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List of Greater London boundary changes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a list of boundary changes occurring in the London region of England, since the re-organisation of local government following the passing of the London Government Act 1963.
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Administrative boundaries
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Adjustments permitted by the London Government Act 1963
Greater London was created by combining whole existing units of local government and it was anticipated that this might provide an arbitrary boundary in some places.[1] The London Government Act 1963 Section 6 (4) provided a mechanism for communities on the edge of Greater London to petition for transfer to a neighbouring county. The legislation required the petition to be submitted between 1965 and 1970, to be signed by more than 300 local electors and for the area to be transferred to have no more than 10% of the borough's local electors.[2] These were completed in 1969 as the transfers of Knockholt to Kent, and of Farleigh and Hooley to Surrey. Section 6 (3) of the act allowed for transfers between Greater London and neighbouring counties where there was consensus for the change between all the relevant local authorities. This power was used to exchange two islands on the River Thames that were connected to the river bank by bridges on the opposite side of the river to their respective counties. Thames Ditton Island was transferred to Surrey from Greater London and Platts Eyot was transferred the other way.[3]
Principal Area Boundary Reviews
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (or LGBCE) was established by the Local Government Act 1972 to review the administrative boundaries of every local authority in England. Between 1974 and 1992 they completed a series of Principal Area Boundary Reviews; reviewing the administrative boundaries of local authorities at their request.[5]
Mandatory Reviews of non-Metropolitan Counties, Metropolitan Districts and London Boroughs
In 1985, they began the first full administrative review of all non-metropolitan counties. Their reviews of metropolitan counties and Greater London began in 1987 and both reviews were completed in 1992.[6]
† = also altered the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District
Other mandatory meviews of non-metropolitan counties, metropolitan districts and London boroughs
Map showing the City of London boundaries pre & post-1994.
The table below summarises the overall changes in area and population.
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Electoral boundaries
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First periodic review
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (or LGBCE) was established by the Local Government Act 1972 to review the electoral boundaries of every local authority in England. In 1973, there were early reviews of the electoral boundaries of Bexley and Kensington and Chelsea which needed minor boundaries redrawn in time for the 1974 local elections. In 1974, they began the first full electoral review of all metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts, completing it in July 1980. Their reviews of the county councils were completed in 1984.[46]
Second periodic review
The Local Government Act 1992 established the Local Government Commission for England (or LGCE) as the successor to the LGBCE. In 1996, they began the second full electoral review of English local authorities. After the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum held on 7 May 1998 resulted in a yes vote, the LGCE drew the electoral boundaries for the new Greater London Authority and London Assembly. On 1 April 2002 the Boundary Committee for England (or BCfE) took over the functions of the LGBCE and carried on the review, completing it in 2004.
Further electoral reviews by the LGBCE
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (or LGBCE) was established by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2010 as the successor to the BCfE. It continues to review the electoral arrangements of English local authorities on an ‘as and when’ basis.
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Proposed changes
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Expansion
In 2004, following a poll, a move was mooted by the London Assembly to entirely align the Greater London boundary to the M25 motorway.[85] In 2005, then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, suggested that the neighbouring areas of Dartford, Thurrock and Watford could be given the opportunity to vote on joining Greater London in local referendums.[86] When asked about a possible expansion to include Epsom in Surrey, Livingstone said he would be "happy to take large chunks of Surrey as well".[87] In 2007, Livingstone said that there was "a real case for London's boundary being extended along the Thames estuary, [...] they're all Londoners anyhow, no more than a generation removed".[88] He said that the absorption of Dartford and Thurrock in the Thames Gateway would support the regeneration of these areas and provide benefits to their residents, such as Greater London's free bus travel for under-18s. He held meetings with government ministers to discuss the proposal, but no referendums would ever be held.[89]
In 2010, it was reported that an extension of the boundary to include Elmbridge was being considered by Livingstone's successor Boris Johnson. A spokesperson for Johnson said that there were no plans to expand the boundary into Elmbridge or other areas.[90] In 2015, it was proposed that a new borough be created by reclaiming land to form an archipelago in the River Thames to deal with the housing crisis in the city.[91]
Slough Borough Council proposed joining Greater London amid reforms to local government and devolution in February 2025.[92] Sadiq Khan indicated he was open to such an endeavour the following month.[93] In June, the former Slough mayor Mewa S. Mann called for the proposal to go ahead, and discussed possible economic benefits.[94]
Reduction
Several proposals have been made for Greater London's boundaries to revert to London's pre-1965 borders. Supporters of this idea argue that Greater London is too big, with the outer London boroughs remaining culturally, geographically and ethnically distinct from inner London and maintaining closer links to their historic counties than London.[95][96][97] Local opponents of Greater London policies like the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) also feel that their concerns are ignored by the Greater London Authority, which they see as dominated by inner London. It is argued that by re-joining their former counties, the outer boroughs may see benefits such as stronger civic pride and a greater sense of belonging, as well as a greater say and influence in local governance.[96][95]
In 2023, residents in the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley organised a petition for their boroughs to leave Greater London and re-join Kent, in response to the expansion of the ULEZ to London's outer boroughs.[98][99] The petition was organised after the residents said they felt the Greater London Authority was "ignoring the community of the outer boroughs", with the organisers arguing that it would be better for Bromley and Bexley to re-join Kent because of a lack of transport connections to the rest of the capital.[98]
In 2017, Havering London Borough Council voted on a motion for the borough to negotiate with the Greater London Authority to leave Greater London, become an independent unitary authority and possibly re-join Essex, a proposal known as "Hexit".[100][101] Supporters argued that the residents of Havering felt a stronger affinity to its historic county of Essex rather than London, and that such a move would enable the borough to "take back control" from Greater London and make its own independent decisions on issues such as planning.[102] The motion was voted down by the council, but the idea regained traction with the expansion of the ULEZ in 2023 and the changes to local government from 2024.[103][104] Local newspaper The Havering Daily ran a poll in May 2025 which purported to show that 68% of over 1,500 residents from the borough supported such a move.[105][101] Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, launched a campaign for Havering to leave Greater London and join the new Greater Essex Combined County Authority in 2025.[106] James McMurdock, the Reform UK MP for the Essex constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock, endorsed the proposal.[107]
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References
External links
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