PRESS RELEASE: Insult to Democracy - More Cuts to Merton Council Budget without Consultation!

23 February 2018

As Merton Council prepares to set their budget for the year, local Deaf and Disabled people are angry at not being consulted on plans to cut another £2.2 million from the adult social care budget. This includes cuts to support to live independently, and changes to support to get out and about. Worryingly, the budget also includes plans to increase Council income through charges for social care for Disabled people and older people.

We are looking for a new Policy and Strategy Manager - Extended

29 January 2018

Take the lead on influencing policy-makers through user voice, to improve the lives of Deaf and Disabled people in Merton

We are looking for a new Project and Evaluation Manager (Hate Crime)

26 January 2018

Exciting new role managing our pan-London Deaf and Disabled People's Hate Crime Prevention Partnership and leading on peer evaluation.

Christmas Opening Hours

14 December 2017

We will shut from 3pm on Friday 22nd December 2017 and re open at 9am on Tuesday 2nd January 2018.

Thank you to everyone who took part in Hate Crime Awareness Week 2017

10 November 2017

As part of our work with local partners to raise awareness of Hate Crime and increasing support to address hate crime, our staff and volunteers took part in Hate Crime Awareness Week in October. We travelled around the borough with the police Reassurance Bus and some of their Safer Neighbourhood teams. We hung out with Victim Support and our CEO spoke at the launch of the week (you can read the full speech below). Thank you to everyone who took leaflets, stopped and talked to us, and to everyone who filled in our survey about how to support people to report hate crime.

New strategy launched at Merton CIL AGM

31 October 2017

Merton CIL would like to thank all our members and supporters who came to our AGM on 30th October 2017. A total of 60 people came along to show their support. We also launched our brand new stratergy which was developed with the help of our members, volunteers, service users trustees and staff

Have a read of the Independence issue of our CIL Matters Newsletter

23 October 2017

We have had loads of contributions from our members and supporters this month talking about what independence means to them, and there are more opportunities for you to get involved too. We would also like to personally invite our supporters and members to our next Annual General Meeting on 30th October from 11am to 1pm at Vestry Hall. We are really looking forward to presenting our new 2018-23 strategy to you all, which has been developed with our members and supporters over the past year.

We Support National Hate Crime Awareness Week

13 October 2017

Merton CIL want people to come forward and report hate crime. However, hate crimes against disabled people are almost all under the radar. We are supporting National Hate Crime Awareness Week to help make more people aware of hate crime and hate incidents, and find out how to report it and stop it.

Helping Disabled People Speak Up About the Regeneration of Eastfields, High Path and Ravensbury Estates

05 October 2017

Merton Centre for Independent Living (Merton CIL) are doing some work with Clarion Housing Group (formerly Circle Housing) to support their disabled residents to speak up throughout the regeneration process of the Eastfields, High Path and Ravensbury Estates. Merton CIL are supporting Clarion to hear from and consider the needs of disabled residents throughout the process. This includes people from across the full spectrum of Disability and includes disabled community language speakers and Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users.

Thousands of Disabled People in Merton are Being Unfairly Denied PIP

25 September 2017

Merton Centre for Independent Living research has shown that over 2500 Disabled People have already been denied PIP or had their benefit reduced, and thousands more are at risk.