Vivian Bendall

Vivian Walter Hough Bendall (born 14 December 1938, Croydon) was Conservative MP for Ilford North from 1978 until 1997.

An estate agent, Bendall was a prominent councillor in the London Borough of Croydon for many years. He represented Croydon on the Greater London Council 1970-73. He was a close ally of Peter Bowness in both politics and business.

Bendall won Ilford North in a 1978 by-election, beating Tessa Jowell.In Parliament, he was Vice Chairman of the Backbench Transport Committee. He is a Eurosceptic, a supporter of the death penalty and favours the restoration of corporal punishment in schools.

In the run-up to the 1997 general election, Bendall was criticised in the press as a 'slum landlord', due to a number of low-quality dwellings in his ownership. He unexpectedly lost his seat to Labour's Linda Perham in 1997. He ran for his old constituency in 2001, but failed to regain his seat.

References

Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1997 and 2001 editions