1998 Greater London Authority referendum

May 2025February 2022 Referendum held in Greater London on 7 May 1998 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? 1998 05 07 y 478413 1230759 1735350 5016064 Greater London Authority referendum, 1998.svg borough 34.1 Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 Act Parliament of the United Kingdom An Act to make provision for the holding of a referendum on the establishment of a Greater London Authority and for expenditure in preparation for such an Authority; and to confer additional functions on the Local Government Commission for England in connection with the establishment of such an Authority. 1998 1998 c. 3 John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Baroness Hayman England 23 February 1998 spent https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/3/introduction yes Greater London Authority Act 1998 yes The 1998 Greater London Authority referendum was held in Greater London on 7 May 1998. The referendum asked 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%.1998-05-08 Overwhelming vote for mayor https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/89327.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20120911054842/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/89327.stm 2012-09-11 2025-05-08 BBC News The referendum was held under the Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 provisions. Polling day coincided with the 1998 London local elections. Background Labour's 1997 general election manifesto, New Labour, New Life for Britain, mentioned establishing a directly elected mayor and authority.2002-05-06 Labour's 1997 pledges: The constitution https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2002/blair_years/1959867.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20090326055224/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2002/blair_years/1959867.stm 2009-03-26 2025-05-12 BBC News Following a referendum to confirm popular demand, there will be a new deal for London, with a strategic authority and a mayor, each directly elected. New Labour, New Life for Britain This would be the first London-wide government since the abolition of the Greater London Council.O'Grady Sean 2024-12-16 How will Labour's plans for devolution actually work? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/politics-explained/devolution-regions-reform-mayor-angela-rayner-b2665153.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250501091306/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/politics-explained/devolution-regions-reform-mayor-angela-rayner-b2665153.html 2025-05-01 2025-05-12 Independent The government published a green paper with the title New Leadership for London in July 1997.Sandford Mark 2025-06-05 The Greater London Authority https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05817/ House of Commons Library en-GB This laid out the principles of the GLA: a strong mayor and a "strategic" assembly. The full proposals were confirmed in a March 1998 white paper entitled A Mayor and Assembly for London which set out the full details of the proposal. Referendum question The referendum asked voters the following question: 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? Form of ballot paper Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998, Schedule Voters were permitted to select either a simple YES or NO answer. Result Overall result Greater London Authority referendum, 1998 Result Choice Votes % Yes 1,230,739 72.01% No 478,413 27.99% Valid votes 1,709,172 98.49% Invalid or blank votes 26,178 1.51% Total votes 1,735,350 100.00% Registered voters and turnout 5,016,064 34.60% Referendum Yes 1,230,759 #6c0 #000 No 478,413 #f39 #000 Results by borough +Results by borough1998-05-08 Results: The final count in local elections and London's referendum https://www.independent.co.uk/news/results-the-final-count-in-local-elections-and-london-s-referendum-1160450.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20210922023427/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/results-the-final-count-in-local-elections-and-london-s-referendum-1160450.html 2021-09-22 2025-05-08 Independent Local authority Votes Proportion of votes Turnout* Agree Disagree Agree Disagree 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 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.May 2025 Aftermath The government passed the Greater London Authority Act 1999, creating the Greater London Authority. The first elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly were held in May 2000. The Conservatives criticised the referendum's low turnout, and suggested that it undermined the legitimacy of the referendum. The Labour Party refuted this suggestion, by instead suggesting that many people had decided to not vote because they perceived the result as a foregone conclusion, and that there was significant enthusiasm for a "strong, independent, political voice that can speak up for Londoners".1998-05-08 London wants a mayor https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/89336.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20220628170910/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/89336.stm 2022-06-28 2025-05-08 BBC News The establishment of directly elected mayors was suggested as possibly as constitutionally significant as Scottish devolution or Welsh devolution.1999-11-20 A mayor for the millennium https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/73023.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20151226182124/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/73023.stm 2015-12-26 2025-05-08 BBC News References External links MayorWatch London Elections Guide Devolution referendum Greater London Authority referendum Devolution referendum Category:Referendums in England Category:Devolution in the United Kingdom Greater London Authority referendum Category:Autonomy referendums