Barking (electoral division)

Barking 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.

The constituency was revised in 1973 and then 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

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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 Barking.[1]

The new constituencies were settled following the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and the electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Barking and Dagenham. The new Barking electoral division matched the boundaries of the Barking parliamentary constituency.[2]

First series

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Barking
Former electoral division
for the Greater London Council
 
Barking electoral division boundaries from 1965 to 1973
DistrictLondon Borough of Barking
Population167,960 (1969 estimate)
Electorate
  • 118,568 (1964)
  • 114,589 (1967)
  • 121,477 (1970)
Major settlementsBarking and Dagenham
Area8,449.6 acres (34.194 km2)
Former electoral division
Created1965
Abolished1973
Member(s)2
Replaced byBarking and Dagenham

The Barking constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964,[3] 1967[4] and 1970.[5] Two councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.[6]

1964 election

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The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 118,568 and two Labour Party councillors were elected. With 40,578 people voting, the turnout was 34.2%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Prendergast 25,380
Labour Maud Ball 23,803
Conservative R. C. Denney 7,653
Conservative C. A. Pool 7,547
Liberal C. H. C. Blake 4,625
Liberal J. D. Tyrrell 3,824
Communist K. Halpin 1,385
Turnout
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

1967 election

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The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 114,589 and two Labour Party councillors were elected. With 28,539 people voting, the turnout was 24.9%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maud Ball 14,444
Labour Robert John Crane 12,591
Conservative C. A. Pool 7,646
Conservative G. E. Santry 6,732
Liberal C. H. C. Blake 4,610
Liberal J. D. Tyrrell 3,262
Communist G. C. Wake 1,420
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

1970 election

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The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 121,477 and two Labour Party councillors were elected. With 31,395 people voting, the turnout was 25.8%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert John Crane 20,236
Labour John Benjamin Ward 19,693
Conservative A. Gray 7,139
Conservative D. W. Attridge 6,547
Liberal G. D. Poole 1,361
Communist G. C. Wake 1,314
Liberal J. D. Tyrrell 1,153
Independent H. J. Bailey 405
Union Movement S. G. Verrall 89
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Second series

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Barking
Former electoral division
for the Greater London Council
 
Barking electoral division boundaries from 1973 to 1986
District
Electorate
  • 49,769 (1973)
  • 49,493 (1977)
  • 47,975 (1981)
Major settlementsBarking
Area1,376 hectares (13.76 km2)
Former electoral division
Created1973
Abolished1986
Member(s)1
Created fromBarking

The Barking constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1973,[7] 1977[8] and 1981.[9] One councillor was elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.[6]

1973 election

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The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 49,769 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 29.7%. 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.[10]

1973 Greater London Council election: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Benjamin Ward 10,575
Conservative C. A. Pool 2,417
Liberal J. D. Tyrrell 1,800
Turnout
Labour win (new boundaries)

1977 election

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The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 49,493 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 40.8%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Benjamin Ward 10,536
Conservative C. E. Packer 6,338
National Front C. M. London 1,820
Liberal A. E. Bush 1,477
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

1981 election

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The sixth and final election to the GLC (and third using revised boundaries) was held on 7 May 1981. The electorate was 47,975 and one Labour Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 42.4%. 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: Barking
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Benjamin Ward 12,528
Conservative Ronald A. Smith 4,357
Liberal Ronwen R. Beadle 2,803
National Front Ian R. Newport 555
Constitutional Movement Brian F. White 104
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ British Information Services (1970). British Record: Political and Economic Notes. To date elections, normally fought on traditional party lines, have been based on the London boroughs, each borough returning two or more councillors; after 1973 there will be single member electoral areas based on parliamentary constituencies.
  2. ^ "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  3. ^ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. ^ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Barking and Dagenham". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 12 April 1973. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 7 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  10. ^ "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 17 September 2023.