Lena Townsend

Who was Lena Townsend?

Lena Moncrieff Townsend CBE was a British Conservative politician in London and served briefly as Leader of the Inner London Education Authority.

She was born in Cairo as Lena Westropp, the daughter of a wealthy expatriate British family, and her early years ensured that she had a wide experience of culture. However, she was sent to England to Downe House, a girls' boarding school which specialised in the daughters of colonial servants. She was promising academically and attended Somerville College, Oxford and the University of Heidelberg.

During the Second World War she was an organiser for the Women's Voluntary Service and the Land Army. She married twice, firstly Henry Peat, and then John Townsend. In 1955 she was first elected to the London County Council for her home seat of Hampstead, and took a special interest in the Education Committee. She was chosen to be Leader of the Opposition on the Education Committee from the early 1960s.

Townsend was an unsuccessful candidate in the first Greater London Council election of 1964, being defeated in Camden. However in 1967 she was more fortunate and won by about 4,000 votes.