Greater London Council GLC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1 April 1965 |
| Disbanded | 31 March 1986 |
| Preceded by | London County Council |
| Succeeded by | Greater London Authority (2000)[a] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | Electoral divisions |
Councillors | 100 (1965–1973) 92 (1973–1986) |
Aldermen | 16 (1965–1973) 15 (1973–1977) |
| Elections | |
First election | 9 April 1964 |
Last election | 7 May 1981 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Hall,Lambeth which was the headquarters of the GLC[1] | |
TheGreater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body forGreater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlierLondon County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 1986 by theLocal Government Act 1985 and its powers were devolved to the London boroughs and other entities. A new administrative body, known as theGreater London Authority (GLA), was established in 2000.
In 1957 aRoyal Commission on Local Government in Greater London had been set up underSir Edwin Herbert to consider the local government arrangements in theLondon area.
It reported in 1960, recommending the creation of 52 newLondon boroughs as the basis for local government. It further recommended that the LCC be replaced by a weaker strategic authority, with responsibility for public transport, road schemes, housing development and regeneration. TheGreater London Group, a research centre of academics within theLondon School of Economics, also had a significant effort on the commission's report and the eventual creation of the GLC.[2][3]
Most of the commission's recommendations were accepted, but the number of new boroughs was reduced to 32.Greater London covered the wholeCounty of London and most ofMiddlesex, plus parts ofEssex,Kent, andSurrey, a small part ofHertfordshire and the independentcounty boroughs ofCroydon (geographically in Surrey) andEast Ham andWest Ham (both in Essex).[4][5]
Some areas on the boundaries of the area recommended by the Herbert Commission, fearing increased local taxation, fought successfully not to come under the new Greater London Council, notably the urban districts ofChigwell in Essex; andSunbury-on-Thames,Staines andPotters Bar in Middlesex. Other areas recommended for inclusion that were never part of Greater London includedEpsom and Ewell,Caterham andWarlingham,Esher, andWeybridge.[5]
The first election for the new Greater London Council took place on 9 April 1964, and the old London County Council was abolished the following year.[6][7]
The GLC was established on 1 April 1965 by theLondon Government Act 1963, which sought to create a new body covering more of London rather than just the inner part of theconurbation, additionally including and empowering newly created London boroughs within the overall administrative structure.[8]
Within the newGreater London administrative area the council replacedEssex County Council,Hertfordshire County Council,Kent County Council,London County Council,Middlesex County Council and the councils of the county boroughs ofCroydon,East Ham andWest Ham.
GLC councillors elected for Inner London electoral divisions (the former County of London) becameex officio members of the newInner London Education Authority, which took over the LCC responsibility for education. By contrast in Outer London, which was the rest of Greater London, the 20 London borough councils each became a local education authority, akin to a county council or county borough in the rest of England.[9]
The GLC was responsible for running strategic services such as thefire service, emergency planning, waste disposal and flood prevention. The GLC shared responsibility with theLondon boroughs for providing roads, housing,city planning and leisure services. It had a very limited role in direct service provision with most functions the responsibility of the London boroughs. The GLC did not take control of public transport from theLondon Transport Board until 1970 and lost control toLondon Regional Transport in 1984.Under the 1963 Act, the GLC was required to produce aGreater London Development Plan. The plan included in its wide-ranging remit: population changes, employment, housing, pollution,transport, roads, thecentral area, growth and development areas, urbanopen spaces and the urban landscape, public services and utilities and planning standards. The plan included the comprehensive redevelopment ofCovent Garden and creating a central London motorway loop. The plan was subject to an Inquiry which lasted from July 1970 until May 1972.[10] The campaign to save Covent Garden along with various opposition on other matters largely derailed the plan.[11]
According to one observer:
Looked at from the angle of the GLC... it is useful to consider planning, highways, and traffic together, not only because of the links between them but also because, apart from housing, most other functions of the GLC although important in themselves, do not add up to an argument for a large authority of this type. The GLC is a strategic planning authority, taken in the widest sense, or it is nothing.[12]
Each of the six GLC elections was won by the leading national opposition party, with the party in government nationally coming second in the GLC elections.[13]
The first GLC election was on 9 April 1964. Each of the new boroughs elected a number of representatives under thebloc vote system. Despite Conservative hopes, the first GLC consisted of 64 Labour and 36 Conservative councillors[13] and Labour Group leaderBill Fiske became the first Leader of the council.[14]
At the next election in 1967 the unpopularity of the national Labour government produced a massive Conservative victory with 82 seats, to Labour's 18.[13]Desmond Plummer became the first Conservative leader of London-wide government in 33 years. The Conservatives retained control in 1970 with a reduced majority.[14]
In 1972 the electoral system was reformed to introducesingle-member constituencies for the election after the 1973 contest, and extend the term of office to four years. Labour fought the 1973 election on a strongly socialist platform and won with 58 seats to 32 for the Conservatives. TheLiberals won two seats.[13]
The GLC's hopes under the Labour administration ofReg Goodwin were badly affected by the oil crisis of 1974. Massive inflation, combined with the GLC's £1.6 billion debt, led to heavy rate increases (200% in total before the next election in 1977) and unpopular budget cuts. Some months before the 1977 elections the Labour Group began to split. A left group, includingKen Livingstone, denounced the election manifesto of the party.[14]
The Conservatives regained control in May 1977, winning 64 seats under their newThatcherite leaderHorace Cutler against a Labour total of just 28. Cutler headed a resolutely right-wing administration, cutting spending, sellingcouncil housing and deprioritising London Transport. In opposition the Labour Party continued to fractionalise: Goodwin resigned suddenly in 1980 and in the following leadership contest the little-regarded left-winger Ken Livingstone was only just beaten in an intensely tactical campaign by the moderateAndrew McIntosh. However, the Labour left were strong at constituency level and as the 1981 election approached they worked to ensure that their members were selected to stand and that their democratic socialist anti-austerity convictions shaped themanifesto.[14]
The May 1981 election was presented as a clash of ideologies by the Conservatives –Thatcherism against a "tax high, spend high"Marxist Labour group, claiming thatAndrew McIntosh would be deposed by Ken Livingstone after the election. McIntosh and Labour Party leaderMichael Foot insisted this was untrue, and Labour won a very narrow victory with a majority of six. At a pre-arranged meeting of the new Councillors the day after the election, the Left faction won a complete victory over the less-organised Labour right. McIntosh lost with 20 votes to 30 for Ken Livingstone. Livingstone, dubbed "Red Ken" by some newspapers, managed to gain the guarded support of the Labour deputy leaderIlltyd Harrington and the party Chief Whip and set about his new administration. Livingstone's deputy leader of the GLC from 1985 to 1986 wasJohn McDonnell, futureShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer underJeremy Corbyn. Livingstone's Technology Director wasMike Cooley who established The Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB).[15]
The first election was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the creation of the council. Subsequent elections were held every three years for a three-year term in 1967, 1970 and 1973. The first three elections were for 100 councillors from 32 multi-member constituencies. This was revised to 92 councillors from single-member constituencies from the 1973 election. The electoral cycle was switched to four-yearly in 1976 and those elected in 1973 had their term extended by another year.[16] Elections were held for a four-year term in 1977 and 1981. In 1984 the elections that were due to happen in 1985 were cancelled and those elected in 1981 had their term extended by another year.[17] The results were as follows:[13]
| Overall control | Conservative | Labour | Liberal | ||
| 1981 | Labour | 41 | 50 | 1 | |
| 1977 | Conservative | 64 | 28 | – | |
| 1973 | Labour | 32 | 58 | 2 | |
| 1970 | Conservative | 65 | 35 | – | |
| 1967 | Conservative | 82 | 18 | – | |
| 1964 | Labour | 36 | 64 | – | |
In addition to the councillors, there werealdermen elected by the council at the ratio of one alderman to every six councillors. Initially there were 100 councillors and sixteen aldermen elected by the council. The eight aldermen elected with the fewest votes in 1964 were for a three year term and other eight had a six year term. Eight aldermen were elected for a six year term in 1967 and 1970. In 1973, to coincide with the reduction in the number of councillors to 92, the number of aldermen was reduced to fifteen and seven aldermen were elected by the council that year. In 1976 the post of alderman was abolished, taking effect from the 1977 election. Aldermen elected in 1970 had their term extended to seven years and those elected 1973 had their term shortened to four years.[16]
The most notable and successful scheme of the GLC was the construction of theThames Barrier that took place between 1974 and 1982 at a cost of £534 million. Some saw it as a GLC vanity project but over time people's opinions have changed: the barrier was used 35 times in the 1990s and was raised 75 times in the first decade of the 21st century, due to rising sea-levels.[6]
In 1969, the GLC announced its plans for theLondon Ringways which were three motorways that were proposed to solve London's traffic problem once and for all. However, the scheme met with heavy opposition as it would have included the demolition of 30,000 homes. TheWestway road scheme was opened in 1970 and hailed as a vision of the future. A review into the planned Ringways took place between 1970 and 1972. It concluded that construction should begin on the controversial Ringway One to relieve congestion in central London, but that the others needed a re-think. TheOuter Ringway was given the go-ahead in 1973 and opened in 1986 as theM25 motorway. The remainder of the GLC's Ringway plans were finally killed off in the 1980s due to public opposition. This meant that the capital was left on a much more human scale than it might have been, but also meant that London was left with an eternally unsolved traffic problem.[18]
In 1983, GLC considered investing £230,000 intoLucas rail-bus, which could run on roads and rail tracks.[19] The original concept was developed byLucas Aerospace workers in the 1970s. In 1980–1981, the workers'combine built a prototype out of a second-hand Bristol bus.[19] The enthusiasm arose from the opportunity to cut costs on rail vehicle production by partially integrating bus parts.[19] Two challenges had to be solved—collision consequences with much heavier rail vehicles and supervision of the transition from road to rail.[19]
AfterWorld War II large areas of homes in London remained derelict after being bombed in the war and some housing that remained standing was often squalid and overcrowded. The GLC, with new housing powers, sought to resolve this but the results were mixed: efforts to relocate Londoners from the dilapidated inner-city areas to the suburbs or satellite towns were met with resistance from the residents of those areas.[20] Notable successful housing developments that were built by the GLC includeBalfron Tower which was completed in 1967 inTower Hamlets andTrellick Tower which was completed in 1972 inNorth Kensington. Both of these buildings are nowGrade II* listed.[21][22]
In addition to the Thames Barrier, other notable successful GLC transport schemes which changed London included the opening of theBlackwall Tunnel second bore and the improvements to theWoolwich Ferry service.[20]
Ken Livingstone's socialist policies put the GLC into direct conflict withMargaret Thatcher’sConservative government. Livingstone soon became a thorn in the side of the Conservative government. He antagonised Thatcher through a series of actions: these included posting a billboard of London's rising unemployment figures on the side ofCounty Hall (directly oppositeParliament), as well as theFares Fair policy of reducingTube and bus fares using government subsidies, in which he was defeated in court byBromley Council,[23] and meetingSinn Féin MPGerry Adams at a time when Adams was banned from entering Great Britain due to his links with theProvisional IRA.[24]
By 1983, the government argued for the abolition of the GLC, claiming that it was inefficient and unnecessary and that its functions could be carried out more efficiently by the boroughs.[20] The arguments for this case which were detailed in theWhite PaperStreamlining the cities. Critics of this position argued that the GLC's abolition (as with that of themetropolitan county councils) was politically motivated, claiming that it had become a powerful vehicle for opposition to Margaret Thatcher's government. Livingstone and three other Labour councillors resigned in protest, and won back their seats easily in the September 1984 by-elections because the Conservatives refused to stand.[25][7]
TheLocal Government Act 1985, which abolished the GLC, faced considerable opposition from many quarters but was narrowly passed in Parliament, setting the end of the council for 31 March 1986. It also cancelled the scheduled May 1985 elections. GLC assets were assigned to theLondon Residuary Body for disposal, including County Hall, which was sold to a Japanese entertainment company and now houses theLondon Aquarium and theLondon Dungeon, among other things.[26]
TheInner London Education Authority (ILEA) continued in existence for a few years, and direct elections to it were held but ILEA was finally also disbanded in 1990, with the Inner London boroughs assuming control over education as the outer boroughs had done on their creation in 1965.[9]
Most of the powers of the GLC were devolved to the London boroughs. Some powers, such as the fire service, were taken over byjoint boards made up of councillors appointed by the boroughs – seewaste authorities in Greater London for an example. In total, around 100 organisations were responsible for service delivery in Greater London.[27]
Tony Blair'sLabour government was elected in1997, and was committed to bringing back London-wide government. In 1998 a referendum was held on the establishment of a new London authority and elected mayor, which was approved by a two to one margin.[28]
The newGreater London Authority (GLA) was established in 2000 and was effectively a scaled down version of the GLC.[6] The GLA has a different structure to the GLC, consisting of a directly electedMayor of London and aLondon Assembly. The Mayor of London elections were won by the same Ken Livingstone, who began his victory speech with the words: "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted 14 years ago ...".[29][6]
In February 2020, Labour'sTom Copley, supported by the Conservative'sTony Arbour, both members of the London Assembly, called for theGLC's coat of arms to be adopted by the GLA.[30][31] In December 2025, the GLA was granted the right to use the GLC coat of arms by the King.[32] The archives of the Greater London Council are held atLondon Metropolitan Archives.[33]
| Number | Image | Leader | Term | Party | Seat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | SirBill Fiske (1905–1975) | 1964–1967 | Labour | Havering | |
| 2 |  | SirDesmond Plummer (1914–2009) | 1967–1973 | Conservative | Westminster and the City of London | |
| 3 | | SirReg Goodwin (1908–1986) | 1973–1977 | Labour | Bermondsey | |
| 4 | SirHorace Cutler (1912–1997) | 1977–1981 | Conservative | Harrow West | ||
| 5 |  | Ken Livingstone (born 1945) (Tenure) | 1981–1986 | Labour | Paddington | |
Ken Livingstone resigned on 2 August 1984, triggering the1984 Paddington by-election. He was re-elected on 20 September 1984. During this time Ken Livingstone was not a member andJohn Wilson (Labour,Newham North East) acted as leader of the council.
Ruck, G. and Rhodes, S. (1970). The Government of Greater London. p. 96
No ordinary elections of councillors of the Greater London Council or for a metropolitan county shall be held after the coming into force of this Part of this Act; and any such councillor— (a) whose term of office would, apart from this section, expire on 7th May 1985; or (b) who is elected to fill a vacancy occurring after that date, shall, unless he resigns his office or it otherwise becomes vacant, continue to hold office until 1st April 1986
