# Kensington and Chelsea (electoral division)

Kensington and Chelsea was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected three 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 Kensington and Chelsea.
The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Chelsea and Kensington.

## Elections

The Kensington and Chelsea constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Three councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.

### 1964 election

The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 149,519 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 56,964 people voting, the turnout was 38.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1964 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sir Percy Rugg | 34,683 | | |
| | Conservative | Robert Louis Vigars | 34,130 | | |
| | Conservative | Seton Forbes Cockell | 34,114 | | |
| | Labour | Mrs. A. L. Grieves | 15,824 | | |
| | Labour | Mrs. O. M. Wilson | 15,598 | | |
| | Labour | T. W. Ives | 15,001 | | |
| | Liberal | Miss M. Neilson | 5,352 | | |
| | Liberal | P. C. Boucher | 5,060 | | |
| | Liberal | J. H. Crowhurst | 4,981 | | |
| | Communist | H. B. Collins | 2,153 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| | 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) |

### 1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 143,100 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 46,849 people voting, the turnout was 32.7%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1967 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Sir Percy Rugg | 32,173 |
| | Conservative | Seton Forbes Cockell | 31,871 |
| | Conservative | Robert Louis Vigars | 31,590 |
| | Labour | T. M. Cox | 9,220 |
| | Labour | T. W. Ives | 8,995 |
| | Labour | T. Ponsonby | 8,731 |
| | Liberal | D. W. Berry | 4,492 |
| | Liberal | P. D. Spencer | 4,292 |
| | Liberal | D. Currie | 3,959 |
| | Communist | H. B. Collins | 1,458 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### 1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 144,537 and three Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 39,082 people voting, the turnout was 27.0%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1970 Greater London Council election: Kensington and Chelsea :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Seton Forbes Cockell | 25,320 |
| | Conservative | William Archibald Ottley Juxon Bell | 25,267 |
| | Conservative | Robert Louis Vigars | 25,049 |
| | Labour | Bruce Douglas-Mann | 9,180 |
| | Labour | R. Pope | 9,175 |
| | Labour | J. F. S. Keys | 9,148 |
| | Liberal | Lady Ogmore | 2,457 |
| | Liberal | L. Spicer | 2,333 |
| | Liberal | T. J. T. Metcalf | 2,253 |
| | Homes before Roads | T. Bendixson | 1,163 |
| | Homes before Roads | A. Ritchie | 1,003 |
| | Homes before Roads | D. Wiggins | 952 |
| | Communist | E. S. Adams | 771 |
| | Union Movement | A. E. Brown | 215 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### 1971 by-election

A by-election was held on 2 December 1971, following the death of Seton Forbes Cockell. The electorate was 140,190 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. With 14,720 voting, the turnout was 10.5%
Kensington and Chelsea by-election, 1971 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Mrs. Muriel Gumbel | 9,839 |
| | Labour | J. F. S. Keys | 4,343 |
| | Ind. Conservative | R. E. G. Simmerson | 333 |
| | Independent | A. F. Gloak | 195 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
Gloak - Kensington and Chelsea Ratepayers and Residents Association