Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998
| Act of Parliament | |
| 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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |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]
Proposal
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% | |
Outcome
Following the successful outcome of the vote the Greater London Authority Act 1999 was passed by the UK Parliament and the Authority came into being following elections in 2000.
See also
References
- ^ "Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998".
- ^ "Greater London Authority (Referendum) Bill". 29 October 1997.
- ^ a b c Sandford, Mark (5 June 2025). "The Greater London Authority". House of Commons Library.
- ^ "ALG WELCOMES BILL PAVING WAY FOR LONDON REFERENDUM". Local Government Chronicle. 29 October 1997. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "TORIES TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTS TO LONDON REFERENDUM BILL". Local Government Chronicle. 30 October 1997. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "BILL PUBLISHED TO GIVE LONDONERS THEIR SAY". Local Government Chronicle. 29 October 1997. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Results: The final count in local elections and London's referendum". Independent. 8 May 1998. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2025.