Greater London Council election, 1970
Encyclopedia
The third election to the Greater London Council
was held on 9 April 1970 and saw a Conservative victory with a reduced majority. In addition to the 100 councillors, there were sixteen Aldermen who divided 11 Conservative and 5 Labour, so that the Conservatives actually had 76 seats to 40 for Labour following the election. The poll in Hammersmith
was delayed to 27 April due to the death of one of the Labour candidates. The original result for Harrow
turned out to have an enormous mistake and a recount was ordered on 20 April which did not alter the result in terms of those elected but did identify more than 25,000 votes which had been incorrectly recorded.
With an electorate of 5,524,384, there was a turnout of 35.2%. Labour recovered from its mauling three years previously, but did so primarily in working-class areas. Consequently, relatively few seats changed hands: Labour won back Camden
, Greenwich
, Hammersmith
, Wandsworth
, and one seat in Lambeth
. The results did enable Labour to take back control of the Inner London Education Authority
and were one of the factors used by Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
in deciding to call a general election
soon after.
Among those who were first elected to the GLC in 1970 were Tony Banks
(Labour, Hammersmith
, later Minister for Sport) and Sir George Young
(Conservative, Ealing
, later a cabinet minister under John Major
). The election is also significant as it was at a meeting in support of the Conservative candidates in Lambeth
that John Major met Norma Johnson
, who became his wife.
¹ These parties were created by a group of students standing in Haringey
, who declared that they intended to make a mockery of the election.
on 19 October 1972 after the death of Arthur Peacock. Labour retained Wandsworth
on 15 June 1972 after the death of Sir Norman Prichard. No seats were vacant at the end of the term.
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
was held on 9 April 1970 and saw a Conservative victory with a reduced majority. In addition to the 100 councillors, there were sixteen Aldermen who divided 11 Conservative and 5 Labour, so that the Conservatives actually had 76 seats to 40 for Labour following the election. The poll in Hammersmith
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
was delayed to 27 April due to the death of one of the Labour candidates. The original result for Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
turned out to have an enormous mistake and a recount was ordered on 20 April which did not alter the result in terms of those elected but did identify more than 25,000 votes which had been incorrectly recorded.
With an electorate of 5,524,384, there was a turnout of 35.2%. Labour recovered from its mauling three years previously, but did so primarily in working-class areas. Consequently, relatively few seats changed hands: Labour won back Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
, Hammersmith
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
, Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
, and one seat in Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
. The results did enable Labour to take back control of the Inner London Education Authority
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
and were one of the factors used by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
in deciding to call a general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
soon after.
Among those who were first elected to the GLC in 1970 were Tony Banks
Tony Banks, Baron Stratford
Anthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2005, before being made a Member of the House of Lords. In government, he served for two years as Minister for Sport...
(Labour, Hammersmith
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
, later Minister for Sport) and Sir George Young
Sir George Young, 6th Baronet
Sir George Samuel Knatchbull Young, 6th Baronet is a British politician. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, and has served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton before...
(Conservative, Ealing
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
, later a cabinet minister under John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
). The election is also significant as it was at a meeting in support of the Conservative candidates in Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
that John Major met Norma Johnson
Norma Major
Dame Norma Christina Elizabeth Major, DBE , is the wife of Sir John Major, the former British Prime Minister.-Biography:...
, who became his wife.
Results
| Greater London Council election, 1970 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Votes % | +/- | Candidates | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net Gain/Loss | |
| 971,227 | 50.6 | -2.1 | 100 | 65 | 17 | -17 | |||
| 766,272 | 39.9 | +5.9 | 100 | 35 | 17 | +17 | |||
| 103,838 | 5.4 | -3.4 | 100 | ||||||
| 33,869 | 1.8 | -1.3 | 40 | ||||||
| Homes before Roads Homes before Roads Homes before Roads was a 1970s political movement and campaign in the United Kingdom initially formed in London in 1970 to oppose plans to construct a system of four interlinked concentric motorways through and around London, known as Ringways... |
23,854 | 1.2 | 85 | ||||||
| 10,432 | 0.6 | +0.2 | 32 | ||||||
| 6,450 | 0.3 | 9 | |||||||
| 1,656 | 0.1 | -0.1 | 14 | ||||||
| 1,250 | 0.1 | 1 | |||||||
| John Hampden New Freedom Party | 552 | 0.0 | -0.0 | 1 | |||||
| New Liberal Party | 438 | 0.0 | 3 | ||||||
| Movement for People's Democracy | 405 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||
| All Night Party / Bread and Circuses Party / Campaign for Non-Political Social Awareness ¹ | 177 | 0.0 | 5 | ||||||
¹ These parties were created by a group of students standing in Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, who declared that they intended to make a mockery of the election.
By-elections 1970-1973
No seats changed hands in byelections during this term. The Conservatives retained Kensington and Chelsea on 2 December 1971 after the death of Seton Forbes-Cockell, and BarnetLondon Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
on 19 October 1972 after the death of Arthur Peacock. Labour retained Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
on 15 June 1972 after the death of Sir Norman Prichard. No seats were vacant at the end of the term.