Merton Council Meetings Cancelled As Virus Panedmic Takes Hold


Few meetings to take place as decisions will fall to council officers

Merton Civic Centre

Decision making in Merton is set to change as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold in London.

 

Most council meetings that were set to take place have been cancelled until May 20, exceptions are planning and cabinet meetings.

 

Decisions which are usually made by committees made up of councillors will instead fall to council officers.

 

A report on this is set to go to the council’s cabinet on Monday (March 23) – one of the only meetings scheduled for the next few weeks.

 

It said: “Although the council will be focussing on keep essential services going and supporting the most vulnerable in our community, it is important the normal administration of the council is able to continue in the interim in order to promote good governance and to ensure that the council is prepared to act swiftly once the country moves into recovery phase.”

 

But as meetings will not be held in public there is the question of transparency of council decisions.

 

The council assures that all decisions made in this time will be published on the council’s website.

 

This report will be discussed by councillors at cabinet on Monday, March 23 at Merton Civic Centre from 7.15pm.

By Tara O'Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

March 21, 2020