Bexley (electoral division)

Bexley
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
District	London Borough of Bexley
Population	215,610 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	149,461 (1964) 149,025 (1967) 159,305 (1970)
Area	14,985.7 acres (60.645 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	3
Replaced by	Bexleyheath, Erith and Crayford and Sidcup

Bexley was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected three councillors for a three-year term in 1964, 1967 and 1970.

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 which therefore created a constituency called Bexley.

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Bexleyheath, Erith and Crayford and Sidcup. ^[1]

Elections

The Bexley constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, ^[2] 1967 ^[3] and 1970. ^[4] Three councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting. ^[5]

1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 149,461 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 83,062 people voting, the turnout was 55.6%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Bexley

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)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 149,025 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 83,323 people voting, the turnout was 55.9%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Bexley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Douglas Melville Fielding	45,792
	Conservative	Victor Rae Muske Langton	45,052
	Conservative	John Mason	45,036
	Labour	Edwin Furness	31,087
	Labour	John Nicoll Powrie	29,907
	Labour	Robin Beauchamp Thompson	28,966
	Liberal	R. F. Lloyd	4,781
	Liberal	S. Burraston	4,296
	Liberal	L. W. Rogers	4,217
	Independent	E. H. Taylor	2,338
	Communist	W. E. Turner	1,734
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 159,305 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 69,707 people voting, the turnout was 43.8%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Bexley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Douglas Melville Fielding	38,956
	Conservative	Victor Rae Muske Langton	38,764
	Conservative	John Mason	38,554
	Labour	C. F. Hargrave	26,985
	Labour	S. W. Mayne	26,186
	Labour	F. W. Styles	25,968
	Liberal	S. Burraston	2,738
	Liberal	W. A. King	2,594
	Liberal	L. W. Rogers	2,319
	Union Movement	M. I. Marsh	673
	Communist	M. K. Bellsham-Revell	624
	Homes before Roads	J. Lowe	623
	Homes before Roads	A. D. Savil	479
	Homes before Roads	V. R. Lowe	455
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

1. "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
2. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
3. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
4. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
5. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Bexley". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2023.