The London referendum of 1998 was a referendum held in the Greater London area on Thursday, May 7, 1998 asking whether there was support for the creation of the Greater London Authority, consisting of a directly elected Mayor of London and a separately elected London Assembly. Unlike the referendum in Scotland, there was no proposal for the assembly to have legislative or tax varying powers. There was a very low turnout for the referendum - only about a third of Londoners voted.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/london_referendum/89327.stm

Results

The electorate were asked to vote yes or no to the 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?'

There was a majority in favour of 'yes' in every individual London borough. There was generally more support in Inner London boroughs than Outer London ones. The lowest support figures were 60.5% (Havering) and 57.1% (Bromley), the greatest were 83.8% (Haringey) and 81.8% (Lambeth).

Government response

The government passed the Greater London Authority Act 1999, creating the Greater London Authority. Elections for the mayor and assembly were held in May 2000.

External links

• MayorWatch London Elections Guide