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London Electricity Board

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London Electricity
IndustryElectricity
Founded1948
Defunct1998
FateAcquired
SuccessorEDF Energy
HeadquartersLondon, UK

The London Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for the supply and distribution of electricity to domestic, commercial and industrial consumers in London prior to 1990. It also sold and made available for hire and hire-purchase domestic electrical appliances through local showrooms where electricity bills could also be paid. It was shortened to LEB in its green and blue logo, consisting of the three letters. As London Electricity plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

History

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The board was formed as the London Electricity Board on 1 April 1948 as part of the nationalisation of the electricity industry by the Electricity Act 1947. The LEB was privatised in 1990 under the Electricity Act 1989, as London Electricity plc.

The company was acquired by Entergy, a US company, in 1996 and then by Électricité de France in November 1998.[1] It then traded under the name EDF Energy Networks as did the South Eastern and Eastern distribution companies also owned by EDF, until EDF sold them all under the name UK Power Networks to Hong Kong based investors in 2010.

Notable employees of the business include former prime minister John Major[2] and the former archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey.[3]

Chairmen of the LEB

  • 1948–1956, Henry John Randall (born 30 December 1894 London, died 5 May 1967 Buckinghamshire), previously managing director of the City of London Electric Lighting Company.[4]
  • 1956–1968, David Blair Irving (born 9 November 1903, died 9 June 1986)[4]
  • 1968–1972, Wilfrid David Drysdale Fenton (born 27 March 1908, died 4 May 1985)[4]
  • 1972–1976, Owen Francis (born 4 October 1912, died 26 July 2005)[4]
  • 1976–1981, Alan Plumpton (born 24 November 1926)[4]
  • 1981–1986, David G Jefferies[5]
  • 1986–1990, John Wilson[5]

Other members of the board were: Deputy Chairman C.G. Moss (1964, 1967), Full-time member C.A.F. Beaumont (1964, 1967).

Customers

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The total number of customers supplied by the board were:[5][6]

London Electricity Board customers, 1948–89
Year 1948/9 1960/1 1965/6 1970/1 1975/6 1978/9 1980/1 1985/6 1987/8 1988/9
No. of customers, 1,000s 1482 1787 1848 1849 1844 1872 1787 1849 1887 1909

Electricity sales

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The amount of electricity sold, in GWh, by the LEB over its operational life was as follows:[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ London Electricity goes to France BBC News, 30 November 1998
  2. ^ John Major (1999). John Major: The Autobiography. Harper Collins. p. 30.
  3. ^ "Dr Rowan Williams 104th Archbishop of Canterbury - The Archbishops from Augustine to Williams"
  4. ^ a b c d e Who was Who
  5. ^ a b c d LEB Annual Reports
  6. ^ a b The Electricity Council (1990). Handbook of Electricity Supply Statistics. London: The Electricity Council. p. 56. ISBN 085188122X.

See also

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