1892 London County Council Election
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An election to the
County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...
of
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
took place on 5 March 1892. The council was elected by
First Past the Post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
with each elector having two votes in the two-member seats. The
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...
retained control of the council, gaining seats from the
Moderates Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...
.


Campaign

The Progressives argued that a political party system was necessary on the council, and that the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
had attempted to discredit the party's leadership of the council, for the benefit of the opposition
Moderates Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...
. The party called for the council to be given powers over the
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, and the city's water supply and tramways. The Moderates did not conduct a centralised campaign, but the Conservative Party worked in support of the group. It argued that a formal party system would lead to corruption, and that the Progressives were at fault for developing one. It also campaigned against
Irish home rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...
. W. M. Thompson, one of the Progressive candidates in
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was disqualified as he did not live in the division. Working as a barrister, he had supplied the address of his chambers on the nomination papers, but this was not deemed suitable qualification.


Results

Although the previous election was not conducted on formal party lines, the elected members had either joined the Progressives or aligned with the Moderate group, so it was possible to track the changes to the council. The Progressives won 11 more seats than in 1889, at the expense of the Moderates. The Moderate gained a single seat, in
Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...
. The ''
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'' argued that the Progressives would be unable to carry out much of their programme, as it fell outside the council's remit; but that if the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
won the upcoming 1892 UK general election, it might be given responsibilities in these additional areas.


References

{{United Kingdom local elections, 1892 1892 elections in the United Kingdom County Council election London County Council election London County Council elections London County Council election