Putney (electoral division)

Putney
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
District	Wandsworth
Electorate	66,809 (1973) 64,969 (1977) 63,402 (1981)
Area	1,385 hectares (13.85 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Wandsworth

Putney 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 Wandsworth formed the Wandsworth 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 Putney parliamentary constituency. ^[1]

It covered an area of 1,385 hectares (13.85 km²).

Elections

The Putney 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 66,809 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 46.0%. 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: Putney

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ethel Marie Jenkins	15,449
	Conservative	M. Williams	11,282
	Liberal	W. V. Hain	3,649
	Communist	D. J. Welsh	375
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 64,969 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 50.1%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Putney

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Leonard Harris	17,838
	Labour	G. Dyke	10,681
	Liberal	J. Horrocks	2,500
	National Front	C. Lewis	1,160
	Communist	D. J. Welsh	251
	GLC Abolitionist Campaign	J. E. Juszt	132
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		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 63,402 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 54.1%. 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: Putney

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Andrew Phillip Harris	14,488
	Conservative	Jeffrey Gordon	13,741
	Liberal	Colin G. Darracott	3,813
	Social Democrat	Michael J. Burton	1,555
	National Front	Shirley Attree	393
	Ecology	Geraldine A. Goller	240
	Save London Action Group	Mary M. Giles	53
Turnout
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

1985 by-election

A by-election was held on 11 July 1985, following the resignation of Andrew Phillip Harris. The by-election coincided with others in Romford and Vauxhall. The electorate was 63,753 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 22.2%. ^[7]

Putney by-election, 1985

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Anne Jenkins	8,680
	SDP	Jeremy N Ambache	4,900
	Ecology	Christopher Cantwell	392
	Pro-Abolition Alliance	Mark W Hatherell	171
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 23 July 2023.
3. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
4. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
5. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Wandsworth". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
6. "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
7. "Appendix B By-elections for Greater London councillors, May 1981 to May 1986" (PDF). London Datastore. Retrieved 26 August 2023.