# 1998 Greater London Authority referendum

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The 1998 Greater London Authority referendum was held in Greater London on 7 May 1998, asking whether there was support for creating 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%. The referendum was held under the Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 provisions.

## 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 or NO answer.

## Result

Greater London Authority referendum, 1998 Result :
| Choice | Choice | Votes | % |
| | Yes | 1,230,739 | 72.01% |
| | No | 478,413 | 27.99% |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,709,172 | 98.49% |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 26,178 | 1.51% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,735,350 | 100.00% |
| Registered voters and turnout | 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 | Votes | Proportion of votes | Proportion of votes | Turnout* |
| Local authority | Agree | Disagree | Agree | Disagree | Turnout* |
| 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 was generally 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. The income level of boroughs was an even greater factor affecting the outcome.

## Aftermath

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.