Vivian Walter Hough Bendall (born 14 December 1938) is a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and estate agent. After gaining Ilford North at the 1978 by-election he served as the constituency's

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

until his defeat in 1997. Bendall is on the centre of the party.

Business life

Born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

, Bendall's father and grandfather were both estate agents. After attending Coombe Hill House Preparatory School and Broad Green College in Croydon, he entered the same profession himself in 1956. In 1962 he became a partner of Bendall, Featherby and Co., estate agents of Croydon, and in the next year he became Principal. He remained in charge of the business until 1986.Andrew Roth, "Parliamentary Profiles A-D", Parliamentary Profiles Ltd, 1988, p. 81-2. He also worked as a surveyor and valuer."The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1974", Times Newspapers Ltd, 1974, p. 146.

Politics

After joining the Young Conservatives in 1955, Bendall was Vice-Chairman of Croydon South Young Conservatives in 1965 and Chairman of Greater London Young Conservatives in 1967. He was elected to Croydon Borough Council when it was created as a London Borough in 1964, serving until 1974, and also represented Croydon on the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

from 1970 to 1973. At the February 1974 general election, he stood for 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 ...

in Hertford and Stevenage, losing to Labour's

Shirley Williams Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, (' Catlin; 27 July 1930 – 12 April 2021) was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from ...

by 8,176 votes; a second try in October 1974 saw defeat by 9,046."The Times Guide to the House of Commons, October 1974", Times Newspapers Ltd, 1974, p. 153.

By-election

On 25 November 1975, Bendall was adopted as Conservative candidate for Ilford North, which the Conservatives had narrowly lost to Labour's Millie Miller."Tories' choice", ''The Times'', 26 November 1975, p. 3. At the 1976 Conservative Party conference, he denounced the ruling Labour government as having "strangled the nation" and demanded an immediate general election."Tories in power would offer trade unionists higher take-home pay, Sir Geoffrey Howe states", ''The Times'', 6 October 1976, p. 4. At the end of October 1977, Millie Miller died, precipitating a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to ...

in the seat for which Bendall had been selected. A rival candidate was Tom Iremonger, who had been Conservative MP for the seat for twenty years up to the October 1974 election and stood as a Conservative Independent Democrat.Ian Bradley, "Prices theme in by-election", ''The Times'', 18 February 1978, p. 2. The National Front organised a march through the constituency to support their candidate. Bendall's call for the march to be banned was not supported by

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

who considered it a decision for the police.Penny Symon, "Mrs Thatcher accuses the Labour Party of vilification on national immigration issue", ''The Times'', 22 February 1978, p. 2. By polling day, Bendall was a clear favourite, with some local activists predicting a 5,000 majority.Fred Emery, "Size of Tory majority and votes of National Front seen as main by-election questions", ''The Times'', 1 March 1978, p. 2. This proved accurate as his majority was 5,497 more than the votes gained by the Labour candidate, Tessa Jowell, later a Cabinet Minister.Fred Emery, "Conservatives win Ilford from Labour by 5,497 votes", ''The Times'', 3 March 1978, p. 1.

Parliament

In Parliament, he was Vice-Chairman of the Backbench Transport Committee. Vice Chairman of the Backbench Foreign Affairs Committee and was Secretary of the conservative

92 Group The 92 Group is a right-wing grouping within the British Conservative Party. They are so named because they would meet at Conservative MP Sir Patrick Wall's home, 92 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, London.Colin Brown,92 Group chairman survives challenge ...

. He is a

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...

, a supporter of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

and favours the restoration of corporal punishment in schools. He employed future Romford MP Andrew Rosindell as a researcher. In 1993, Bendall voted against the

Third Reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

of the

Maastricht Treaty The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the ...

in 1993.

Later life

At the 1997 general election Bendall was defeated in Ilford North by Labour candidate

Linda Perham Linda Perham (born 29 June 1947) is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom. Career Perham was a councillor in the London Borough of Redbridge, representing the ward of Hainault and Mayor of the Borough in 1994–95. She was elected the Mem ...

. He attempted to win the seat back at the 2001 general election, arranging for his picture to be taken with former Prime Minister

. Bendall told reporters that "I have always been an admirer of Lady Thatcher. I intend to use the picture in a press release during the campaign. Other candidates are planning to use them in their addresses. She still plays well on the doorstep." However, Perham was re-elected with a majority reduced to 2,115. In August 2001, during the Conservative leadership election, Bendall's name headed a letter from seven former Conservative MPs expressing "our concern for the unity and electability of the Conservative Party" if

Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...

were to win, and endorsed

Iain Duncan Smith Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was S ...

."Implications of a Clarke victory", ''The Times'', 20 August 2001, p. 13. Bendall is a Chartered Surveyor and is sole principal of the family practice which was established in Croydon in 1924. The practice is still in being with him as the sole principal, specialising in property management both commercial and residential and commercial rent reviews.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bendall, Vivian 1938 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in the London Borough of Croydon Members of the Greater London Council UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 English surveyors People from Croydon British estate agents (people) British Eurosceptics