Kingston upon Thames was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected two 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 Kingston upon Thames.[1]

The new constituencies were settled following the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and the electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Kingston upon Thames and Surbiton. The new Kingston upon Thames electoral division matched the boundaries of the Kingston upon Thames parliamentary constituency.[2]

First series

Kingston upon Thames
Former electoral division
for the Greater London Council
Kingston upon Thames electoral division boundaries
DistrictLondon Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Population143,670 (1969 estimate)
Electorate
  • 102,862 (1964)
  • 101,890 (1967)
  • 107,147 (1970)
Area9,279.1 acres (37.551 km2)
Former electoral division
Created1965
Abolished1973
Member(s)2
Replaced byKingston upon Thames and Surbiton

The Kingston upon Thames constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964,[3] 1967[4] and 1970.[5] Two 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 102,862 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 51,570 people voting, the turnout was 50.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 26,252
Conservative Geoffrey John David Seaton 25,868
Labour E. K. Leggett 16,411
Labour C. Lesser 16,068
Liberal J. P. Farmer 6,788
Liberal A. M. Hollis 6,705
Communist D. E. Wilson 1,039
Union Movement A. J. C. Murray 944
Turnout
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 101,890 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 45,924 people voting, the turnout was 45.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey John David Seaton 29,657
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 29,646
Labour E. K. Leggett 11,251
Labour T. Braddock 11,251
Liberal J. R. Pledger 3,692
Liberal D. B. Terry 3,470
Communist D. E. Wilson 925
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 107,147 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 40,171 people voting, the turnout was 37.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 26,269
Conservative Geoffrey John David Seaton 26,075
Labour R. Kerr-Waller 9,833
Labour T. Mitchell 9,251
Liberal M. Freedman 2,962
Liberal G. D. Bell 2,736
Independent E. Scruby 1,065
Communist D. E. Wilson 438
Homes before Roads B. Hughes 220
Union Movement J. R. McLaren 159
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Second series

Kingston upon Thames
Former electoral division
for the Greater London Council
DistrictKingston upon Thames
Electorate
  • 59,496 (1973)
  • 57,880 (1977)
  • 56,824 (1981)
Area1,849 hectares (18.49 km2)
Former electoral division
Created1973
Abolished1986
Member(s)1
Created fromKingston upon Thames

The Kingston upon Thames 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 59,496 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 39.0%. 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]

1973 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 12,145
Labour P. W. Lane 6,855
Liberal L. F. Wells 4,224
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

1977 election

The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 57,880 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 43.9%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 16,568
Labour A. M. Barker 4,615
Liberal J. Bodden 3,126
National Front D. M. Foster 700
Communist D. E. Wilson 211
GLC Abolitionist Campaign P. E. L. M. Russell 199
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

1981 election

The sixth and final election to the GLC (and third using revised boundaries) was held on 7 May 1981. The electorate was 56,824 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 42.4%. 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.

1981 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney William Leonard Ripley 11,551
Labour Stuart H. J. Hercock 5,739
Liberal Stephen J. Harris 4,894
SDP Anthony M. Ward 1,544
Ecology Mike Elam 355
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Kingston upon Thames". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 12 April 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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