1937 London County Council election

An election to the County Council of London took place on 4 March 1937. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having two votes in the two-member seats. The Labour Party made gains, increasing their majority over the Municipal Reform Party.

Campaign

The Labour Party had gained control of the council for the first time in 1934.^[1] It campaigned on its record of three years running the council, and also called for a Metropolitan Green Belt, the completion of slum clearance, a scheme to beautify the South Bank, and the provision of more school playing fields.^[2] The party ran candidates for every seat other than the four in the City of London.^[3]

The Conservatives, running as the Municipal Reform Party, hoped to regain control of council, believing that their defeat in 1934 was due to complacency and a low turnout.^[1] Its manifesto noted that Labour had failed to meet its 1934 promise of increased house building, and proposed rebuilding schools, providing cheap milk for schoolchildren, opening new nurseries, and constructing a major road from the north to the south of the city, through Charing Cross, to relieve traffic congestion.^[1]

The Liberal Party had lost its last seats on the council in 1934.^[1] While not the favourites in any seat, the Manchester Guardian claimed that they might win up to six seats, in Lambeth North and the two Bethnal Green constituencies.^[4] In the two Bethnal Green seats, the party was not opposed by the Municipal Reformers or their allies.^[3] Percy Harris issued an appeal to voters, calling for the construction of more housing and better traffic facilities.^[5]

The National Liberal Party ran candidates as the "Municipal Progressive Party", or in some cases as "Liberal Progressive and Ratepayers' candidates". They ran in coalition with the Municipal Reform Party, and the Manchester Guardian argued that their platform was entirely conservative, and that in Lambeth North they would split the liberal vote, making a Liberal Party victory less likely.^[4]

The Communist Party of Great Britain decided not to run its own candidates, but instead to campaign on behalf of the Labour Party. Herbert Morrison, leader of the Labour Party, repudiated the support, but the Municipal Reformers emphasised the communist involvement.^[1] However, by polling day, the Municipal Reformers acknowledged that this approach had not won new voters over to them.^[5]

The Manchester Guardian predicted that Labour would retain control, with a slightly increased majority,^[5] gaining one seat in Wandsworth Central, with eighteen seats too close to call.^[4] The Municipal Reformers were hopeful of gaining Fulham East, Fulham West, Greenwich, Hackney North, Lewisham East, St Pancras South West and Woolwich West, while Labour hoped to gain St Pancras North.^[6]^[7]

Results

Labour gained ten seats: one in Fulham East, one in Islington North, one in Wandsworth Central, both in Kensington North and Stoke Newington, and three additional seats in the St Pancras constituencies. The Municipal Reformers gained one seat in Fulham West, one in Peckham and both seats in Woolwich West.^[8]^[9] Both the Liberal Party and Municipal Progressives were disappointed not to come close to winning any seats. The British Union of Fascists were also far off winning a seat, but performed better than expected, particularly in Bethnal Green North East.^[9]

Turnout in the election was 42.6%, the highest for many years, and it reached 56.8% in Woolwich West. The Municipal Reformers were surprised that this did not result in gains for them.^[7]

Party		Votes^[10]			Seats
Party		Number	%	Stood	Seats	%
	Labour	446,483	51.2	120	75	60.5
	Municipal Reform	377,895	43.3	103	49	41.5
	Municipal Progressive	48,282		15	0	0.0
	Liberal	20,922		18	0	0.0
	British Union of Fascists	15,278		6	0	0.0
	Independent	771		3	0	0.0
	Independent Labour	385		1	0	0.0

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Fight for control of London County Council". Manchester Guardian. 22 February 1937.
^ "LCC electors poll on Thursday". Manchester Guardian. 28 February 1937.
^ ^a ^b "LCC election". The Times. 25 February 1937.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The London County Council elections". Manchester Guardian. 27 February 1937.
^ ^a ^b ^c "To-day's LCC elections". Manchester Guardian. 4 March 1937.
^ "Fight to govern London". The Times. 2 March 1937.
^ ^a ^b "LCC election". The Times. 6 March 1937.
^ "Labour holds its ground in LCC election". Manchester Guardian. 5 March 1937.
^ ^a ^b "Labour holds the London County Council". Manchester Guardian. 6 March 1937.
^ Council. "London County Council Elections 1889 - 1961" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2019.

[fight-1] "Fight for control of London County Council". Manchester Guardian. 22 February 1937.

[2] "LCC electors poll on Thursday". Manchester Guardian. 28 February 1937.

[times25Feb-3] "LCC election". The Times. 25 February 1937.

[lccelection-4] "The London County Council elections". Manchester Guardian. 27 February 1937.

[to-day-5] "To-day's LCC elections". Manchester Guardian. 4 March 1937.

[6] "Fight to govern London". The Times. 2 March 1937.

[times6March-7] "LCC election". The Times. 6 March 1937.

[8] "Labour holds its ground in LCC election". Manchester Guardian. 5 March 1937.

[holds-9] "Labour holds the London County Council". Manchester Guardian. 6 March 1937.

[10] Council. "London County Council Elections 1889 - 1961" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2019.

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v t e London County Council
Elections	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961
Members	Chairmen Members 1889-1919 Members 1919-1937 Members 1937-1949 Members 1949-1965
Constituencies (1889–1919)	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green North East Bethnal Green South West Bow and Bromley Brixton Camberwell North Chelsea City of London Clapham Deptford Dulwich Finsbury Central Finsbury East Fulham Greenwich Hackney Central Hackney North Hackney South Haggerston Hammersmith Hampstead Holborn Hoxton Islington East Islington North Islington South Islington West Kennington Kensington North Kensington South Lambeth North Lewisham Limehouse Marylebone East Marylebone West Mile End Newington West Norwood Paddington North Paddington South Peckham Poplar Rotherhithe St George's Hanover Square St George St Pancras East St Pancras North St Pancras South St Pancras West Southwark West Stepney Strand Walworth Wandsworth Westminster Whitechapel Woolwich
Constituencies (1919–1949)	Balham and Tooting Battersea North Battersea South Bermondsey West Bethnal Green North East Bethnal Green South West Bow and Bromley Brixton Camberwell North Camberwell North West Chelsea City of London Clapham Deptford Dulwich Finsbury Fulham East Fulham West Greenwich Hackney Central Hackney North Hackney South Hammersmith North Hammersmith South Hampstead Holborn Islington East Islington North Islington South Islington West Kennington Kensington North Kensington South Lambeth North Lewisham East Lewisham West Limehouse Mile End Norwood Paddington North Paddington South Peckham Poplar South Putney Rotherhithe St Marylebone St Pancras North St Pancras South East St Pancras South West Shoreditch Southwark Central Southwark North Southwark South East Stoke Newington Streatham Wandsworth Central Westminster Abbey Westminster St George's Whitechapel and St George's Woolwich East Woolwich West
Constituencies (1949–1964)	Barons Court (1955–1964) Battersea North Battersea South Bermondsey Bethnal Green Brixton Chelsea Cities of London and Westminster Clapham Deptford Dulwich Fulham (1955–1965) Fulham East (1949–1955) Fulham West (1949–1955) Greenwich Hackney Central (1955–1964) Hackney South (1949–1955) Hammersmith North Hammersmith South (1949–1955) Hampstead Holborn and St Pancras South Islington East Islington North Islington South West Kensington North Kensington South Lewisham North Lewisham South Lewisham West Norwood Paddington North Paddington South Peckham Poplar Putney St Marylebone St Pancras North Shoreditch and Finsbury Southwark Stepney Stoke Newington and Hackney North Streatham Vauxhall Wandsworth Central Woolwich East Woolwich West
Other topics	Tramways Coat of Arms County Hall

v t e Elections and referendums in London
Mayor of London	2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2021 2024
London Assembly	2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2021 2024
Inner London Education Authority	1986
Greater London Council	1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981
London County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961
Borough councils	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Referendums	1998
See also Elections in London Boroughs Middlesex County Council elections

v t e (1936 ←) 1937 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1938)
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Metropolitan boroughs	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green Camberwell Chelsea Deptford Finsbury Fulham Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Hampstead Holborn Islington Kensington Lambeth Lewisham Paddington Poplar Shoreditch Southwark St Marylebone St Pancras Stepney Stoke Newington Wandsworth Westminster Woolwich