Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone, KBE (usually known as Desmond Plummer) (born May 25, 1914) was a Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ...

Sir Desmond Plummer, Leader of the Greater London Council 1967-73

Plummer was the son of a Chartered Surveyor from Bexhill-on-Sea, and went to Hurstpierpoint College and the College of Estate Management. He qualified as a Solicitor but later followed his father's profession to work as a chartered auctioneer and estate agent. Later, he became a company Director of property, life insurance and building society companies. Desmond Plummer, Leader of the GLC 1967-1973 This work is copyrighted. ... Desmond Plummer, Leader of the GLC 1967-1973 This work is copyrighted. ... Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England. ... Hurstpierpoint College Hurstpierpoint College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils aged 13-18, located in the village of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, England. ...

During World War II Plummer served with the Royal Engineers and on demobilization transferred to the Territorial Branch. In 1950 he was awarded the Territorial Decoration for long service, and he was a member of the Territorial Army Sports Board from 1953 until 1979. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ...

Plummer was elected to St. Marylebone Borough Council in May 1952 and served as Mayor of the Borough in 1958. He was selected as a Conservative candidate for a byelection to the London County Council in St. Marylebone in 1960, and returned unopposed for the safe seat. He transferred successfully to the Greater London Council in 1964 for the City of Westminster. The Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone was a metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1899 until in 1965 it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington and the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster to form the London Borough of Westminster. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... London County Council emblem is still seen today on buildings, especially housing, from that era London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London from 1889 until 1965, when it was replaced by the Greater London Council. ... Marylebone (sometimes written St. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The City of Westminster is a London borough with city status, situated to the west of the City of London and north of the River Thames. ...

By 1966 Plummer was chosen as Leader of the Opposition in succession to Sir Percy Rugg, just a year before the GLC elections. With Harold Wilson's Labour Government growing ever more unpopular he won a landslide victory in 1967. Plummer's GLC pioneered the sale of council housing under Horace Cutler, and managed to acquire from the Government the power to run the London Underground and the rest of London Transport in 1969. The Conservatives were re-elected under Plummer in 1970 a few weeks before the general election, although Labour regained control of the Inner London Education Authority. Plummer was the only Leader of the GLC to get a second term. He was Knighted in 1971. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Cheap, safe, housing owned by the British Government. ... Sir Horace Walter Cutler (July 28, 1912 - March 2, 1997) was a British politician and Leader of the Greater London Council from 1977 to 1981. ... The London Underground is an all-electric railway system that covers much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ... Founded in 1933 by an act of Parliament under Transport Minister Herbert Stanley Morrison, The London Passenger Transport Board generally known London Transport was A public authority appointed under act of Parliament, charged with responsibility for providing an adequate and properly co-ordinated system of passenger transport (Buses including Green... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs, from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...

However, the second term saw the GLC embark on a highly controversial policy over urban transport. Plummer believed that London's streets, constructed before the car, were insufficient to cope with the growing traffic, and proposed to deal with the problem by creating urban Motorways in the 'Motorway Box'. The GLC would compulsorily purchase homes and construct three separate ring roads. Although previous administrations had built short stretches of motorway, this was the first comprehensive policy. The first stretch to be built was the Westway from Paddington to Hammersmith, which involved the demolition of thousands of homes and placing a large concrete flyover. Residents in areas where the new motorways were to go declared their firm opposition, and the Labour opposition pledged to scrap the schemes and instead subsidise public transport. This, combined with the difficulties of Edward Heath's Conservative government, led to Plummer and the Conservatives being voted out in 1973. For other uses of Westway, see Westway Westway, or The Westway is the main route from central London to the northwestern suburbs and beyond. ... A street in Paddington including a pub, a restaurant targeted at tourists and Paddington Station in the background. ... Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, approximately 5 miles (8km) west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames. ... Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, OBE (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Plummer had a series of prominent posts within the Conservative Party. He had already been Chairman of his own Association in 1965, and served on the Executive of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations from 1967 to 1976. When defeated, he was appointed Chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board in 1974. Plummer resigned the Leadership of the Conservative Group on the GLC that year, to be succeeded by Horace Cutler, and resigned from the Council in 1976. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... A federation of the voluntary wing of the Conservative Party. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

He has led an active retirement in resuming his business career, becoming a member of Lloyd's of London and Chairman of several building societies. He also took up the job of President of the Carlton Club, the leading Conservative gentleman's club, from 1979 to 1984. He was given a life peerage in 1981 as Baron Plummer of St Marylebone, of the City of Westminster. Plummer has been an enthusiastic angler for many years. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Council of Lloyds. ... The Carlton Club is a gentlemens club in London. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ...