Croydon (electoral division)

Croydon
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
Croydon electoral division boundaries from 1969 to 1973
District	London Borough of Croydon
Population	327,130 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	224,135 (1964) 222,385 (1967) 241,110 (1970)
Area	21,395.0 acres (86.582 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	4
Replaced by	Croydon Central, Croydon North East, Croydon North West and Croydon South

Croydon was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected four 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 Croydon. ^[1]

The boundaries of the electoral division were adjusted on 1 April 1969. ^[2]

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Croydon Central, Croydon North East, Croydon North West and Croydon South. ^[3]

Elections

The Croydon constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, ^[4] 1967 ^[5] and 1970. ^[6] Four councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting. ^[7]

1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 224,135 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 105,514 people voting, the turnout was 47.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Croydon

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Leonard Aston	57,625
	Conservative	Geoffrey Weston Aplin	57,237
	Conservative	Paul Alexander Saunders	53,828
	Conservative	Keith Andrew Edwards	50,866
	Labour	Arthur G. Edwards	34,927
	Labour	F. T. Cole	31,840
	Labour	J. A. Clinch	28,957
	Labour	S. Sutcliffe	27,752
	Liberal	R. E. J. Banks	13,445
	Liberal	Mrs. B. M. Bashford	12,731
	Liberal	L. G. Pine	10,398
	Liberal	R. F. Tapsell	10,112
	Communist	M. Rapaport	3,498
	Independent	S. B. Stray	2,998
	Independent	Jesse T. E. A. Waddell	2,578
Turnout
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 222,835 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 91,212 people voting, the turnout was 41.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Croydon

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Leonard Aston	62,116
	Conservative	Geoffrey Weston Aplin	61,627
	Conservative	Stephen James Stewart	59,652
	Conservative	Miss Gladys Emma Morgan	59,385
	Labour	F. T. Cole	16,264
	Labour	V. Burgos	15,990
	Labour	A. G. Edwards	15,613
	Labour	J. A. Clinch	14,712
	Liberal	K. H. Legge	8,674
	Liberal	M. A. Green	8,048
	Liberal	M. E. Thomas	7,847
	Liberal	H. A. Rivers	7,685
	National Union of Council Tenants	Mrs. M. V. Barnet	2,984
	Communist	Dr. M. Rapoport	1,999
	National Union of Council Tenants	W. J. Debenham	1,977
	National Union of Council Tenants	Mrs. C. A. Field	1,596
	Independent	J. T. E. A. Waddell	1,411
	Independent	S. B. Stray	1,358
	National Union of Council Tenants	R. G. Field	1,352
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 241,110 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 86,889 people voting, the turnout was 36.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Croydon

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Vivian Bendall	56,478
	Conservative	Miss Gladys Emma Morgan	56,441
	Conservative	Stephen James Stewart	56,182
	Conservative	Geoffrey Weston Aplin	51,194
	Labour	F. T. Cole	19,915
	Labour	V. Burgos	19,854
	Labour	J. M. Bloom	19,844
	Labour	A. G. Edwards	19,661
	Liberal	Mrs. B. M. Bashford	7,312
	Liberal	G. A. Davidson	5,681
	Liberal	A. F. Reeves	5,630
	Liberal	H. A. Rivers	5,386
	Homes before Roads	Mrs. B. Brittian	1,895
	Homes before Roads	P. A. Brittian	1,816
	Homes before Roads	L. G. Coat	1,807
	Homes before Roads	G. Druce	1,579
	Communist	Mrs. A. Waddell	1,144
	Independent	S. B. Stray	682
	Union Movement	D. Godfrey	417
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

1. British Information Services (1970). British Record: Political and Economic Notes. To date elections, normally fought on traditional party lines, have been based on the London boroughs, each borough returning two or more councillors; after 1973 there will be single member electoral areas based on parliamentary constituencies.
2. The Greater London, Kent and Surrey Order 1968
3. "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
4. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
5. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
6. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
7. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Croydon". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2023.