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Welcome from Hannah Doody, Chief Executive
Video transcript
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to find out a little bit more about working at the London Borough of Merton.
There are so many reasons to join us as we embark on our journey to build a better Merton with our residents and become London's borough of sport.
We have a new, ambitious council plan that will put us on a truly transformational journey over the coming years.
Among our targets are creating a more sustainable Merton, by building the first new council homes in four decades and launching regeneration plans for Morden town centre.
We also aim to become the most EV friendly borough, with a huge programme on the way to improve our vehicle charging infrastructure.
We will be transforming our high streets to generate a real sense of community and pride in our local towns including a one million fund to improve the street scene and a two million fund to support local community groups.
And to ensure we're fit for purpose to deliver those ambitions we are launching Merton United, a major transformation programme to ensure we have the right internal practices to empower staff to get things done.
We're building a new, exciting culture with new approaches to improve equality and diversity, and a development programme to help build your skills for the future.
And of course we're a London Living Wage employer meaning everybody working at Merton gets a fair wage for a fair day's work.
There couldn't be a better time to join us.
I hope you find your future with us here at Merton.
Discover your future
Merton is the employer of choice for those looking to further their career in public services.
Our culture is one of staff empowerment to deliver real improvements for the communities we serve and on clear career development. Together we want to build a better Merton.
We offer access to the local government pension scheme, one of the most generous in the UK; 27.5 days paid holiday, rising to 32.5 days after five years of service; flexible working; and a first-class staff development programme.
We are, as you would expect, proud to be an equal opportunities employer and have committed to paying the London Living Wage to all our staff and contractors to ensure a fair wage for everyone working for us.
A clear vision for the future
Merton is London’s foremost hidden gem. And we have an ambitious plan to put Merton on the map and help make the lives of our residents even better.
This vision is centred on three key areas: nurturing civic pride; building a sustainable Merton; and becoming London’s Borough of Sport.
Civic pride
We want our residents to feel proud of their local area, connected to their community and get involved in making Merton an even better place to live, work and visit. This means clean, safe, welcoming streets; giving children the best start in life; supporting businesses and attracting new talent; and a better and fairer local economy for everyone.
We’ve already created more funding to support community groups; we’re investing more than £1m into our high streets; and our cost of living support has helped thousands of residents.
Creating a sustainable Merton
We want our borough to be greener and stronger for the future. This means building more housing; taking action against climate change; and more health and wellbeing support for our communities.
Recently, we introduced an ebike scheme and have planted thousands of young trees across the borough. We are installing 500 more EV charging points; and we have exciting plans to build 400 affordable, eco-friendly homes, and transform Morden into London's greenest town centre.
Borough of Sport
We are establishing Merton as London’s Borough of Sport. Capitalising on the borough’s unrivalled sporting heritage, which includes Wimbledon Tennis Club; AFC Wimbledon; Mitcham Cricket Club – home to the country's oldest continuously used cricket pitch in the world; and Canons House, in Mitcham, which boasts a newly restored running track built for the 1920s London Olympics. We also have some of the finest green spaces and parks in London as well as a wealth of grassroots clubs and sporting organisations.
We’re pledging that this sporting legacy will be the platform upon which the majority of our residents are able to undertake healthy, active lives. That more residents have access to sport and wellbeing activities. And that we will invest in more sporting infrastructure.
This vision is already making waves across the capital: in 2023 we held London’s largest community sports day, which saw 5,000 people try a new sport or activity; and we’re creating a significant sports grant to help grassroots clubs keep growing.
Read Building a Better Merton Together, our council plan for 2023-26.
Family-friendly policies and flexible benefits
We offer a full range of employment benefits to ensure every member of staff feels valued and able to progress:
- membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
- wide range of professional development programmes available to enhance your career
- flexible working
- generous leave entitlement
- parental leave and shared parental leave schemes
- employee assistance programme (EAP) - free access for you and your family to expert advice and guidance on major life events, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year
- range of lunchtime exercise classes
- discounted membership to our leisure centres
- wellbeing programme - wellbeing champions and mental health support
- occupational health service to help keep you healthy and safe at work
- contribution towards eye test and glasses for display screen equipment (DSE) users
- regular walking ‘step count’ challenge
- Kaarp employee discount scheme - range of leisure activities, from days out to magazine subscriptions, as well as hair and beauty treatments, entertainment events and discounts at local restaurants
- interest-free season ticket loan for public transport
- cycle to work scheme
- adult cycle training
- running club
- discounts on selected adult learning courses
Diversity and inclusion
We’re dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and heard.
We believe our teams should reflect the rich and diverse community of Merton and we are committed to making this a reality.
We know we need more Black, Asian, and Global Majority people higher up in our organisation to make our leadership here at Merton more diverse.
To strengthen this commitment, our interview panels for roles that are Management Grade A and above are ethnically representative. To do this we work with our Race Equality Network staff group – and others widely in the Merton family - to ensure a diverse and inclusive recruitment panel.
We encourage applicants from underrepresented groups, including those from Black and Global Majority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities, reflecting our dedication as a disability-confident employer.
Our dedication to equality extends well beyond recruitment. We take pride in having six vibrant staff networks that provide a supportive community and help foster a culture of inclusivity.
- Pride Network - LGBTQIA+
- The Race Equality Network (REN)
- Women’s Staff Network
- Disabled Employees Network
- Muslim Faith Network
- Merton Staff Christian Fellowship
It goes without saying: Merton adheres to a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment. We have a strong equality, diversity and inclusion policy to enforce this.
Please also have a look at our Gender Pay Gap Report here to see how we are working to address gender pay disparities here at the council.
Structure
The council compromises six directorates:
Adult Social Care, Integrated Care and Public Health
Adult social care, integrated care systems, adult safeguarding, adult commissioning, provider services, Mascot Telecare and public health.
Children, Lifelong Learning and Families
Children’s social care, child protection, youth offending, schooling, jobs and skills, apprenticeships, lifelong learning and education for all ages.
Environment, Civic Pride and Climate
Facilities, waste, licensing and enforcement including trading standards, fly-tipping, public and green spaces, traffic, highways and parking, emergency planning, civic pride, Borough of Sport, climate change, libraries and community hubs and community development.
Finance and Digital
Finance, accounting and reporting, financial investment and strategy, treasury, Section 151 duties, procurement and digital and connectivity.
Housing and Sustainable Development
Regeneration, growth, major projects, strategic planning, strategic transport planning, innovation and asset management, planning consents and approvals, building control, all property – schools, commercial, housing policy and strategy, liaison with Clarion Housing, and homelessness.
Innovation and Change
Customer experience, policy and strategy, democratic services, corporate and business planning, communications, Monitoring Officer, values, professionalism and all enabling services including legal, governance, registry, secretariat and human resources.