they scored the highest out of all authorities in that specific area. Furthermore, this result showcases an improvement from Merton’s initial scorecard performance along with growing recognition for undertaking positive environmental action within the borough.

The scorecards

The scorecards assess council performance across six equally weighted themes, which are governance, emissions reduction, adaptation, planning and land use, procurement and community engagement. Each theme is judged on policy commitments, spending allocations and programme delivery to evaluate the strength of its underlying framework.

With an overall score of 67%, Merton achieved 85 % in Planning and Land Use by enforcing tree preservation orders on more than 90 % of urban woodland, requiring biodiversity net gain on all major planning applications and introducing green infrastructure plans across the borough that meet strict sustainability standards.

Community-led initiative projects

Last week in London, Merton Council worked with the community to hold participatory sessions in Mitcham, Morden and Wimbledon. Volunteers at the Mitcham repair café taught visitors how to fix broken household items for two days which resulted in more than 2 tonnes of waste being saved from landfills. At a composting cooperative in Wimbledon Park, where initial funding of £10,000 was provided, turned kitchen waste into soil which is now used by the community allotments and reduced garden-waste collection by 75% on participating streets. Residents and students also helped plant over 200 saplings in Morden Park that aligned with a five year project aimed at increasing tree canopy cover by 15%.

Implementation of policies

During the ceremony in Morden Park, Councillor Joanne Smith, cabinet member for sustainable communities, enthusiastically welcomed the scorecard findings. She mentioned the launch last year of a borough-wide hybrid policy which requires all new housing or commercial developments to include green roofs or rain gardens. “Placing climate at the very heart of our planning choices not only helps biodiversity but also delivers long-term benefits to residents in terms of cleaner air, reduced flood risk and enhanced health gains,” she explained. Dr Samuel Ngoma, Planning Head, added that the council has begun actively updating existing tree-preservation orders to reflect modern environmental priorities.

Measures implementation and emissions reduction

In alignment with the planned reforms, Merton has simultaneously focused on spending to reduce climate carbon emissions alongside construction of social homes. These efforts included providing energy-efficient renovations in over 300 social homes which yielded an average savings of 20% on household fuel energy consumption and reduced fuel poverty. Municipal LED streetlight replacements are projected to yield a 30% reduction in energy use by the municipality over the following five years.

As part of its adaptation work, the council tested rain-garden planting in flood-prone areas such as Raynes Park. These installations help capture rainwater through new surface channels during periods of intense summer rainfall, easing pressure on the drainage system and reducing reliance on.

Merton has also taken steps to promote car‑free travel among its own workforce. The council now offers a salary‑sacrifice scheme for season‑ticket loans and e‑bike hire, alongside secure cycle parking and showers at its main offices. Notably, the staff are encouraged to work from home where possible, and a car‑share platform links employees travelling similar routes. Since launching these measures in January 2024, commuter car trips by council staff have fallen by over 25%, helping reduce emissions and easing pressure on local parking

Continuing challenges

In spite of these advances, the scorecards point to areas for improvement. Transport emissions remain over target across most wards, with on-street vehicle charging provision still in its infancy. Privately owned older housing remains poorly insulated, and engagement with owner-occupiers and landlords around retrofit incentives has been more protracted than anticipated. Dr Ngoma added, “Our second challenge is to extend our grant schemes to private dwellings and increase the provision of electric-vehicle charging points on residential streets.”

Next year and beyond

Merton Council has set out a blueprint for next year, promising to expand its retrofit grant scheme to cover owner‑occupied homes and introduce a transport strategy by autumn 2025. It will detail proposals for more cycle‑lane miles, increased car‑club bays and new low‑traffic zones. The council further pledged to revamp its Climate Action Grant guidelines to finance fresh community proposals and establish an annual summit for residents to guide future interventions.

How to get involved

Residents who would like to contribute to making Merton more climate-friendly can apply for the Climate Action Grant, book a free home-visit recycling and energy check, or participate in volunteer tree-planting and repair-café sessions via the Merton Council Newsroom at merton.gov.uk/news. Schedules of events and updates are also available on the council’s Twitter account, @LBofMerton.