Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998
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| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | 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. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1998 c. 3 |
| Introduced by | John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| Territorial extent | England |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 23 February 1998 |
Status: Spent | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 (c. 3) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which made legal provision for the holding of a non-binding referendum in Greater London on whether there should be a democratically elected Assembly for London and a separately elected Mayor for London.[1][2]
The government published a green paper with the title New Leadership for London in July 1997.[3] This laid out the principles of the GLA: a strong mayor and a "strategic" assembly.[3]
The act legislated for the holding of a non-binding referendum to be held on 7 May 1998 in Greater London on whether there should be a democratically elected London Assembly and a separately elected Mayor for London and legislates for the appointment a Chief Counting Officer to oversee the referendum.
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. details.[3]
The legislation was supported by the Association of London Government.[4] The Conservative Party criticised the lack of separate votes for a mayor and an assembly.[5]
The referendum
The act legislated for a non binding referendum to be held in Greater London on 7 May 1998 on the issue of a Greater London Authority and enables the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to appoint a Chief Counting Officer to oversee the referendum.
Referendum question
The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum before the electorate under the act was:[6]
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
permitting a simple YES / NO answer.
Counting areas
The 32 London boroughs would be used as the counting areas for the referendum.[7]
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% | |