Barnet (electoral division) explained

Barnet
Constituency Type:	electoral division
Parl Name:	Greater London Council
District:	London Borough of Barnet
Year:	1965
Abolished:	1973
Members:	4
Next:	Chipping Barnet, Finchley, Hendon North and Hendon South
Population:	314,530 (1969 estimate)
Area:	22123.8acres

Barnet 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 Barnet.^[1]

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Chipping Barnet, Finchley, Hendon North and Hendon South.^[2]

Elections

The Barnet constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964,^[3] 1967^[4] and 1970.^[5] Four 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 217,308 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 117,003 people voting, the turnout was 53.8%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 217,344 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 101,905 people voting, the turnout was 46.9 %. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 231,351 and four Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 83,144 people voting, the turnout was 35.9%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1972 by-election

A by-election was held on 19 October 1972, following the death of Arthur Sidney Peacock. The electorate was 219,084 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. With 20,813 voting, the turnout was 9.5%

Notes and References

1. Book: British Information Services . British Record: Political and Economic Notes . 1970 . 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. Web site: The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972 . legislation.gov.uk . 17 October 2023 . 20 June 1972.
3. Web site: General Election of Greater London Councillors . 9 April 1964 . 17 October 2023 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130822163439/http://data.london.gov.uk/documents/GLC_1964-4-9.pdf . 22 August 2013 .
4. Web site: General Election of Greater London Councillors . 13 April 1967 . 17 October 2023 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130822161716/http://data.london.gov.uk/documents/GLC_1967-4-13.pdf . 22 August 2013 .
5. Web site: Greater London Council Election . 9 April 1970 . 17 October 2023 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130822173130/http://data.london.gov.uk/documents/GLCE_1970-4-9.pdf . 22 August 2013 .
6. Web site: Boothroyd . David . Greater London Council Election results: Barnet . United Kingdom Election Results . 17 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160324185147/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/glc/glcbt.html . 24 March 2016.