Bromley (electoral division)

Bromley
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
Bromley electoral division boundaries from 1969 to 1973
District	London Borough of Bromley
Population	303,550 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	204,108 (1964) 207,083 (1967) 212,557 (1968) 226,553 (1970)
Area	37,509.0 acres (151.794 km^2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	4
Replaced by	Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington and Ravensbourne

Bromley was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected four 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 Bromley.^[1]

The boundaries of the electoral division were adjusted on 1 April 1969.^[2]

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington and Ravensbourne.^[3]

Elections

The Bromley constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964,^[4] 1967^[5] and 1970.^[6] Four councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.^[7]

1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 204,108 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 111,296 people voting, the turnout was 54.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Bromley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mrs. Edith Gordon Beecher-Bryant	55,168
	Conservative	Victor Sidney Henry Mitchell	54,220
	Conservative	Mrs. Benita Dorothy Barham	53,584
	Conservative	Robert Joseph Turner	53,218
	Labour	C. J. Christopher	27,325
	Labour	F. F. W. Coates	27,270
	Liberal	M. A. Minter	26,603
	Liberal	A. B. Howard	26,498
	Liberal	N. D. M. McGeorge	25,800
	Labour	Mrs. L. M. Moelwyn-Hughes	25,223
	Labour	Miss G. H. Warrack	24,457
	Liberal	L. D. Ricketts	23,998
	Communist	C. L. Coleman	4,295
Turnout
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 207,083 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 107,769 people voting, the turnout was 52.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Bromley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mrs. Benita Dorothy Barham	61,613
	Conservative	Mrs. Edith Gordon Beecher-Bryant	61,093
	Conservative	Frank Willie Smith	60,027
	Conservative	Robert Joseph Turner	60,017
	Liberal	E. C. H. Jones	26,755
	Liberal	P. McNally	26,659
	Liberal	Mrs. J. I. Alexander	26,453
	Liberal	M. A. Minter	26,236
	Labour	C. J. Christopher	16,463
	Labour	S. W. Mayne	16,438
	Labour	G. N. Etherington	16,027
	Labour	G. A, Griffiths	15,652
	Communist	C. L. Coleman	2,508
	New Freedom	Frank Hansford-Miller	1,580
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1968 by-election

A by-election was held on 7 November 1968, following the death of Robert Turner.^[7] The electorate was 212,557 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. With 44,177 voting, the turnout was 20.9%

Bromley by-election, 1968

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David A. Harris	28,695
	Liberal	P. A. Golding	10,199
	Labour	S. W. Mayne	5,283
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 226,553 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 89,985 people voting, the turnout was 39.7%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Bromley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Harris	54,800
	Conservative	Frank Willie Smith	54,301
	Conservative	Charles Henry Ernst Pratt	54,237
	Conservative	Roland Charles Beecher-Bryant	51,194
	Labour	I. G. Bing	18,494
	Labour	A. P. Chambers	17,932
	Labour	D. I. Grant	17,900
	Labour	John Spellar	16,400
	Liberal	P. McNally	14,979
	Liberal	W. Huckin	14,818
	Liberal	A. V. Luff	14,357
	Liberal	Mrs. D. E. Richmond	14,129
	Communist	Mrs. M. B. Burkin	1,551
	Homes before Roads	R. H. Mason	1,421
	Homes before Roads	A. V. J. Day	1,280
	Homes before Roads	R. Day	1,025
	Homes before Roads	I. V. Dodd	1,011
	New Freedom	Frank Hansford-Miller	552
	Union Movement	J. P. Sibley	426
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

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, Kent and Surrey Order 1968
3. "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
4. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
5. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
6. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
7. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Bromley". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2023.