Kensington (electoral division)

Kensington
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
District	Kensington and Chelsea
Electorate	63,306 (1973) 56,849 (1977) 51,873 (1981)
Major settlements	Kensington
Area	632 hectares (6.32 km^2)
Former electoral division
Created	1973
Abolished	1986
Member(s)	1
Created from	Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington 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 Kensington and Chelsea formed the Kensington and Chelsea 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 Kensington parliamentary constituency.^[1]

The area was in a long-term period of population decline that was yet to reverse. The electorate reduced from 63,306 in 1973 to 51,873 in 1984. It covered an area of 632 hectares (6.32 km²).

Elections

The Kensington 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 68,305 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 33.7%. 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.^[6]

1973 Greater London Council election: Kensington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert L. Vigars	9,388
	Labour	D. J. Scott	8,736
	Liberal	K. Rason	2,855
	Communist	E. S. Adams	366
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 56,849 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 34.9%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.

1977 Greater London Council election: Kensington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert L. Vigars	11,914
	Labour	P. A. Sweeney	5,005
	Liberal	D .M. Gorsky	1,576
	National Front	E. G. Martin	498
	Communist	E. S. Adams	349
	GLC Abolitionist Campaign	R. Fuchs	250
	English National	L. E. Green	147
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 51,873 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 39.2%. 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: Kensington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert L. Vigars	9,579
	Labour	Stephen P. Hoier	7,317
	Liberal	Ernest R. Tudway	1,907
	Council for Social Democracy	Len Green	650
	Ecology	Roger E. Shorter	427
	Communist	Edward S. Adams	161
	Workers Revolutionary	Lesley E. Gould	101
	Save London Action Group	Maureen V. M. Cornwall	97
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: Kensington and Chelsea". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
6. "The London Councillors Order 1976" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 17 February 1976. Retrieved 25 July 2023.