A group has been set up specifically to deal with how Brexit will impact Merton, but for now, what has been discussed has been kept silent.

Since November 2018, the 15-member 'Brexit Task Group' has met for five separate one hour meetings.

When asked what the purpose of the group was, a spokeswoman for Merton Council said: “At a cabinet meeting on November 12, 2018 councillors agreed, that as a businesslike council, we would set up a Brexit Task Group to maintain an up-to-date account of the risks related to the country’s exit from the EU, and identify any actions that may need to be taken to mitigate the impact on the borough and its residents.

"The group includes representatives from all the council’s four departments.

"The group has enabled the council to strengthen its resilience, and develop contingency plans, in the event of Brexit, for important areas such as the impact on the workforce, community cohesion, funding and legislation.”

But when a Freedom of Information request was sent by the Wimbledon Times, asking for details of what was discussed at those meetings, it was rejected.

"This information is exempt under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act," a message from the council's FOI team read.

"This exempts information from disclosure where that information is intended for publication at a future date.

"The information requested will form part of an update report to cabinet on the council's Brexit preparations. This will be published in the normal way on the council’s website."

The council's spokeswoman also added that the Brexit Task Force is to report on its work at a forthcoming cabinet meeting.