Greenwich was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected three councillors for a three-year term in 1964, 1967 and 1970.
The constituency was revised in 1973 and then elected one councillor for a four-year term in 1973, 1977 and 1981, with the final term extended for an extra year ahead of the abolition of the Greater London Council.
History
It was planned to use the same boundaries as the Westminster Parliament constituencies for election of councillors to the Greater London Council (GLC), as had been the practice for elections to the predecessor London County Council, but those that existed in 1965 crossed the Greater London boundary. Until new constituencies could be settled, the 32 London boroughs were used as electoral areas which therefore created a constituency called Greenwich.[1]
The Greenwich constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964,[3]1967[4] and 1970.[5] Three councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.[6]
1964 election
The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 155,361 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 73,727 people voting, the turnout was 47.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 153,327. One Labour Party and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 65,177 people voting, the turnout was 42.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
A by-election was held on 29 June 1967, following the resignation of Sheila Mary Bradley. The electorate was 153,327 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. With 65,177 voting, the turnout was 27.9%
The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 161,288 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 65,065 people voting, the turnout was 40.3%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
The Greenwich constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1973,[7]1977[8] and 1981.[9] One councillor was elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.[6]
1973 election
The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 52,423 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 38.9%. The councillor was elected for a three-year term. This was extended for an extra year in 1976 when the electoral cycle was switched to four-yearly.[10]
A by-election was held on 24 October 1974, following the death of Peggy Arline Middleton. The electorate was 52,893 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 22.4%.
The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 52,402 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 42.0%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.
The sixth and final election to the GLC (and third using revised boundaries) was held on 7 May 1981. The electorate was 51,706 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 44.0%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term, extended by an extra year by the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act 1984, ahead of the abolition of the council.
^British Information Services (1970). British Record: Political and Economic Notes. To date elections, normally fought on traditional party lines, have been based on the London boroughs, each borough returning two or more councillors; after 1973 there will be single member electoral areas based on parliamentary constituencies.
