Kensington and Chelsea (electoral division)

Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington and Chelsea
Former electoral division; for the Greater London Council
	Kensington and Chelsea electoral division boundaries
District	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Population	208,480 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	149,519 (1964); 143,100 (1967); 144,537 (1970); 140,190 (1971);
Area	2,951.9 acres (11.946 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	3
Replaced by	Chelsea and Kensington

Kensington and Chelsea was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected three 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 Kensington and Chelsea.^[1]

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Chelsea and Kensington.^[2]

Elections

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

1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 149,519 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 56,964 people voting, the turnout was 38.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Sir Percy Rugg	34,683
	Conservative	Robert Louis Vigars	34,130
	Conservative	Seton Forbes Cockell	34,114
	Labour	Mrs. A. L. Grieves	15,824
	Labour	Mrs. O. M. Wilson	15,598
	Labour	T. W. Ives	15,001
	Liberal	Miss M. Neilson	5,352
	Liberal	P. C. Boucher	5,060
	Liberal	J. H. Crowhurst	4,981
	Communist	H. B. Collins	2,153
Turnout
	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 143,100 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 46,849 people voting, the turnout was 32.7%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Sir Percy Rugg	32,173
	Conservative	Seton Forbes Cockell	31,871
	Conservative	Robert Louis Vigars	31,590
	Labour	T. M. Cox	9,220
	Labour	T. W. Ives	8,995
	Labour	T. Ponsonby	8,731
	Liberal	D. W. Berry	4,492
	Liberal	P. D. Spencer	4,292
	Liberal	D. Currie	3,959
	Communist	H. B. Collins	1,458
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 144,537 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 39,082 people voting, the turnout was 27.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Seton Forbes Cockell	25,320
	Conservative	William Archibald Ottley Juxon Bell	25,267
	Conservative	Robert Louis Vigars	25,049
	Labour	Bruce Douglas-Mann	9,180
	Labour	R. Pope	9,175
	Labour	J. F. S. Keys	9,148
	Liberal	Lady Ogmore	2,457
	Liberal	L. Spicer	2,333
	Liberal	T. J. T. Metcalf	2,253
	Homes before Roads	T. Bendixson	1,163
	Homes before Roads	A. Ritchie	1,003
	Homes before Roads	D. Wiggins	952
	Communist	E. S. Adams	771
	Union Movement	A. E. Brown	215
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1971 by-election

A by-election was held on 2 December 1971, following the death of Seton Forbes Cockell.^[7] The electorate was 140,190 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. With 14,720 voting, the turnout was 10.5%

Kensington and Chelsea by-election, 1971
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs. Muriel Gumbel	9,839
	Labour	J. F. S. Keys	4,343
	Ind. Conservative	R. E. G. Simmerson	333
	Independent	A. F. Gloak	195
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

Gloak - Kensington and Chelsea Ratepayers and Residents Association

References

^ 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.
^ "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Kensington and Chelsea". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ "Greater London Council Election results: Kensington and Chelsea". Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.