Local government elections were held in the thirty-two London boroughs on Thursday 9 May 1968. Polling stations were open between 8 am and 9 pm.
All seats were up for election. The result was a landslide for the Conservative Party, who won twenty-eight of the boroughs, while Labour lost control of seventeen of the twenty boroughs it had held going into the elections (including Bexley, where it did not win a single seat). Only ten Liberal councillors were elected in London.
The result followed the Conservative gain of the Greater London Council in the elections the previous year.
Aldermanic elections Until 1978, each council had aldermen, in the ratio of one aldermen to six councillors. Following the elections, each council elected half of its aldermen, who served until 1974. The remaining aldermen had been elected in 1964 and would serve until 1971. This only affected political control in Newham, which remained Labour-held after the election of aldermen.
Results summary
Party Councillors Change Councils Change 1,438 +770 28 +19 350 -668 3 -17 10-6 0 ±0 36 -13 0 ±0 26+15 0 ±0 3 ±0 0 ±0 Others 0 ±0 0 ±0 n/a n/a 1 -2
Turnout: 1,876,698 voters cast ballots, a turnout of 35.8%.
Council results
Summary of council election results: Previous control New control Conservative Labour Liberal Others Details Barking Labour Labour 13 32 - 4 Details Barnet Conservative Conservative 56 3 1 - Details Bexley Labour Conservative 55 - - 1 Details Brent Labour Conservative 49 11 - - Details Bromley Conservative Conservative 52 5 3 - Details Camden Labour Conservative 42 18 - - Details Croydon NOC Conservative 47 1 1 11 Details Ealing Labour Conservative 53 5 - 2 Details Enfield Labour Conservative 51 9 - - Details Greenwich Labour Conservative 38 22 - - Details Hackney Labour Conservative 31 27 2 - Details Hammersmith Labour Conservative 54 6 - - Details Haringey Labour Conservative 53 7 - - Details Harrow Conservative Conservative 56 - - - Details Havering NOC Conservative 35 7 - 13 Details Hillingdon Labour Conservative 60 - - - Details Hounslow Labour Conservative 53 7 - - Details Islington Labour Conservative 47 10 - 3 Details Kensington and Chelsea Conservative Conservative 57 3 - - Details Kingston upon Thames Conservative Conservative 59 1 - - Details Lambeth Labour Conservative 57 3 - - Details Lewisham Labour Conservative 44 16 - - Details Merton NOC Conservative 46 4 - 4 Details Newham Labour NOC 6 30 3 21 Details Redbridge Conservative Conservative 55 5 - - Details Richmond upon Thames Conservative Conservative 54 - - - Details Southwark Labour Labour 27 33 - - Details Sutton Conservative Conservative 41 7 - 3 Details Tower Hamlets Labour Labour - 57 - 3 Details Waltham Forest Labour Conservative 44 4 - - Details Wandsworth Labour Conservative 48 12 - - Details Westminster Conservative Conservative 55 5 - - Details
Overall councillor numbers Councillor statistics, 1968Party Seats+/- Councils+/-Conservative 1,43828Labour3503Residents' association36Independent26Liberal10Communist3±0No overall control 1
References
Greater London Assembly – London Borough Council Elections 2006