![\"Voters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-voting-8.jpg\")
\t\tCity AM previews the election night in store for Merton\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tThursday 23 April 2026 2:45 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tWednesday 22 April 2026 3:03 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tCity AM previews the election night in store for Merton\t<\/p>\n
The Lib Dems\u2019 serve up a \u201cGail\u2019s strategy\u201d to try and ace the vote in Wimbledon\u2019s borough, where calls for affordable homes are rallying support and a local resident\u2019s group has won seats.<\/p>\n
In Merton, home of the Wimbledon Championships, the Liberal Democrats have their best chance of smashing an ace past the Labour incumbents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Labour won 31 seats in this south London borough in 2022 but it was the Lib Dems who made gains, tallying 17 seats and overtaking the Tories to become Merton\u2019s official opposition for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lib Dems and Labour have each since lost one councillor apiece, but veteran pollster Lord Hayward is betting on yellow, as he tips Ed Davey\u2019s party to mount his most significant challenge to Keir Starmer in this corner of south London.<\/p>\n
Lib Dems eye Gail\u2019s strategy<\/p>\n
The Liberal Democrat will be hoping to repeat their 2024 general election strategy, when they famously targeted areas that feature a Gail\u2019s \u2013 with the upmarket bakery chain having become a synonym for middle-class middle England.<\/p>\n
The borough of Merton, according to City AM\u2019s analysis, counts at least two Gail\u2019s, and so the Lib Dems may be in luck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other than pricey pastries, Davey\u2019s party are taking the fight to Labour over affordable homes \u2013 a common battleground in London\u2019s local elections this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\t\t\tLondon Local Elections 2026: Who will win in Ealing?<\/a><\/p>\n Merton\u2019s Liberal Democrats are accusing the local Labour party of hypocrisy for allegedly spending \u00a3230,000 of public money on renovating council offices while failing to build the 400 affordable homes they supposedly promised.<\/p>\n Paul Kohler won Wimbledon\u2019s seat in parliament\u00a0 for the Lib Dems at the general election. He has been hitting the streets to turn Merton yellow at the local level.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents\u2019 Association controls one ward<\/p>\n One unique aspect of Merton\u2019s local election is a peculiar shade of purple on its ward map, which clashes notably with Lib Dem yellow. It represents the Merton Park Residents\u2019 Association, which has held every seat in its home ward since its creation, though it was reduced to two seats last time around.\u00a0<\/p>\n The association began as a \u201cnot in my backyard\u201d style lobby group, opposing the destruction of a row of Victorian houses, when there were proposals to extend a motorway across a conservation area. But it diversified from these NIMBY origins to campaign for the redevelopment of a local hospital and the regeneration of Merton town centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n It would be an upset if the Lib Dems were to pinch a Merton Park seat or two from the purple brigade, but the bookies suggest they may do fine without them.<\/p>\n City AM is previewing local election votes taking place in every London borough. Click here<\/a> for a full overview of May 7.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n