List of electoral divisions in Greater London facts for kids

Greater London is a huge city, and to help manage it, there used to be a special government body called the Greater London Council (GLC). From 1965 to 1986, people in London voted for councillors to represent them on the GLC. These voting areas were called electoral divisions.

At first, it was tricky to decide how to divide London for these elections. The areas used for voting in the national Parliament (called constituencies) crossed the new Greater London boundary. So, instead, London was divided into its 32 local areas, called boroughs. The City of London and the City of Westminster were grouped together as one area. These divisions helped elect 100 councillors at first, and later 92. After the GLC was closed down in 1986, a new system was created in 2000, with a Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

First Way of Dividing London (1965-1970)

When the Greater London Council (GLC) was created, London needed a way to elect its councillors. The plan was to use the same voting areas as the national Parliament, just like the old London County Council used to do. However, in 1965, the Parliament's voting areas didn't fit perfectly within the new Greater London boundaries.

So, for the elections in 1964, 1967, and 1970, the 32 London boroughs were used as the voting areas. The City of London and City of Westminster were counted as one area. In these elections, voters chose several councillors from each division. The candidate with the most votes won, a system called 'first-past-the-post'. In total, 100 councillors were elected.

A review of Parliament's voting areas happened in 1969, but the changes weren't ready for the 1970 GLC election. There were also small changes to the borders of Bromley, Croydon, and Richmond upon Thames in 1969 and 1970. The number next to each division below shows how many councillors it elected:

Second Way of Dividing London (1973-1986)

A new set of 92 electoral divisions was used for the GLC elections in 1973, 1977, and 1981. These new areas were officially set up in June 1972.

Each of these 92 divisions elected just one councillor. The voting system was still 'first-past-the-post', meaning the candidate with the most votes won. These new divisions were exactly the same as the voting areas used for the national Parliament from 1974 to 1983. In total, 92 councillors were elected. There was a small change to the Uxbridge division in 1982 when the Greater London boundary was adjusted. These electoral divisions stopped existing when the Greater London Council was closed down in 1986.

What Came Next

In 1986, after the Greater London Council was abolished, there were direct elections for the Inner London Education Authority. This authority was responsible for schools in Inner London.

Then, in 2000, a new body called the Greater London Authority was created. This new authority has a Mayor of London and a London Assembly. The London Assembly has two types of representatives: some are elected from all over London using a system called proportional representation, and others are elected from specific local areas called London Assembly constituencies using the 'first-past-the-post' system.

See also

• List of electoral wards in Greater London
• List of London Assembly constituencies
• List of parliamentary constituencies in London