1998 Greater London Authority referendum

1998 Greater London Authority referendum

7 May 1998 (1998-05-07)
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?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 1,230,759 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/turnout 5,016,064 34.1%
Results by borough

National and regional referendums held within the United Kingdom and its constituent countries
Northern Ireland border poll     1973 EC membership referendum     1975 Scottish devolution referendum     1979 Welsh devolution referendum     1979 Scottish devolution referendum     1997 Welsh devolution referendum     1997 Greater London Authority referendum     1998 NI Good Friday Agreement referendum     1998 NE England devolution referendum     2004 Welsh devolution referendum     2011 Alternative Vote referendum     2011 Scottish independence referendum     2014 EU membership referendum     2016     * UK-wide referendums in bold
v t e

The 1998 Greater London Authority referendum was held in Greater London on 7 May 1998, asking 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%.^[1] The referendum was held under the Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998 provisions.

The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum before the electorate was:

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?

permitting a simple YES / NO answer.

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.

This article is part of a series within the Politics of England on the
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v t e

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

• MayorWatch London Elections Guide