The Greater London Council

Greater London Council

The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...

's political leadership was in the hands of a Leader and a number of committees. Detailed policy proposals in the service areas were set by the committees, with the leadership nominating the Chairs who also had a degree of executive responsibility outside of meetings. The Chairs of the Committees also formed an unofficial Cabinet

Cabinet (government)

A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...

 which advised the Leader on policy and through which the Leader could take political soundings.

Formally the committees were divided into Standing Committees and Special Committees. Eventually the cabinet was formed as the 'Leader's Committee' which was a Special Committee.

Fiske administration (1964-1967)

Committee	Chairman	Date	Notes
Standing Committees
Alexandra Park Alexandra Park, London Alexandra Park is an 80 hectare, Green Flag Award and Green Heritage winning landscaped park in the Borough of Haringey in north London.-Overview:...  and Palace Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...	Louis Vitoria	13 June 1966	Set up in 1966.
Ambulance	Florence Cayford Florence Cayford Dame Florence Evelyne Cayford, DBE, JP was a Labour politician in London.From 1937 until 1965 Cayford served as a member of Hampstead Borough Council, leading the Labour group 1945-58. She represented Hampstead as Alderman on the London County Council, of which she was Chairman in 1960...	29 May 1964
	George Palmer	22 April 1966
Establishment and Supplies	Norman Prichard	28 May 1964	Committee abolished, 6 April 1965
Establishment	Sidney Melman	29 April 1965	Set up in 1965.
Finance	Reg Goodwin Reg Goodwin Sir Reginald Eustace Goodwin was a British politician. He was Leader of the Greater London Council from 1973-77. On the moderate wing of the Labour Party, he nonetheless favoured public control of utilities.-Family background:Goodwin was from a middle-class family of five and was born in Streatham...	2 June 1964
Fire Brigade	Ellis Garton	29 May 1964
General Purposes	Victor Mishcon Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon, QC, DL was a leading British solicitor and a Labour politician. His firm acted for Diana, Princess of Wales in her divorce...	8 June 1964
Highways and Traffic	Richard Edmonds	5 June 1964
	Jane Phillips	9 April 1965
Housing	Evelyn Denington Evelyn Denington, Baroness Denington Evelyn Joyce Denington, Baroness Denington DBE was a British politician. She served as chair of the Stevenage Development Corporation from 1966 to 1980 and chair of the Greater London Council from 1975 to 1976....	3 June 1964
Licensing	Alec Grant	14 April 1965	Set up in 1965.
New and Expanding Towns	Jane Phillips	27 May 1964
	Richard Edmonds	7 April 1965
Parks and Smallholdings	Sidney Melman	29 May 1964
	Peggy Jay	30 April 1965
Planning and Communications	Christopher Higgins	2 June 1964
Public Health Services	Albert Samuels	27 May 1964
Staff Appeals	Harry Lamborn Harry Lamborn Harry George Lamborn , British Labour Party politician, was born in London and had a background in the British Trade Union movement — specifically his union USDAW, local government and the London Co-operative movement....	4 May 1965	Set up in 1965.
Supplies	Samuel Boyce	4 May 1965	Set up in 1965.
Special Committees
Selection	Bill Fiske	April 27, 1964	Nominated members to the other committees.

Plummer

Desmond Plummer

Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone was a Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council....

 administration (1967-1973)

Committee	Chairman	Date	Notes
Standing Committees
Alexandra Park Alexandra Park, London Alexandra Park is an 80 hectare, Green Flag Award and Green Heritage winning landscaped park in the Borough of Haringey in north London.-Overview:...  and Palace Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...	Reginald Marks	2 May 1967	Abolished, 23 July 1968.
Ambulance	Robert Mitchell	28 April 1970
	Andrew Jardine	4 May 1971
Arts and Recreation	Harold Sebag-Montefiore	23 July 1968	Set up in 1968.
Covent Garden Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...  Joint Development	The Countess of Dartmouth Raine de Chambrun Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer is a British socialite and local politician. She is the daughter of novelist Barbara Cartland and Alexander McCorquodale. However her mother later alleged that she was fathered by Prince George, Duke of Kent. At aged 23, she became the youngest member of...	4 May 1971	Set up in 1971.
	Robert Mitchell	13 September 1972
Environmental Planning	Robert Vigars	28 April 1970	Set up in 1970.
	Richard Brew	4 May 1971
Establishment	Sir Graham Rowlandson	2 May 1967
	Maurice Gaffney	9 October 1969
	Leslie Freeman	28 April 1970
Finance and Scrutiny	Sir Graham Rowlandson	28 April 1970	Set up in 1970.
Finance and Supplies	Sir Louis Gluckstein Louis Gluckstein Colonel Sir Louis Halle Gluckstein, GBE, TD, KC, DL was a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician.- Career :Gluckstein was educated at St Paul's School and Lincoln College, Oxford...	2 May 1967
	Roland Freeman	14 May 1968
	Sir Graham Rowlandson	30 September 1969	Abolished, 28 April 1970.
Fire Brigade	Robert Mitchell	28 April 1970	Set up in 1970.
	Andrew Jardine	4 May 1971
Fire Brigade and Ambulance	Robert Mitchell	2 May 1967	Abolished, 23 July 1968.
General Purposes	Leslie Freeman	2 May 1967
	Sir Percy Rugg	12 May 1969
	Frank Abbott	28 April 1970
	Geoffrey Chase-Gardner	7 February 1972
Highways and Traffic	Robert Vigars	2 May 1967	Abolished, 23 July 1968.
Housing	Horace Cutler Horace Cutler Sir Horace Walter Cutler OBE was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. He was noted for his showmanship and flair for publicity, although sceptical of the merits of the authority he was in charge of.-Origin:Cutler was born in Stoke Newington, London into...	2 May 1967
	Geoffrey Chase-Gardner	28 April 1970
	Bernard Perkins	3 February 1972
Licensing	Harold Sebag-Montefiore	2 May 1967	Abolished, 23 July 1968
New and Expanding Towns	George Everitt	2 May 1967	Abolished, 28 April 1970
Parks and Smallholdings	Gordon Dixon	2 May 1967	Abolished, 28 April 1970
Planning and Communications	Geoffrey Aplin	2 May 1967
	Thomas Scott	13 May 1968	Abolished, 23 July 1968
Planning and Transportation	Robert Vigars	23 July 1968	Set up in 1968; abolished, 28 April 1970.
Policy and Resources	Horace Cutler Horace Cutler Sir Horace Walter Cutler OBE was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. He was noted for his showmanship and flair for publicity, although sceptical of the merits of the authority he was in charge of.-Origin:Cutler was born in Stoke Newington, London into...	28 April 1970	Set up in 1970.
Policy Steering	Desmond Plummer Desmond Plummer Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone was a Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council....	23 July 1968	Set up in 1968; abolished, 28 April 1970.
Public Health Services	Peter Black	2 May 1967	Abolished, 23 July 1968
Public Services	Peter Black	23 July 1968
	Maurice Gaffney	28 April 1970
	Peter Black	7 June 1971
Scrutiny	Harold Mote	23 July 1968	Set up in 1968; abolished, 28 April 1970.
Strategic Planning	Dr Gerard Vaughan Gerard Folliott Vaughan Sir Gerard Folliot Vaughan was a psychiatrist and UK politician, who reached ministerial rank during the Thatcher administration...	23 July 1968
	Robert Vigars	4 May 1971
Thamesmead Thamesmead Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....	Seton Forbes-Cockell	2 May 1967	Died, 19 September 1971
	David Harris	13 October 1971
Town Development	George Everitt	28 April 1970
	Peter Black	4 May 1971
	Bernard Brook-Partridge	7 June 1971
Special Committees
Staff Appeals	Robert Turner	2 May 1967	Died 27 September 1968.
	Sir Louis Gluckstein Louis Gluckstein Colonel Sir Louis Halle Gluckstein, GBE, TD, KC, DL was a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician.- Career :Gluckstein was educated at St Paul's School and Lincoln College, Oxford...	2 May 1969
Procedure	Desmond Plummer Desmond Plummer Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone was a Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council....	5 July 1967	Abolished, 28 April 1970.
Leader's Council	Desmond Plummer Desmond Plummer Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone was a Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council....	23 July 1968

Goodwin

Reg Goodwin

Sir Reginald Eustace Goodwin was a British politician. He was Leader of the Greater London Council from 1973-77. On the moderate wing of the Labour Party, he nonetheless favoured public control of utilities.-Family background:Goodwin was from a middle-class family of five and was born in Streatham...

 administration (1973-1977)

Committee	Chairman	Date	Notes
Standing Committees
Ambulance	Tony Judge	4 May 1973	Abolished, 14 May 1974.
Arts and Recreation	Ellis Hillman	4 May 1973
Covent Garden Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...  Joint Development	Tom Ponsonby	4 May 1973
	Jean Merriton	13 May 1975
Fire Brigade	John Henry	4 May 1973
General Purposes	Dr Stephen Haseler	4 May 1973
	Tony Banks Tony Banks, Baron Stratford Anthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2005, before being made a Member of the House of Lords. In government, he served for two years as Minister for Sport...	13 May 1975
Housing Administration	Marie Jenkins	4 May 1973	Abolished, 14 May 1974.
Housing Development	Gladys Dimson	4 May 1973
	Richard Balfe Richard Balfe -Early life:Born in Barton Mills, Mildenhall, Suffolk, Balfe spent time in a children's home in Sheffield. He began working in a bakery in 1960 and joined USDAW...	13 May 1975
Housing Management	Tony Judge	14 May 1974	Set up in 1974.
Planning	Edward Bell	4 May 1973
	Norman Howard	14 May 1974
Policy and Resources	Illtyd Harrington	4 May 1973
Public Services	Arthur Edwards	4 May 1973
Thamesmead Thamesmead Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....	Richard Balfe Richard Balfe -Early life:Born in Barton Mills, Mildenhall, Suffolk, Balfe spent time in a children's home in Sheffield. He began working in a bakery in 1960 and joined USDAW...	4 May 1973
	William Simson	13 May 1975
Town Development	Robert Crane	4 May 1973
	Edward Bell	14 May 1974
	Stephen Hatch	13 May 1975
Transport	Evelyn Denington Evelyn Denington, Baroness Denington Evelyn Joyce Denington, Baroness Denington DBE was a British politician. She served as chair of the Stevenage Development Corporation from 1966 to 1980 and chair of the Greater London Council from 1975 to 1976....	4 May 1973
	Jim Daly	13 May 1975
Special Committees
Leader's Council	Sir Reg Goodwin Reg Goodwin Sir Reginald Eustace Goodwin was a British politician. He was Leader of the Greater London Council from 1973-77. On the moderate wing of the Labour Party, he nonetheless favoured public control of utilities.-Family background:Goodwin was from a middle-class family of five and was born in Streatham...	4 May 1973
Staff Appeals	Anna Grieves	4 May 1973

Cutler

Horace Cutler

Sir Horace Walter Cutler OBE was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. He was noted for his showmanship and flair for publicity, although sceptical of the merits of the authority he was in charge of.-Origin:Cutler was born in Stoke Newington, London into...

 administration (1977-1981)

Committee	Chairman	Date	Notes
Standing Committees
Arts	Bernard Brook-Partridge	24 May 1977
	Fredk. Weyer	16 May 1978
Covent Garden Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...	Alan Greengross	24 May 1977
	Dr Mark Lister Patterson	16 May 1978
Finance and Establishment	Alan Hardy	24 May 1977
Fire Brigade	Tom Ham	24 May 1977
General Management	Geoffrey Seaton	24 May 1977
Historic Buildings	William Bell	24 May 1977
Housing Development	Geoffrey Aplin	24 May 1977
	Lawrence Bains	18 June 1979
Housing Management	Jean Tatham	24 May 1977
	David Ashby David Ashby David Glynn Ashby was the Conservative Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire from 1983 until he stood down in 1997.He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe and the University of Bristol...	13 February 1979
Housing Policy	George Tremlett George Tremlett George William Tremlett is a British author, bookshop owner, and former politician.-Writing:According to his own mini-biography, after leaving King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon Tremlett worked for the Coventry Evening Telegraph from 1957 as a TV columnist and pop music reviewer...	24 May 1977
Industry and Employment	Mervyn Scorgie	24 May 1977
Legal and Parliamentary	James Lemkin	24 May 1977
	David Ashby David Ashby David Glynn Ashby was the Conservative Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire from 1983 until he stood down in 1997.He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe and the University of Bristol...	16 May 1978
	John Major	13 February 1979
London Transport	Harold Mote	24 May 1977
	Dr Gordon Taylor	16 May 1978
	Harold Mote	19 December 1979
Open Spaces and Recreation	Sydney Ripley	24 May 1977
Planning, Central Area	Herbert Sandford	24 May 1977
Planning, North Area	William Clack	24 May 1977
	Alan Greengross	16 May 1978
	John Putnam	18 June 1979
Planning, South Area	Joan Wykes	24 May 1977
Planning and Communications Policy	Shelagh Roberts	24 May 1977
	Alan Greengross	18 June 1979
Policy and Resources	Richard Brew	24 May 1977
Professional and General Services	Robert Mitchell	24 May 1977
	Cyril Taylor	18 June 1979
Public Services and Safety	Dr Gordon Taylor	24 May 1977
	Bernard Brook-Partridge	16 May 1978
	Stanley Bolton	7 February 1979
Recreation and Community Services Policy	Peter Black	24 May 1977
Thamesmead Thamesmead Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....	Victor Langton	24 May 1977
Town Development	Frank Smith	24 May 1977
Special Committees
Leader's	Horace Cutler Horace Cutler Sir Horace Walter Cutler OBE was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. He was noted for his showmanship and flair for publicity, although sceptical of the merits of the authority he was in charge of.-Origin:Cutler was born in Stoke Newington, London into...	24 May 1977
Scrutiny	Sir Malby Crofton, Bt.	24 May 1977
	James Lemkin	16 May 1978
Staff Appeals	Muriel Gumbel	24 May 1977
Construction Branch Contracts Review	Horace Cutler Horace Cutler Sir Horace Walter Cutler OBE was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. He was noted for his showmanship and flair for publicity, although sceptical of the merits of the authority he was in charge of.-Origin:Cutler was born in Stoke Newington, London into...	15 May 1979	Set up in 1979.
Local Government Bill Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 The Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 was responsible for the establishment of Development Corporations, including the London Docklands Development Corporation....	Richard Brew	14 January 1980	Set up in 1980.
Housing Bill Housing Act 1980 The Housing Act 1980 was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave five million council house tenants in England and Wales the Right to Buy their house from their local authority. The Act came into force on the 3 October 1980 and is seen as a defining policy of...	George Tremlett	5 February 1980	Set up in 1980.

Livingstone

Ken Livingstone

Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...

 administration (1981-1986)

Committee	Chairman	Date	Notes
Standing Committees
Arts and Recreation	Tony Banks Tony Banks, Baron Stratford Anthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2005, before being made a Member of the House of Lords. In government, he served for two years as Minister for Sport...	28 May 1981
	Peter Pitt	22 May 1984
Ethnic Minorities	Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...	28 May 1981
Finance and General Purposes	Dr Anthony Hart	28 May 1981
	John McDonnell John McDonnell (politician) John Martin McDonnell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997; he serves as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Labour Representation Committee, and the "Public Services Not Private Profit Group"...	11 May 1982	Replaced by Michael Ward as Acting Chair, March 1985.
	Alex Mackay	21 May 1985
Greater London Manpower Board	Gareth Daniel	11 May 1982	Set up in 1982. Renamed Greater London Training Board, 3 May 1983.
Housing	Gladys Dimson	28 May 1981
	Anthony McBrearty	11 May 1982
Industry and Employment	Mike Ward	28 May 1981
Legal and General	Harvey Hinds	28 May 1981
	John Wilson John Wilson (British politician) John Wilson was a Labour Party member of the Greater London Council from May 1977 until the council was abolished in 1986. He was Chief Whip of the Labour group in 1984 when Ken Livingstone resigned from the GLC to force a by-election aimed at showing the popularity of the GLC. Wilson acted as...	3 May 1983
Planning	Ed Gouge	28 May 1981
	George Nicholson	3 May 1983
Police	Paul Boateng Paul Boateng Paul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury...	28 May 1981
Policy and Performance Review	Illtyd Harrington	28 May 1981
	Harvey Hinds	22 May 1984	Renamed Policy and Performance, 21 May 1985.
Public Services and Fire Brigade	Simon Turney	28 May 1981
Staff	John Carr	28 May 1981
Technical Services	Alex Mackay	3 May 1983	Set up in 1983.
	Sir Ashley Bramall Ashley Bramall Sir Ashley Bramall was a British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Bexley from 1946 to 1950 and Leader of the Inner London Education Authority for 11 years.-Family and early career:...	21 May 1985
Transport	Dave Wetzel	28 May 1981
Women's	Valerie Wise	11 May 1982	Set up in 1982.
Special Committees
Policy Co-ordinating	Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...	28 May 1981
Staff Appeals	Harry Kay	28 May 1981
	John Ward	22 May 1984
Local Government Finance Bill	Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...	11 May 1982	Set up in 1982; abolished, 3 May 1983.
Matters relating to the Council's Future Existence and Functions	Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...	22 May 1984	Set up in 1984.
	Illtyd Harrington	21 May 1985
Policy and Resources	Ken Livingstone Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...	21 May 1985	Set up in 1985.