Merton (electoral division)

Merton
Former electoral division for the Greater London Council
District	London Borough of Merton
Population	183,570 (1969 estimate)
Electorate	134,520 (1964) 132,117 (1967) 138,741 (1970)
Area	9,379.2 acres (37.956 km2)
Former electoral division
Created	1965
Abolished	1973
Member(s)	2
Replaced by	Mitcham and Morden and Wimbledon

Merton was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected two 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 Merton.

The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Mitcham and Morden and Wimbledon. ^[1]

Elections

The Merton constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, ^[2] 1967 ^[3] and 1970. ^[4] Two councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting. ^[5]

1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 134,520 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 69,148 people voting, the turnout was 51.4%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1964 Greater London Council election: Merton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas William Scott	29,920
	Conservative	Frederick William Walker	29,895
	Labour	C. M. Waugh	28,752
	Labour	J. T. Pyne	27,108
	Liberal	E. M. Morrison	6,753
	Liberal	J. S. Rowlinson	6,676
	Communist	S. E. French	1,552
	Union Movement	D. Wheeler	1,409
Turnout
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 132,117 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 68,858 people voting, the turnout was 52.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1967 Greater London Council election: Merton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas William Scott	38,941
	Conservative	Frederick William Walker	38,514
	Labour	E. W. Goodall	23,069
	Labour	P. F. Inman	22,128
	Liberal	R. A. Locke	4,963
	Liberal	J. S. Rowlinson	4,764
	Communist	S. E. French	1,227
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 138,741 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 54,777 people voting, the turnout was 39.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.

1970 Greater London Council election: Merton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Frederick William Walker	31,467
	Conservative	Stanley Charles Bolton	31,205
	Labour	E. I. Marshall	18,845
	Labour	D. T. Miller	18,554
	Liberal	R. A. Locke	2,596
	Liberal	J. D. Norgate	2,253
	Homes before Roads	B. O'Sullivan	632
	Communist	S. E. French	624
	Homes before Roads	T. King	597
	Union Movement	R. Clare	315
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

1. "The Greater London (Electoral Areas) Order 1972" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 20 June 1972. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
2. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 9 April 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
3. "General Election of Greater London Councillors" (PDF). 13 April 1967. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
4. "Greater London Council Election" (PDF). 9 April 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
5. Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Merton". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2023.