Reg Goodwin - GLC Membership

GLC Membership

Goodwin became a member of the Greater London Council in 1964 and quietly chaired the Finance Committee in the Labour administration. After the Conservatives won a landslide election victory in 1967 he was chosen as the new Labour Leader almost by default, other more dynamic personalities having been defeated. He was given a Knighthood on the recommendation of Harold Wilson and was almost always known as 'Sir Reg' thereafter.

After the second defeat in 1970 Goodwin became more aggressive in his opposition to Sir Desmond Plummer's Conservative GLC. Labour had not opposed the Conservative GLC's policy of building urban motorways in 1970 but by June 1972 Goodwin had been convinced by the strength of public opinion, and said "Labour pledges itself to abandon the disastrous plans to build two motorways which threaten the environment of Central London". He called on the GLC not to enter into contracts to build the motorways so that Londoners could have a choice at the 1973 elections.

At the 1973 elections, the Labour manifesto was drafted by Peter Walker, then Research Officer for the London Labour Party. It had a distinctly left-wing approach favouring subsidies to reduce (possibly eliminate) public transport fares and to build more council homes, but Goodwin supported these policies and gave his backing to the manifesto which was published under the title "A Socialist Strategy for London".