# Kingston upon Thames (electoral division)

Kingston upon Thames was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council. The constituency elected two councillors for a three-year term in 1964, 1967 and 1970.
The constituency was revised in 1973 and then elected one councillor for a four-year term in 1973, 1977 and 1981, with the final term extended for an extra year ahead of the abolition of the Greater London Council.

## 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 Kingston upon Thames.
The new constituencies were settled following the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and the electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Kingston upon Thames and Surbiton. The new Kingston upon Thames electoral division matched the boundaries of the Kingston upon Thames parliamentary constituency.

## First series

The Kingston upon Thames constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Two 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 102,862 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 51,570 people voting, the turnout was 50.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1964 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 26,252 | | |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey John David Seaton | 25,868 | | |
| | Labour | E. K. Leggett | 16,411 | | |
| | Labour | C. Lesser | 16,068 | | |
| | Liberal | J. P. Farmer | 6,788 | | |
| | Liberal | A. M. Hollis | 6,705 | | |
| | Communist | D. E. Wilson | 1,039 | | |
| | Union Movement | A. J. C. Murray | 944 | | |
| 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) |

### 1967 election

The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 101,890 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 45,924 people voting, the turnout was 45.1%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1967 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey John David Seaton | 29,657 |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 29,646 |
| | Labour | E. K. Leggett | 11,251 |
| | Labour | T. Braddock | 11,251 |
| | Liberal | J. R. Pledger | 3,692 |
| | Liberal | D. B. Terry | 3,470 |
| | Communist | D. E. Wilson | 925 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### 1970 election

The third election was held on 9 April 1970. The electorate was 107,147 and two Conservative Party councillors were elected. With 40,171 people voting, the turnout was 37.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term.
1970 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 26,269 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey John David Seaton | 26,075 |
| | Labour | R. Kerr-Waller | 9,833 |
| | Labour | T. Mitchell | 9,251 |
| | Liberal | M. Freedman | 2,962 |
| | Liberal | G. D. Bell | 2,736 |
| | Independent | E. Scruby | 1,065 |
| | Communist | D. E. Wilson | 438 |
| | Homes before Roads | B. Hughes | 220 |
| | Union Movement | J. R. McLaren | 159 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

## Second series

The Kingston upon Thames constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1973, 1977 and 1981. One councillor was elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting.

### 1973 election

The fourth election to the GLC (and first using revised boundaries) was held on 12 April 1973. The electorate was 59,496 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 39.0%. The councillor was elected for a three-year term. This was extended for an extra year in 1976 when the electoral cycle was switched to four-yearly.
1973 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 12,145 |
| | Labour | P. W. Lane | 6,855 |
| | Liberal | L. F. Wells | 4,224 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### 1977 election

The fifth election to the GLC (and second using revised boundaries) was held on 5 May 1977. The electorate was 57,880 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 43.9%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term.
1977 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 16,568 |
| | Labour | A. M. Barker | 4,615 |
| | Liberal | J. Bodden | 3,126 |
| | National Front | D. M. Foster | 700 |
| | Communist | D. E. Wilson | 211 |
| | GLC Abolitionist Campaign | P. E. L. M. Russell | 199 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### 1981 election

The sixth and final election to the GLC (and third using revised boundaries) was held on 7 May 1981. The electorate was 56,824 and one Conservative Party councillor was elected. The turnout was 42.4%. The councillor was elected for a four-year term, extended by an extra year by the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act 1984, ahead of the abolition of the council.
1981 Greater London Council election: Kingston upon Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Sydney William Leonard Ripley | 11,551 |
| | Labour | Stuart H. J. Hercock | 5,739 |
| | Liberal | Stephen J. Harris | 4,894 |
| | SDP | Anthony M. Ward | 1,544 |
| | Ecology | Mike Elam | 355 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |