2026 London local elections

2026 London local elections
7 May 2026
All 1,817 councillors in all 32 London boroughs,
and 5 directly-elected mayors
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Keir Starmer Kemi Badenoch Ed Davey
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Last election 1,156 seats, 40.3% 404 seats, 24.8% 180 seats, 13.8%
Seats before 1,045[1] 386 181
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Zack Polanski Nigel Farage
Party Green Reform UK
Last election 18 seats, 11.4% 0 seats, 0.16%
Seats before 47 13

The 2026 London local elections will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections.[2] All London borough councillor seats will be up for election.[3]

Background

In the 2022 London local elections, Labour gained Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet councils.[4] In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, most of the constituencies in London elected Labour MPs.

In January 2026, BBC News, reported that the Green Party of England and Wales and Reform UK are seeking to make gains in the capital.[5] The elections are expected to be tough for Labour who control most of the councils in London.[6][7] Pollsters have suggested that Labour will be fighting on five fronts against the Conservatives, Reform UK, Liberal Democrats, Greens and pro-Gaza independents.[8]

In March 2026, LSE Professor of Local Government Tony Travers said Labour could face a "political earthquake" in the upcoming London local elections worse than their loss in the Gorton and Denton by-election. He said Labour, which has plummeted in the polls, risks losing over 600 seats (more than half of their current 1,150) and the Conservatives, who won more than 400 seats in 2022, could fall to a new historic low, with the Greens and Reform being the main beneficiaries.[9]

Councils

Council Seats Party control Details
Previous New
Barking and Dagenham 51 Labour Details
Barnet 63 Labour Details
Bexley 45 Conservative Details
Brent 57 Labour Details
Bromley 58 Conservative Details
Camden 55 Labour Details
Croydon 70 No overall control
(Conservative minority) 		Details
Ealing 70 Labour Details
Enfield 63 Labour Details
Greenwich 55 Labour Details
Hackney 57 Labour Details
Hammersmith and Fulham 50 Labour Details
Haringey 57 Labour Details
Harrow 55 Conservative Details
Havering 55 No overall control
(HRA/Labour coalition) 		Details
Hillingdon 53 Conservative Details
Hounslow 62 Labour Details
Islington 51 Labour Details
Kensington and Chelsea 50 Conservative Details
Kingston upon Thames 48 Liberal Democrats Details
Lambeth 63 Labour Details
Lewisham 54 Labour Details
Merton 57 Labour Details
Newham 66 Labour Details
Redbridge 63 Labour Details
Richmond upon Thames 54 Liberal Democrats Details
Southwark 63 Labour Details
Sutton 55 Liberal Democrats Details
Tower Hamlets 45 Aspire Details
Waltham Forest 60 Labour Details
Wandsworth 58 Labour Details
Westminster 54 Labour Details
All 32 councils 1,817

Councillor comparison with 2022

The table below shows the number of councillors by party for each council in London. The shaded cells show the party or parties in each council's governing administration.

Council 2022 election Current 2026 election
Lab Con Lib Dem Green Others Lab Con Lib Dem Green Reform Ind Others Lab Con Lib Dem Green Reform Others
Barking and Dagenham 51 0 0 0 0 47 1 0 3 0 1 0
Barnet 41 22 0 0 0 40 19 0 1 1 1 0
Bexley 12 33 0 0 0 12 30 0 0 0 3 0
Brent 49 5 3 0 0 42 6 3 5 0 1 0
Bromley 12 36 5 0
5
Chislehurst Matters: 3
Independent: 2
 11 33 5 0 3 2
3
Chislehurst Matters: 3
Camden 47 3 4 1 0 45 3 6 1 0 0 0
Croydon 34 33[a] 1 2 0 34 33[a] 1 2 0 0 0
Ealing 58 5 6 0 0 59 4 7 0 0 1 0
Enfield 38 25 0 0 0 35 25 0 0 0 3 0
Greenwich 52 3 0 0 0 47 4 0 2 0 2 0
Hackney 50 5 0 2 0 42 6 0 4 0 5 0
Hammersmith and Fulham 40 10 0 0 0 36 10 0 2 0 1 0
Haringey 50 0 7 0 0 43 0 7 2 0 5 0
Harrow 24 31 0 0 0 23 31 0 0 0 1 0
Havering 9 23 0 0
23
Havering Residents Association: 20[b]
Harold Hill Independent: 3
 8 16 0 0 1 2
28
Havering Residents Association: 25[c]
Harold Wood Hill Park Residents Association: 3
Hillingdon 23 30 0 0 0 16 30 0 1 0 5 0
Hounslow 52 10 0 0 0 43 10 0 1 0 6 0
Islington 48 0 0 3 0 44 0 0 3 0 4 0
Kensington and Chelsea 13 35 2 1 0 7 36 2 1 0 4 0
Kingston upon Thames 0 3 44 0
1
Kingston Independent Residents Group: 1
 0 2 42 0 0 0
4
Kingston Independent Residents Group: 4
Lambeth 58 0 3 2 0 55 0 4 4 0 1 0
Lewisham 54 0 0 0 0 52 0 0 2 0 0 0
Merton 31 7 17 0
2
Merton Park Ward Independent Residents: 2
 30 7 16 0 0 1
2
Merton Park Ward Independent Residents: 2
Newham 64 0 0 2 0 56 0 0 3 0 3
4
Newham Independents: 4
Redbridge 58 5 0 0 0 54 5 0 0 0 4 0
Richmond upon Thames 0 1 48 5 0 0 0 49 5 0 0 0
Southwark 52 0 11 0 0 45 0 11 4 0 3 0
Sutton 3 20 29 0
3
Independent: 3
 2 21 29 0 0 0
3
Sutton Independent Residents Group: 3
Tower Hamlets 19 1 0 1
24
Aspire: 24
 16 1 0 1 0 5
22
Aspire: 22
Waltham Forest 47 13 0 0 0 45 12 0 0 1 2 0
Wandsworth 35 22 0 0
1
Independent: 1
 34 21 0 0 1 2 0
Westminster 31 23 0 0 0 28 24 0 0 2 0 0
Total 1,156 404 180 18 59 1,046 386 181 47 13 70 66

Opinion polls

Seat projections

Date(s)
conducted 		Pollster Client Sample
size 		Area Lab Con LD Grn Ref Others
March 2026 Bombe[10] n/a TBD GB 306 464 253 575 145 75
5 May 2022 2022 local elections 1,156 404 180 18 0 59

Notes

  1. ^ a b Led by a Conservative Mayor
  2. ^ Led by a Havering Residents Association and Labour coalition
  3. ^ Havering Residents Association minority administration

References

  1. ^ https://opencouncildata.co.uk/councils.php?model=L&y=0
  2. ^ Coughlan, Joe (30 April 2025). "London local elections, why they aren't in 2025 and when the next ones will be". My London. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  4. ^ "London election results 2022: Labour wins Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  5. ^ Grew, Tony (1 January 2026). "Local elections in London will test support for Reform UK and Greens". BBC News. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  6. ^ "'We've Got A Tough Fight': Labour Braces For Council Losses In London Heartlands". Politics Home. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  7. ^ Calkin, Sarah; Weakley, Kirsty (2 October 2025). "2026 local elections will be 'treated like midterms' for Labour". Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  8. ^ Cecil, Nicholas (19 January 2026). "Labour facing 'fierce battles' to hold onto 12 London councils in May elections". The Standard. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Labour 'risks losing 600 seats' in London local elections in worse nightmare than Gorton disaster". The Standard.
  10. ^ "Senior Labour figures warn government amid fears of 'political earthquake' in London".
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