Greater London Council

Yeah, careful.

In around about 1983 or 84, Margaret Thatcher wanted to abolish the Greater London Council because she didn't approve of all the initiatives that Ken Livingstone, who was the leader of the GLC, all the things that he was doing in London, like Fairs Fair and stuff like that.

So...

they decided they would abolish the GLC.

In 1921, a plaque was erected at the entrance of the South Terrace in honour of Burt.

The palace passed into the hands of the Greater London Council in 1967 with the proviso that it should be used entirely for charitable purpose.

The trustee was transferred to Haringey Council in 1980.

During the First World War, the park was closed.

Uh, so it was a very, very difficult, you know, uh, thing to get up on stage, and it goes back to, you know, one thing that was well-covered in the music press at the time.

The, the Greater London Council, GLC, when it was, uh, led by Ken Livingstone, put on a number of free gigs against unemployment, against Thatcherism.

And on the 10th of June, uh, 1984, I think it is, there's a gig being played, uh, by the Redskins on the South Bank in, in London, and a group of organized Nazis attack, um, them when they were playing, and, you know, the gig is stopped, and, uh, people are injured.

And thereafter, Martin Hughes, the bass player, always has a, has a baseball bat behi- behind his amp.

...

Greater London Council, which was a really-

Yeah

... important agency, effectively-

After Deptford was merged within Lewisham, things would change more.

The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, and for 14 years there was no London-wide government at all.

Then in 2000, Parliament told councils to adopt an executive structure, either a leader in a cabinet, or a directly elected mayor in a cabinet.

Lewisham chose the mayor option and this is why I have the job that I have now.