1998 Greater London Authority referendum
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Are you in favour of the Government's proposals for a Greater London Authority, made up of an elected mayor and a separately elected assembly? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by borough |
National and regional referendums held within the United Kingdom and its constituent countries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Greater London Authority referendum of 1998 was a referendum held in Greater London on 7 May 1998, asking whether there was support for the creation of a Greater London Authority, composed of a directly elected Mayor of London and a London Assembly to scrutinise the Mayor's actions. Voter turnout was low, at just 34.1%.[1] The referendum was held under the provisions of the Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998.
Referendum question
The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum before the electorate was:
Are you in favour of the Government's proposals for a Greater London Authority, made up of an elected mayor and a separately elected assembly?
permitting a simple YES / NO answer.
Result
Greater London Authority referendum, 1998 Result | |||
Choice | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 1,230,739 | 72.01% | |
No | 478,413 | 27.99% | |
Valid votes | 1,709,172 | 98.49% | |
Invalid or blank votes | 26,178 | 1.51% | |
Total votes | 1,735,350 | 100.00% | |
Registered voters and turnout | 5,016,064 | 34.60% |
Referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
---|---|
Yes 1,230,759 (72%) |
No 478,413 (28%) |
▲ 50% |
Results by borough
Local authority | Votes | Proportion of votes | Turnout* | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agree | Disagree | Agree | Disagree | ||
City of London | 977 | 574 | 63.0 | 37.0 | 30.6 |
Barking and Dagenham | 20,534 | 7,406 | 73.5 | 26.5 | 24.9 |
Barnet | 55,487 | 24,210 | 69.6 | 30.4 | 35.3 |
Bexley | 36,527 | 21,195 | 63.3 | 36.7 | 34.7 |
Brent | 47,309 | 13,050 | 78.4 | 21.6 | 35.6 |
Bromley | 51,410 | 38,662 | 57.1 | 42.9 | 40.2 |
Camden | 36,007 | 8,348 | 81.2 | 18.8 | 32.8 |
Croydon | 53,863 | 29,368 | 64.7 | 35.3 | 37.2 |
Ealing | 52,348 | 16,092 | 76.5 | 23.5 | 37.8 |
Enfield | 44,297 | 21,639 | 67.2 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
Greenwich | 36,756 | 12,356 | 74.8 | 25.2 | 32.4 |
Hackney | 31,956 | 7,195 | 81.6 | 18.4 | 33.8 |
Hammersmith and Fulham | 29,171 | 8,255 | 77.9 | 22.1 | 33.6 |
Haringey | 36,296 | 7,038 | 83.8 | 16.2 | 29.9 |
Harrow | 38,412 | 17,407 | 68.8 | 31.2 | 36.0 |
Havering | 36,390 | 23,788 | 60.5 | 39.5 | 33.8 |
Hillingdon | 38,518 | 22,523 | 63.1 | 36.9 | 34.4 |
Hounslow | 36,957 | 12,554 | 74.6 | 25.4 | 31.9 |
Islington | 32,826 | 7,428 | 81.6 | 18.5 | 34.2 |
Kensington and Chelsea | 20,064 | 8,469 | 70.3 | 29.7 | 27.9 |
Kingston upon Thames | 28,621 | 13,043 | 68.7 | 31.3 | 41.1 |
Lambeth | 47,391 | 10,544 | 81.8 | 18.2 | 31.7 |
Lewisham | 40,188 | 11,060 | 78.4 | 21.6 | 29.3 |
Merton | 35,418 | 13,635 | 72.2 | 27.8 | 37.6 |
Newham | 33,084 | 7,575 | 81.4 | 18.6 | 27.9 |
Redbridge | 42,547 | 18,098 | 70.2 | 29.8 | 34.9 |
Richmond upon Thames | 39,115 | 16,135 | 70.8 | 29.2 | 44.5 |
Southwark | 42,196 | 10,089 | 80.7 | 19.3 | 32.7 |
Sutton | 29,653 | 16,091 | 64.8 | 35.2 | 34.9 |
Tower Hamlets | 32,630 | 9,467 | 77.5 | 22.5 | 34.2 |
Waltham Forest | 38,344 | 14,090 | 73.1 | 26.9 | 33.6 |
Wandsworth | 57,010 | 19,695 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 38.7 |
Westminster | 28,413 | 11,334 | 71.5 | 28.5 | 31.8 |
Totals | 1,230,759 | 478,413 | 72.01 | 27.99 | 34.1% |
Source: The Independent |
The 'Yes' vote won in every London Borough, though support generally was larger in Inner London than in Outer London. The lowest support figures were 60.5% in Havering and 57.1% in Bromley; the greatest were 83.8% in Haringey and 81.8% in Lambeth. Income level of boroughs was even a greater factor affecting the outcome.
Aftermath
This article is part of a series within the Politics of England on the |
Politics of London |
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The government passed the Greater London Authority Act 1999, creating the Greater London Authority. Elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly were held in May 2000.
References
- ^ Assiner, Nick (8 May 1998). "Overwhelming vote for mayor". BBC News.