Deptford (electoral division)

Deptford
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
Deptford electoral division boundaries
District	Lewisham
Electorate	61,632 (1973) 56,156 (1977) 55,273 (1981)
Major settlements	Deptford
Area	969 hectares (9.69 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Lewisham

Deptford was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected one councillor for a four-year term in 1973, 1977 and 1981, with the final term extended for an extra year ahead of the abolition of the Greater London Council.

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. The London Borough of Lewisham formed the Lewisham electoral division. This was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, 1967 and 1970.

The new constituencies were settled following the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and the new electoral division matched the boundaries of the Deptford parliamentary constituency. ^[1]

It covered an area of 969 hectares (9.69 km²).

Elections

The Deptford constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1973, ^[2] 1977 ^[3] and 1981. ^[4] One councillor was elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting. ^[5]

1973 election

The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 61,632 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 32.0%. The councillor was elected for a three-year term. This was extended for an extra year in 1976 when the electoral cycle was switched to four-yearly. ^[6]

1973 Greater London Council election: Deptford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Walter Chalkley	13,159
	Conservative	I. M. Andrews	4,805
	Liberal	Eric Reginald Lubbock	1,747
Turnout
	Labour win (new seat)

1977 election

The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 56,156 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 36.2%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Deptford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Walter Chalkley	9,336
	Conservative	J. R. S. Egerton	7,217
	National Party	M. L. Dixon	1,496
	National Front	Richard C. Edmonds	1,463
	Liberal	F. G. Wise	843
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing

1981 election

The sixth and final election to the GLC (and third using revised boundaries) was held on 7 May 1981. The electorate was 55,273 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 44.5%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term, extended by an extra year by the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act 1984, ahead of the abolition of the council.

1981 Greater London Council election: Deptford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alexander Charles Mackay	11,698
	Liberal	Hilary J. Kramer	7,479
	Conservative	William A. A. Wells	4,438
	NNF	Richard C. Edmonds	487
	Ecology	Elaine A. Gibson	406
	Constitutional Movement	Trevor M. Smith	91
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing

References

1. "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
2. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 12 April 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
3. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
4. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
5. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Lewisham". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
6. "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 8 September 2023.