1964 Greater London Council election 100 councillors 51 seats needed for a majority First party Second party Leader Bill Fiske Percy Rugg Party Labour Conservative Leader since 1964 1964 Leader's seat Havering Kensington and Chelsea Seats won 64 36 Popular vote 1,063,390 956,543 Percentage 44.6% 40.1%
The first election to the Greater London Council (GLC) was held on 9 April 1964.
Background The election happened at a time of very high political tension, with a general election due in a few months. The GLC did not come into its powers until 1 April 1965, but spent the first year setting up its committee structure and arranging with its predecessor authorities to take over.
Electoral arrangements New constituencies to be used for elections to Parliament and also for elections to the GLC had not yet been settled, so the London boroughs were used as multi-member 'first past the post' electoral areas . Westminster was joined with the City of London for this purpose. Each electoral area returned between 2 and 4 councillors.
The first election to the Greater London Council took place a month before the first election to the 32 London borough councils on 7 May 1964.
Results General election of councillors The Labour Party won a majority of seats at the election.
When the GLC was being planned, it was expected to produce Conservative majorities.[1] However, many suburban Conservative-voting areas had successfully campaigned to be excluded from the Greater London boundaries.[2]
The large constituencies where the winner took all exaggerated Labour's win in votes into a near two-to-one lead in terms of seats. It also made it extremely difficult for the Liberal Party to win any seats.
With an electorate of 5,466,756, there was a turnout of 44.2%.[3] [4] Labour did particularly well to win Bexley and Havering, but performed poorly in Enfield which they might have expected to win. In Tower Hamlets, the Communist Party of Great Britain came in as runners-up with 8% of the vote.
Party Votes Seats Number % Stood Seats % Labour 1,063,390 44.6 100 64 64.0 Conservative 956,543 40.1 100 36 36.0 Liberal 238,967 10.0 86 0 0.0 Communist 90,779 3.8 36 0 0.0 Independent 19,983 0.9 9 0 0.0 Ratepayers 5,858 0.3 3 0 0.0 Christian Independent 2,895 0.1 1 0 0.0 New Liberal 2,474 0.1 3 0 0.0 Union Movement 2,353 0.1 2 0 0.0
Aldermanic election In addition to the 100 councillors, there were sixteen aldermen elected by the council. The eight aldermen with the least votes were elected to serve until 1967 and the other eight until 1970. The aldermen were elected on 27 April 1964.
Aldermen elected in 1964, to retire in 1967:
Party Alderman Labour Charles James Christopher Labour Arthur George Edwards Conservative Andrew Jardine Conservative Albert George Knowlden Labour Terence Charles McMillan Conservative John Mason Labour Bernard Harry Rockman Labour Donald Soper[a]
Aldermen elected in 1964, to retire in 1970:
Party Alderman Labour Frank Banfield[b] Conservative Francis Ernest Herman Bennett Labour Audrey Elizabeth Callaghan Labour Edward Cyril Castle Labour Alfred Frederick Joseph Chorley Labour Herbert Ferguson Conservative Leslie Freeman Labour Edgar Victor Garton
The aldermen divided 11 to Labour and 5 to the Conservatives, and so the overall strength of the parties on the council was 75 Labour to 41 Conservatives after the aldermanic election.
Constituency results Results by electoral area Barking Barking (2) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Charles Prendergast 25,380 Labour Maud Ball 23,803 Conservative R. C. Denney 7,653 Conservative C. A. Pool 7,547 Liberal Hubert Herbert Creemer Blake 4,625 Liberal J. D. Tyrrell 3,824 Communist K. Halpin 1,385 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Barnet Barnet (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Peter Blair Black Conservative Jean Leslie Scott Conservative Sir Joseph Henry Haygarth Conservative Reginald Marks Labour N Birch Labour Mrs BR Scharf Labour CHF Reynolds Labour FB Groves Liberal JW Webb Liberal J. Murray Medway Liberal Peter Hasler Billeness Liberal OC Williams Communist RT Gooding Communist JW Pinder Turnout 53.8 Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Bexley Bexley (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Edwin Furness 41,300 Labour John Nicoll Powrie 39,079 Labour Robin Beauchamp Thompson 37,314 Conservative Douglas Melville Fielding 33,958 Conservative A. F. Cobbold 33,906 Conservative R. J. F. Monk 31,939 Liberal R. J. Marsh 7,435 Liberal R. H. A. Saunders 6,770 Liberal C. E. Wright 5,991 Communist L. H. Smith 2,929 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Brent Brent (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Muriel Rose Forbes 46,786 Labour Peter Otwell 46,307 Labour Illtyd Harrington 46,284 Labour Frank Towell 45,552 Conservative Ruby Georgina Nancy Taylor 38,500 Conservative C. H. Ansted 38,221 Conservative H. J. C. Faulkner 38,079 Conservative Alfred Abram Berney 37,892 Liberal E. Baker 11,180 Liberal J. E. C. Perry 10,727 Liberal G. Phelps 10,416 Liberal M. R. Uziell-Hamilton 8,029 Communist M. E. Alcock 3,574 Communist L. G. Burt 2,722 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Bromley Bromley (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Edith Gordon Beecher-Bryant Conservative Victor Sidney Henry Mitchell Conservative Benita Dorothy Barham Conservative Robert Joseph Turner* Labour CJ Christopher Labour FFW Coates Liberal Michael Alan Minter Liberal Alfred Baldock Howard Liberal Nicholas Dudley Murdoch McGeorge Labour LM Moelwyn-Hughes Labour GH Warrack Liberal LD Ricketts Communist CL Coleman Turnout 54.5 Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Camden Camden (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Leila Campbell 38,198 Labour Louis Wolfgang Bondy 38,191 Labour Evelyn Joyce Denington 37,364 Conservative F. E. H. Bennett 30,096 Conservative Lena Moncrieff Townsend 28,723 Conservative Isita Clare Mansel 28,588 Liberal A. J. F. Macdonald 4,839 Liberal J. M. Arram 4,614 Liberal M. S. Watson 4,087 Communist J. Nicolson 2,875 Independent B. W. Haines 1,016 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Croydon Croydon (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative John Leonard Aston Conservative Geoffrey Weston Aplin Conservative Paul Alexander Saunders Conservative Keith Andrew Edwards Labour Arthur George Edwards Labour FT Cole Labour JA Clinch Labour S Sutcliffe Liberal Ronald E J Banks Liberal Mrs BM Bashford Liberal LG Pine Liberal RF Tapsell Communist M Rapaport Independent SB Stray Independent Jesse T. E. A. Waddell Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Ealing Ealing (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Peter Ernest Anderson 50,949 Labour Christopher Thomas Higgins 49,655 Labour George Francis Palmer 49,304 Labour Ethel Winifred Jones 49,253 Conservative Lady Henniker-Heaton 45,688 Conservative J. H. Ward 43,971 Conservative E. L. Prodham 43,118 Conservative R. F. Tovell 42,894 Liberal H. C. N. Baylis 8,649 Liberal J. E. Elsom 8,272 Liberal S. E. Smith 7,448 Liberal J. A. Sullivan 7,299 Independent J. McConville 3,311 Communist H. A. Tank 3,137 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Enfield Enfield (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Stanley Graham Rowlandson 37,527 Conservative Gordon Laurence Dixon 37,284 Conservative Thomas Broughton Mitcheson 36,947 Labour E. L. Mackenzie 36,576 Labour E. V. Gorton 35,260 Labour H. S. Newman 34,906 Liberal D. M. Gilbert 11,240 Liberal E. B. Pearce 10,782 Liberal R. F. Skinner 10,599 Communist R. A. Leeson 2,449 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Greenwich Greenwich (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Julia Ada Johnson 44,714 Labour John William Andrews 44,349 Labour James Young 42,621 Conservative U. V. Lister 25,358 Conservative W. S. Manners 25,104 Conservative L. J. Smith 24,851 Communist E. Halpin 3,786 Independent H. H. Wright 2,016 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Hackney Hackney (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Ellis Simon Hillman 24,793 Labour David Thomas Pitt 24,281 Labour Arthur Ernest Wicks 24,037 Conservative O. S. Henriques 6,561 Conservative W. J. Hawkins 6,265 Conservative A. M. White 6,260 Liberal R. B. James 3,953 Liberal T. Keen 3,904 Liberal T. D. Gates 3,641 Communist M. Goldman 2,807 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Hammersmith Hammersmith (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Richard Clive Edmonds 36,051 Labour Marjorie Eleanor McIntosh 35,406 Labour Jane Phillips 35,185 Conservative John Stewart Collins 21,135 Conservative Ann McVicker Forbes-Cockell 20,715 Conservative J. Graham 19,380 Liberal C. M. Hildred-Goode 2,055 Liberal D. Webb 1,966 Liberal F. C. Scrivener 1,892 Communist P. T. Robson 1,736 Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Haringey Haringey (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Annie Florence Remington 39,698 Labour Louis Albert Vitoria 39,412 Labour Gladys Felicia Dimson 39,412 Conservative A. G. Brown 31,284 Conservative H. H. Godwin-Monck 30,849 Conservative N. Muldoon 30,177 Communist E. L. Ramsay 5,612 Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Harrow Harrow (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Horace Walter Cutler 37,895 Conservative Oliver John Galley 37,021 Conservative William Emlyn Jones 35,577 Labour A. J. Lovell 27,000 Labour T. T. Swan 25,995 Labour A. R. Judge 24,684 Liberal M. D. Colne 14,447 Liberal D. F. Joyner 13,333 Liberal C. M. Hawkings 13,151 Communist R. A. Ward 3,426 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Havering Havering (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour William Geoffrey Fiske 36,280 Labour William Arthur Gillman 34,915 Labour Bertie Edwin Roycraft 32,150 Conservative N. L. Anfilogoff 29,590 Conservative Mrs E. H. Dean 29,394 Conservative E. T. Davies 28,835 Liberal D. M. Hardy 11,705 Liberal C. W. Brewster 10,437 Liberal G. M. Horey 8,930 Communist F. Barlow 4,000 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Hillingdon Hillingdon (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour William John Lipscombe 34,728 Labour Frank Herbert Rapley 33,216 Labour David John Davies 32,898 Conservative E. L. Ing 32,091 Conservative G. Corran 32,072 Conservative Leslie Freeman 31,715 Liberal S. H. Davidson 7,299 Liberal J. B. Leno 7,112 Liberal J. A. Friedlander 6,545 Independent T. H. Barnard 5,020 Communist F. Stanley 3,240 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Hounslow Hounslow (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Jack Dunnett 40,684 Labour Ernest Kinghorn 38,028 Labour Frederick W. Powe 36,860 Conservative Geoffrey Chase-Gardener 32,044 Conservative Andrew Jardine 31,281 Conservative Dyas Cyril Loftus Usher 29,426 Liberal R. P. Power 7,457 Liberal G. C. Middleton 7,084 Liberal J. S. Probert 6,062 Communist F. Stanley 2,077 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Islington Islington (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Edwin Bayliss 31,077 Labour Irene Chaplin 30,165 Labour Florence Evelyne Cayford 30,107 Conservative R. A. Baker 8,152 Conservative P. E. Postgate 7,811 Conservative A. Hardy 7,380 New Liberal F. C. Barrett 2,922 Communist J. F. Moss 2,309 New Liberal F. G. S. White 2,292 Liberal S. W. Applin 2,290 New Liberal A. E. Lomas 2,207 Liberal C. Simpson 1,956 Liberal A. F. Cook 1,675 Independent D. H. L. Chenappa 659 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Kensington and Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Sir Percy Rugg 34,683 Conservative Robert Louis Vigars 34,130 Conservative Seton Forbes Cockell 34,114 Labour A. L. Grieves 15,824 Labour O. M. Wilson 15,598 Labour T. W. Ives 15,001 Liberal M. Neilson 5,352 Liberal P. C. Boucher 5,060 Liberal J. H. Crowhurst 4,981 Communist H. B. Collins 2,153 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (2) 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)
Lambeth Lambeth (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Robert William George Humphreys 46,240 Labour Victor Mishcon 46,056 Labour Beatrice Serota 45,492 Labour Sidney Aubrey Melman 45,125 Conservative L. Iremonger 37,812 Conservative Gerard Folliott Vaughan 37,358 Conservative A. M. Tennant 37,122 Conservative I. N. Samuel 37,057 Liberal D. R. Chapman 4,860 Liberal W. B. Mattinson 4,606 Liberal J.H. Gardner 4,451 Liberal I. Shaw 4,116 Communist J. Lawrence 2,416 Communist T. Gorringe 2,052 Independent William George Boaks 1,282 Independent A. C. Osman 1,103 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Lewisham Lewisham (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Merton Merton (2) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Thomas William Scott 29,920 Conservative Frederick William Walker 29,895 Labour C. M. Waugh 28,752 Labour J. T. Pyne 27,108 Liberal E. M. Morrison 6,753 Liberal J. S. Rowlinson 6,676 Communist S. E. French 1,552 Union Movement D. Wheeler 1,409 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Newham Newham (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Samuel Boyce 34,429 Labour Edward Percy Bell 33,568 Labour Arthur Frank George Edwards 30,674 Liberal D. A. S. Brooke 9,476 Conservative C. A. Rugg 7,616 Conservative B. C. Balcomb 7,155 Conservative W. C. Willis 6,717 Liberal E. Johnson 6,119 Liberal R. A. Savill 5,703 Communist J. A. Walker 2,757 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Redbridge Redbridge (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Robert Mitchell 37,601 Conservative Francis Herbert James 36,785 Conservative Anne Sylvia Terry 36,259 Labour L. Fallaize 24,463 Labour A. F. J. Chorley 23,205 Labour A. E. O'Connor 22,440 Liberal G. S. Bellamy 17,901 Liberal K. H. N. Ives 17,622 Liberal D. F. Murphy 17,487 Communist P. J. Devine 3,885 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Richmond upon Thames Richmond upon Thames (2) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Frederick Denis Christian 34,259 Conservative Montague William Garrett 34,029 Labour G. H. Loman 19,649 Labour T. R. Starr 19,557 Liberal D. V. G. Feltham 12,379 Liberal L. Worth 11,205 Communist A. J. Banfield 1,947 Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Southwark Sutton Sutton (2) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative George Frederick Everitt 30,393 Conservative Frederick William Thompson 28,979 Labour P. J. Bassett 19,023 Labour H. Ferguson 18,129 Liberal J. D. Ross 7,548 Liberal G. R. Watkin 6,787 Communist A. T. Goddard 1,880 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets (2) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour John Patrick Branagan 25,350 Labour Ernest Ashley Bramall 24,488 Communist Solly Kaye 2,618 Liberal S. H. Woodham 2,179 Liberal J. W. Parton 2,133 Conservative A. J. Lawrence 2,113 Conservative B. Hawley 1,959 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Waltham Forest Waltham Forest (3) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour James Albert Edward Collins 35,338 Labour Betty Kathleen Lowton 33,299 Labour Mavis Joan Webster 31,872 Conservative M. J. Harvey 22,980 Conservative J. Gordon 22,158 Conservative G. W. Mason 21,113 Ratepayers W. J. Bowstead 6,624 Liberal J. M. Bishop 5,995 Ratepayers L. E. Norman 5,557 Ratepayers T. H. Oakman 5,393 Liberal W. T. Neilson-Hansen 4,944 Liberal W. V. E. Seymer 4,748 Communist D. J. Solomons 1,289 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Wandsworth Wandsworth (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour M. C. Jay 53,747 Labour Norman George Mollett Prichard 52,606 Labour George Frederick Rowe 51,857 Labour Joseph Simeon Samuels 51,292 Conservative M. Bowen 37,459 Conservative J. I. Tweedie-Smith 37,292 Conservative F. L. Abbott 37,258 Conservative D. Y. Fell 36,776 Liberal A. Cowen 8,630 Liberal R. A. Locke 8,443 Liberal M. E. Lawson 7,897 Liberal C. V. Gittins 7,716 Communist G. M. Easton 3,116 Communist D. J. Welsh 2,143 Turnout Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat) Labour win (new seat)
Westminster and the City of London Westminster and the City of London (4) Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Louis Halle Gluckstein 40,109 Conservative Harold Sebag-Montefiore 39,856 Conservative Samuel Isidore Salmon 39,703 Conservative Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer 39,581 Labour J. J. Curran 25,735 Labour H. E. Browne 25,511 Labour Countess Lucan 25,136 Labour B. C. G. Whitaker 24,856 Liberal Timothy Wentworth Beaumont 4,996 Liberal Richard Lord Afton 4,405 Liberal Arthur William Robert Capel 4,112 Liberal Lady Ruth Abrahams 4,035 Communist L. R. Temple 1,758 Turnout Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat) Conservative win (new seat)
By-elections 1964-1967 Less than a month after the election, Marjorie McIntosh (Labour, Hammersmith) died and precipitated a byelection; however, given that the voters had elected the GLC and the new London boroughs, the parties were short of money and the Conservatives decided not to oppose the Labour candidate who was returned unopposed on 18 June. Oliver Galley (Conservative, Harrow, died in October 1965 and the Conservatives retained his seat at a byelection on 27 January 1966.[5] By the end of the term, there were two seats vacant due to the resignations of Sir Joseph Haygarth (Conservative, Barnet) and Mrs Mavis Webster (Labour, Waltham Forest).
There was one aldermanic by-election in 1965 caused by the resignation of Donald Soper (Labour). Frederick Lionel Tonge (Labour) was elected by the council on 6 July 1965, to serve until 1967.
Notes ^ Resigned 13 May 1965 ^ Died 31 March 1970 References ^ Porter, Roy (1998). London, a Social History . Harvard University Press. p. 396. ^ Garside, Patricia (2006). Politics, ideology and the issue of open space in London, 1939–2000 . Routledge. ^ Boothroyd, David. "GLC Election Results Summaries". United Kingdom Election Results . Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2023 . ^ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF) . London Datastore . 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2023 . ^ Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Harrow". United Kingdom Election Results . Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2023 .
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