Romford (electoral division)

Romford
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
Romford electoral division boundaries
District	Havering
Electorate	55,550 (1973) 54,662 (1977) 55,660 (1981) 56,587 (1985)
Major settlements	Romford
Area	2,569 hectares (25.69 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Havering

Romford 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 Havering formed the Havering 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 Romford parliamentary constituency. ^[1]

It covered an area of 2,569 hectares (25.69 km²).

Elections

The Romford 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] Bernard Brook-Partridge, who won the seat at all three elections, had also been elected to the predecessor Havering electoral division in 1967 and 1970.

1973 election

The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 55,550 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 39.5%. 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: Romford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bernard Brook-Partridge	9,697
	Labour	K. St. J. D'Cruze	7,219
	Liberal	T. E. Hurlstone	4,693
	Communist	C. R. Harper	347
Turnout
	Conservative 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 54,662 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 44.3%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Romford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bernard Brook-Partridge	15,189
	Labour	M. J. Spencer	5,369
	Liberal	P. A. Longhorn	1,590
	National Front	M. P. V. Caine	1,392
	People and Agrarian Party	C. W. R. Goodwin	352
	Communist	C. R. Harper	300
Turnout
	Conservative 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 55,660 and one Conservative 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: Romford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bernard Brook-Partridge	12,041
	Labour	Jack Hoepelman	9,029
	Liberal	Pauline A. Longhorn	3,123
	National Front	Madeline P. Caine	562
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

1985 by-election

A by-election was held on 11 July 1985, following the resignation of Bernard Brook-Partridge. The by-election coincided with others in Putney and Vauxhall. The electorate was 56,587 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 29.5%. ^[7]

Romford by-election, 1985

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert James MacGillivray Neill	7,122
	Labour	Gillian C. Hannah-Rogers	4,793
	Liberal Alliance Focus Team	Pauline A. Longhorn	4,332
	Ecology	Diane R. Burgess	431
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

Robert James MacGillivray Neill would be elected in 2000 to the London Assembly from the Bexley and Bromley constituency.

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: Havering". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 28 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.