Richmond upon Thames (electoral division)

Richmond upon Thames
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
District	London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Population	176,600 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	128,699 (1964) 124,793 (1967) 130,682 (1970)
Major settlements	Richmond, Twickenham
Area	13,645.3 acres (55.221 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	2
Replaced by	Richmond and Twickenham

Richmond upon Thames was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected two 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 Richmond upon Thames.

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Richmond and Twickenham. ^[1]

Elections

The Richmond upon Thames constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, ^[2] 1967 ^[3] and 1970. ^[4] Two 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 128,699 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 69,031 people voting, the turnout was 53.6%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Richmond upon Thames

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
Turnout
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 124,793 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 62,605 people voting, the turnout was 50.2%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Richmond upon Thames

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Countess of Dartmouth	35,246
	Conservative	Toby Henry Francis Jessel	35,032
	Labour	G. J. Samuel	16,020
	Labour	C. W. Sewell	15,987
	Liberal	D. V. G. Feltham	8,902
	Liberal	L. Worth	8,197
	Communist	A. J. Banfield	1,427
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 130,682 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 53,148 people voting, the turnout was 40.7%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Richmond upon Thames

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Toby Henry Francis Jessel	30,691
	Conservative	Countess of Dartmouth	29,591
	Labour	J. H. W. Grant	12,216
	Labour	A. R. Palmer	11,969
	Liberal	S. Rundle	9,462
	Liberal	C. J. Barnes	7,777
	Communist	A. J. Banfield	749
	Homes before Roads	F. Beecham	738
	Homes before Roads	J. Lupton	656
	Union Movement	R. S. Prentice	235
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

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