Paddington (electoral division)

Paddington
Paddington
Former electoral division; for the Greater London Council
	Paddington electoral division boundaries
District	Westminster
Electorate	60,436 (1973); 56,406 (1977); 54,168 (1981); 53,700 (1984);
Major settlements	Paddington
Area	521 hectares (5.21 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Westminster and the City of London

Paddington was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency 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. Ken Livingstone, the leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 to 1986, was elected from the division in 1981 and at a by-election in 1984.

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. The City of Westminster was joined with the City of London for this purpose, creating a constituency called Westminster and the City of London. This was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, 1967 and 1970.

The new constituencies were settled following the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and the new electoral division matched the boundaries of the Paddington parliamentary constituency.^[1]

The area was in a long-term period of population decline that was yet to reverse. The electorate reduced from 60,436 in 1973 to 53,700 in 1984. It covered an area of 521 hectares (5.21 km²).

Elections

The Paddington constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1973,^[2] 1977^[3] and 1981.^[4] One councillor was elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.^[5] Ken Livingstone, who was elected from the constituency in 1981, was Leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 to 1986. He was previously elected to represent Norwood in 1973 and Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977.

1973 election

The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 60,436 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 33.1%. 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.^[6]

1973 Greater London Council election: Paddington
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	J. Merriton	11,085
	Conservative	H. H. Sandford	7,101
	Liberal	J. H. Gover	1,609
	Independent	D. J. B. Morgan	172
Turnout
	Labour win (new seat)

1977 election

The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 56,406 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 39.7%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Paddington
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	P. M. Kirwan	11,437
	Labour	J. Merriton	8,990
	National Front	R. A. Martin	879
	Liberal	Z. G. Kronbergs	712
	GLC Abolitionist Campaign	H. M. Lye	284
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		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 54,168 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 43.8%. 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: Paddington
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Kenneth Robert Livingstone	11,864
	Conservative	Patricia Mary Kirwan	8,467
	Social Democratic Alliance	James Spillius	1,845
	Liberal	Alastair John Brett	1,135
	National Front	William T. Acton	237
	Save London Action Group	David P. Green	109
Turnout
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

1984 by-election

A by-election was held on 20 September 1984, following the resignation of Ken Livingstone. The by-election coincided with others in Edmonton, Hayes and Harlington and Lewisham West.

The electorate was 53,700 and one Labour Party councillor was elected.^[7] The turnout was 29.6%.^[8]

Paddington by-election, 1984
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Kenneth Robert Livingstone	12,414
	Liberal	Stephen J Harris	2,729
	Conservative, Anti-Common Market	R. Simmerson	287
	Abolish the GLC	S. Banks	226
	National Front	Roger L Denny	123
	Reform schools	G. Clerick	55
	Gaitskellite Labour	P. Nealton	45
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing

References

^ "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 12 April 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
^ Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Cities of London and Westminster". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
^ "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
^ "Appendix B By-elections for Greater London councillors, May 1981 to May 1986" (PDF). London Datastore. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
^ Clayton, Hugh (21 September 1984). "Livingstone poll win denounced as 'stunt'". The Times. No. 61942. London, England.

[1] "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

[2] "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 12 April 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.

[3] "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.

[4] "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.

[5] Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Cities of London and Westminster". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

[6] "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 25 July 2023.

[7] "Appendix B By-elections for Greater London councillors, May 1981 to May 1986" (PDF). London Datastore. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

[8] Clayton, Hugh (21 September 1984). "Livingstone poll win denounced as 'stunt'". The Times. No. 61942. London, England.

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v t e Greater London Council
Elections	1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 By-elections
Members	Chairmen Committee chairs Members
Leaderships	Bill Fiske Desmond Plummer Reg Goodwin Horace Cutler Ken Livingstone
Electoral divisions (1965–1973)	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster and the City of London
Electoral divisions (1973–1986)	Acton Barking Battersea North Battersea South Beckenham Bermondsey Bethnal Green and Bow Bexleyheath Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Deptford Dulwich Ealing North Edmonton Enfield North Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney Central Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith North Hampstead Harrow Central Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras South Hornchurch Hornsey Ilford North Ilford South Islington Central Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Central Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Orpington Paddington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond Romford Ruislip-Northwood St Marylebone St Pancras North Sidcup Southall Southgate Stepney and Poplar Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Wimbledon Wood Green Woolwich East Woolwich West
Relevant legislation	London Government Act 1963 London Cab Act 1968 Port of London Act 1970 Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1972 London Cab Act 1973 Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1974 London Regional Transport Act 1984 London Regional Transport (Amendment) Act 1985 Local Government Act 1985
Other topics	County Hall Inner London Education Authority London Transport Executive