The Greater London Authority referendum of 1998 was a
referendum held in
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
on 7 May 1998, asking whether there was support for the creation of a
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
, composed of a directly elected
Mayor of London and a
London Assembly
The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
to scrutinise the Mayor's actions.
Voter turnout was low, at just 34.1%.
The referendum was held under the provisions of the
Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998.
Referendum question
The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum before the electorate was:
permitting a simple YES / NO answer.
Result
Results by borough
The 'Yes' vote won in every
London Borough, though support generally was 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
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
.
Income level of boroughs was even a greater factor affecting the outcome.
Aftermath
The government passed the
Greater London Authority Act 1999, creating the
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
. Elections for the
Mayor of London and the
London Assembly
The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
were held in May 2000.
References
External links
MayorWatch London Elections Guide
{{Devolution in the United Kingdom
Devolution referendum
1998 referendums
Devolution referendum
Referendums in England
Devolution in the United Kingdom
May 1998 events in the United Kingdom