Newham (electoral division)

Newham 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.

Newham
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
Newham electoral division boundaries
District	London Borough of Newham
Population	252,090 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	178,883 (1964) 174,865 (1967) 182,834 (1970)
Area	8,986.1 acres (36.365 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	3
Replaced by	Newham North East, Newham North West and Newham South

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 Newham.^[1]

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Newham North East, Newham North West and Newham South.^[2]

Elections

The Newham 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 178,883 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 53,675 people voting, the turnout was 30.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Newham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Boyce	34,429
	Labour	Edward Percy Bell	33,568
	Labour	Arthur Frank George Edwards	30,674
	Liberal	D. A. S. Brooke	9,476
	Conservative	C. A. Rugg	7,616
	Conservative	B. C. Balcomb	7,155
	Conservative	W. C. Willis	6,717
	Liberal	E. Johnson	6,119
	Liberal	R. A. Savill	5,703
	Communist	J. A. Walker	2,757
Turnout
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 174,865 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 44,289 people voting, the turnout was 25.3%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Newham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Boyce	23,383
	Labour	Edward Percy Bell	22,801
	Labour	Arthur Frank George Edwards	21,826
	Conservative	G. L. Crocker	11,102
	Conservative	C. A. Rugg	9,442
	Conservative	B. C. Balcomb	9,442
	Liberal	A. B .M. Bijl-Jarvis	5,039
	Liberal	R. P. McCarthy	4,365
	Liberal	P. T. Humphrey	4,117
	Independent	J. Clements	2,626
	Communist	R. A. Offley	2,164
	Independent	R. A. Savill	1,234
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 182,834 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 34,201 people voting, the turnout was 18.7%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Newham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Boyce	19,728
	Labour	Edward Percy Bell	19,529
	Labour	Arthur Frank George Edwards	17,681
	Conservative	C. A. Knight	9,868
	Conservative	R. E. Wotherspoon	9,806
	Conservative	B. C. Balcomb	8,154
	Liberal	B. G. McCarthy	2,030
	Liberal	E. Wren	1,741
	Homes before Roads	M. Brown	1,693
	Liberal	Mrs J. Wren	1,446
	Independent	J. Clements	961
	Communist	R. A. Offley	956
	Homes before Roads	D. E. Coxhead	613
	Homes before Roads	M. Fior	457
	Union Movement	A. L. J. Winn	313
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour 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 (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
3. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
4. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
5. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
6. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Newham". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2023.