St Marylebone (electoral division)

St Marylebone
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
St Marylebone electoral division boundaries
District	Westminster
Electorate	44,215 (1973) 41,377 (1977) 38,826 (1981)
Major settlements	Marylebone
Area	595 hectares (5.95 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Westminster and the City of London

St Marylebone 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 City of Westminster was joined with the City of London for this purpose, creating a constituency called Westminster and the City of London. 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 St Marylebone parliamentary constituency. ^[1]

The area was in a long-term period of population decline that was yet to reverse. The electorate reduced from 44,215 in 1973 to 38,826 in 1981. It covered an area of 595 hectares (5.95 km²).

Elections

The St Marylebone 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 44,215 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 31.1%. 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: St Marylebone

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Desmond Plummer	7,930
	Labour	J. Gordon	4,971
	Unofficial Conservative	P. Darvas	485
	Communist	L. R. Temple	276
	Socialist (GB)	R. A. Weidberg	84
Turnout
	Conservative win (new seat)

1976 by-election

A by-election was held on 8 April 1976, following the resignation of Desmond Plummer. One Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 22.5%.

St Marylebone by-election, 1976

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Herbert Henry Sandford	6,080
	Labour	D. Miles	2,854
	Liberal	Bates, J.H.	428
	Socialist (GB)	J. D'Arcy	96
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

1977 election

The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 41,377 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 37.1%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: St Marylebone

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Herbert Henry Sandford	10,359
	Labour	Ian J C Peddie	3,468
	Liberal	P R Vandekar	645
	National Front	Charles Elrick	372
	Ecology	Jonathon Espie Porritt	298
	Socialist (GB)	James D'Arcy	102
	Co-operative Housing	B D Lake	67
Majority
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 38,826 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 37.4%. 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: St Marylebone

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Herbert Henry Sandford	8,183
	Labour Co-op	Jean Merriton	4,573
	Liberal	Penelope E. Baker	1,305
	Ecology	Audrey B. Hickey	408
Turnout
	Conservative 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: Cities of London and Westminster". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
6. "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 25 July 2023.