# Central (Croydon ward)

Central was an electoral ward in the London Borough of Croydon from 1965 to 1978. The ward was first used in the 1964 elections and last used for the 1974 elections. It returned three councillors to Croydon London Borough Council. The ward covered central Croydon. For elections to the Greater London Council, the ward was part of the Croydon electoral division from 1965 and then the Croydon Central division from 1973. Vivian Bendall, who was a councillor for the ward throughout its existence, became MP for Ilford North in 1978.

## List of councillors

| Term | Councillor | Party |
| 1964–1968 | John Aston | Conservative |
| 1964–1978 | Vivian Bendall | Conservative |
| 1964–1968 | A. Lawton | Conservative |
| 1968–1978 | Robert Coatman | Conservative |
| 1968–1974 | J. Haywood | Conservative |
| 1974–1978 | I. McLeod | Conservative |

## Croydon council elections
### 1974 election

The election took place on 2 May 1974.
1974 Croydon London Borough Council election: Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Vivian Bendall | 2,883 | | |
| | Conservative | Robert Coatman | 2,875 | | |
| | Conservative | I. McLeod | 2,845 | | |
| | Labour | F. Bailey | 874 | | |
| | Labour | E. Hall | 865 | | |
| | Labour | A. Jones | 831 | | |
| | Liberal | M. Allan | 540 | | |
| | Liberal | A. Moss | 511 | | |
| | Liberal | J. Wheaver | 483 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,971 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 38.0 | 2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,632 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 1971 election

The election took place on 13 May 1971.
1971 Croydon London Borough Council election: Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Coatman | 2,882 | | |
| | Conservative | Vivian Bendall | 2,865 | | |
| | Conservative | J. Hayward | 2,863 | | |
| | Labour | B. Fisher | 1,156 | | |
| | Labour | F. Bailey | 1,150 | | |
| | Labour | E. Hall | 1,126 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 35.8 | 0.3% |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,608 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 1968 election

The election took place on 9 May 1968.
1968 Croydon London Borough Council election: Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Coatman | 3,094 | | |
| | Conservative | Vivian Bendall | 3,088 | | |
| | Conservative | J. Haywood | 3,034 | | |
| | Labour | F. Bailey | 530 | | |
| | Labour | E. Hall | 501 | | |
| | Labour | A. Packham | 474 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 35.5 | 1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,438 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 1964 election

The election took place on 7 May 1964.
1964 Croydon London Borough Council election: Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Aston | 2,558 | | |
| | Conservative | Vivian Bendall | 2,450 | | |
| | Conservative | A. Lawton | 2,423 | | |
| | Labour | E. Hall | 1,273 | | |
| | Labour | E. Sutcliffe | 1,241 | | |
| | Labour | H. Stopps | 1,181 | | |
| | Liberal | A. Sandison | 315 | | |
| | Liberal | H. Quemby | 234 | | |
| | Liberal | B. Morgan | 216 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,116 | 37.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,043 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |