Coordinates: 51°30′40″N 0°11′46″W / 51.511°N 0.196°W / 51.511; -0.196

London W postcode area
W
Postcode area	W
Postcode area name	London W
Post towns	1
Postcode districts	35
Postcode sectors	217
Postcodes (live)	20,005
Postcodes (total)	38,824
Locations in Greater London
Statistics as at February 2012[1]

The W (Western and Paddington) postcode area, also known as the London W postcode area^[2] is a group of postcode districts covering part of central and part of west London, England, United Kingdom. The area originates from the Western (W1) and Paddington (W2-14) districts^[3] of the London postal district.

Postal administration[link]

The Western district^[3] consists of the single original W1 postal district.^[4] The area it covers is of very high density development and it has been subdivided into a number of smaller postcode districts. Where districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as use as a geographic reference and on street signs, the W1 subdivisions continue to be classed as one 'district'. In June 2000 there was a recoding of the area with the W1M, W1N, W1P, W1R, W1V, W1X and W1Y districts replaced.^[5]

Deliveries for W1 (and for WC1 and WC2) come from the Rathbone Place office. This office was a stop on the former London Post Office Railway, which has been mothballed since 2003. The Western District Office was initially located on Wimpole Street, which was also a stop on the London Post Office Railway.

The Paddington district^[3] consists of thirteen postcode districts (W2–14).^[4] Apart from W2, the districts are arranged alphabetically, running from W3 (Acton) to W14 (West Kensington) and radiate westwards. The Paddington Head District Sorting Office was the western terminus of the London Post Office railway; which ran 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the Eastern District Office at Whitechapel.

List of postcode districts[link]

The approximate coverage of the postcode districts, with the historic postal district names shown in italics:^[4][6]

Boundaries[link]

Postcode districts W1 and W2 are central to London, with the W3–W14 postcode districts radiating outwards to the west. The boundaries of the area and its numbered districts have changed over time and are the result of the working requirements of the Royal Mail. They are not tied to those of the local authority areas served; consequently a locality name might describe varying areas. W1 is almost entirely in the City of Westminster, with a small part in the London Borough of Camden. W2–W14 cover parts of the City Westminster, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London Borough of Hounslow and London Borough Camden.

Adjacent areas[link]

Adjacent postcode areas
HA	NW	N
UB	W	WC
TW	SW	SE

Clockwise from the east, the adjacent postcode areas are: WC (London WC), SE (London SE), SW (London SW), TW (Twickenham), UB (Southall), HA (Harrow), NW (London NW), N (London N). ^[2]

See also[link]

• List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom

References[link]

External links[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Low Thia Khiang
Low Thia Khiang during his rally speech at Serangoon Stadium as a candidate of the Workers' Party of Singapore.
Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2011
Preceded by	George Yeo
Majority	12,433 (9.43%)
Member of Parliament for Hougang SMC
In office 31 August 1991 – 7 May 2011
Preceded by	Tang Guan Seng
Succeeded by	Yaw Shin Leong
Majority	5,681 (25.4%)
Personal details
Born	1956 (age 55–56) Singapore
Political party	Workers' Party of Singapore
Alma mater	Nanyang University National University of Singapore
Profession	Businessman, Teacher
Religion	Buddhism[1]

Low Thia Khiang (simplified Chinese: 刘程强; traditional Chinese: 劉程強; pinyin: Liú Chéngqiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lâu Thiâⁿ-kiàng; born 1956) is a politician and businessman from Singapore. He is currently the leader of the opposition Workers' Party, and since 1991 has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Hougang until 2011 where he contested and won in Aljunied GRC. He is in charge of the Bedok Reservoir – Punggol Division.^[2]

Low is currently one of six elected opposition MPs in Singapore's 12th Parliament.

Background[link]

Low was educated at Lik Teck Primary School and Chung Cheng High School (Main), before going on to study at Nanyang University where he majored in Chinese Language & Literature, and Government & Public Administration. In 1981, he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore. In 1982, he completed a Diploma in Education. He worked as a teacher for a few years, before starting his own business.^[3]

Political career[link]

Low joined the Workers' Party in 1982, and was subsequently appointed its Organising Secretary. At the 1984 general election, he was the election agent for the party's then Secretary-General, J.B. Jeyaretnam, in his successful campaign to win the parliamentary constituency of Anson.

In 1988, Low represented the Workers' Party in a televised debate with the PAP government on proposals to create an elected Presidency for Singapore, where he engaged Ong Teng Cheong and Lee Hsien Loong (who would later become the President and Prime Minister of Singapore respectively). In the general election later that year, Low, together with Gopalan Nair and Lim Lye Soon, contested the Group Representation Constituency of Tiong Bahru and finished second with 42.2% of the vote.

In 1991, Low, as the Workers' Party's Assistant Secretary-General, won the Hougang constituency in the 1991 Singapore General Elections and entered Parliament. In 1992, Low was appointed by Singapore's then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, to be a member of the Cost Review Committee. After a year of intensive study, Low decided to produce his own independent report as he had a different perspective from the other members of the committee.

Low was re-elected as the MP for Hougang at the 1997 general election.

On 27 May 2001, he became the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party, replacing J.B. Jeyaretnam. He was re-elected again as the MP for Hougang at the 2001 general election.

At the 2006 general elections, Low won his fourth straight term for the Hougang constituency. He received 13,987 of the votes cast, a 62.74 per cent victory margin which is an increase of 7.74% from the last general election in November 2001. His opponent, Eric Low, from the ruling party, People's Action Party, received 8,306 votes.^[4]

Between 1997 and 2011, Low and Chiam See Tong were the only two elected opposition Members of Parliament (MP) in Singapore's Parliament, which had 83 seats. However, he led the Workers' Party to a historic breakthrough in the 2011 Singapore General Elections, with a victory in Aljunied GRC. The win marked the first time ever that an opposition party had won a GRC, bringing an additional five Workers' Party MPs into Parliament.

Current posts[link]

• Secretary-General, Workers' Party of Singapore
• Chairman, Aljunied Constituency Committee (AJCC)
• Vice Chairman, Aljunied-Hougang Town Council

Electoral record[link]

Personal life[link]

Low is married with two sons and a daughter.

References[link]

Sylvia Lim Swee Lian
At a Workers' Party of Singapore rally at Bedok Stadium on 30 April 2011 for the Singaporean general election, 2011
Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2011
Preceded by	Lim Hwee Hua
Majority	12,333 (9.42%)
Member of Parliament for Non-Constituency
In office 6 May 2006 – 7 May 2011
Preceded by	Steve Chia
Succeeded by	Lina Chiam Yee Jenn Jong Gerald Giam
Personal details
Born	(1965-03-28) 28 March 1965 (age 47) Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Political party	Workers' Party
Alma mater	National University of Singapore University College London
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer, Lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic
Religion	Roman Catholic[1]

Sylvia Lim Swee Lian (simplified Chinese: 林瑞莲; traditional Chinese: 林瑞蓮; pinyin: Lín Ruì Lián; born 28 March 1965) is a politician, lawyer and academic from Singapore. She is currently the Chairman of the opposition Workers' Party and an elected Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Aljunied GRC. She is in charge of Serangoon division. ^[2]

Lim previously served in the Singapore Police Force, and taught as a law lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic. She is currently a senior associate in Peter Low LLC.

Personal profile[link]

Lim had her early education at CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel, CHIJ St Joseph's Convent and National Junior College. She then read Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS), graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree in 1988. She obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of London (University College London) in 1989^[3], and was called to the Bar in Singapore in 1991.

During her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Lim did volunteer work with the Spastic Children's Association, Salvation Army Home for the Aged and University College Hospital. She later did voluntary editorial work for the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme of the Law Society.

In 1991, Lim joined the Singapore Police Force for three years as a Police Inspector. She initially did investigation work at the Central Police Division Headquarters, and then became a staff officer under the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Lim joined the law firm M/s Lim & Lim in 1994. She handled both civil and criminal cases in the High Court, Subordinate Courts and Juvenile Court between 1994 and 1998.

Lim joined Temasek Polytechnic in 1998 as a lecturer on the Diploma in Law and Management course. She also became the Manager of Professional Development and Manager of Continuing Education and Training at the polytechnic's School of Business. Her main areas of teaching and research are in civil and criminal procedure, criminal justice and private security. During her time at Temasek Polytechnic, Lim has contributed to the volume on Criminal Procedure for Halsbury's Laws of Singapore (2003), a legal practitioners' reference series, and has also collected and published primary research on private security in Singapore.

In March 2006, Temasek Polytechnic modified its staffing policies to enable Lim to run as a candidate in the general election without having to resign her teaching position at the institution.

Political Career[link]

Lim joined the Workers' Party in 2001 and quickly rose to become the Chairman of the party in 2003.

At the 2006 general election, Lim was a member of the Workers' Party team which contested the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency. The Workers' Party team lost to the team from the governing People's Action Party (PAP) by 58,593 votes (43.9%) to 74,843 (56.1%).^[4] This was the highest percentage of the vote garnered by any losing opposition candidates in the election, and therefore meant that the Workers' Party was entitled to select one of its team members from Ajunied GRC to become a Non-constituency Member of Parliament. The party chose Lim to become its NCMP.^[5]

During her term in Parliament, Lim spoke out against ministers' salaries, and also against means testing in hospitals, which resulted in the PAP deferring a decision on this for a period of two years from 2006 to 2008. In addition, she also called for a reduction in the Goods and Services Tax, arguing that it was a regressive tax, and urged the government to do more to help retrenched workers.

In the 2011 general election, Lim again contested in Aljunied GRC, along with Muhamad Faisal Manap, Pritam Singh, Chen Show Mao and party leader Low Thia Khiang, who vacated his seat of Hougang to lead the charge in Aljunied. Lim was returned as an elected Member of Parliament for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency after her team won 54.71%[2] of the votes (54.72% including overseas votes), the first time that an opposition party won a Group Representation Constituency since the system's introduction on 1 June 1988. In addition, the defeat of the incumbent PAP team marked the first time in Singapore's electoral history that a serving cabinet minister lost his seat. She has been assigned to look after the Serangoon ward previously held by the PAP's Lim Hwee Hua and has also been appointed Chairman of the combined Aljunied-Hougang Town Council.

Lim's victory also made her the first female opposition MP in Singapore's post-independence history.

One week after the election, she announced that she would be resigning from her lecturing job at Temasek Polytechnic after 12 years of service. She said that her political activities had already led to her having to take significant time off from her teaching duties in the past, and that she did not think it would be fair to the Polytechnic if she stayed on seeing as her Parliamentary duties would take up even more of her time.

Since then she has returned to the legal profession and is now a senior associate with Peter Low LLC.

Current posts[link]

• Chairman, Workers' Party of Singapore
• Co-Chairman, Aljunied Constituency Committee (AJCC)
• Chairman, Aljunied-Hougang Town Council

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile at Parliament of Singapore website