The 2026 London local elections have delivered a series of historic results and paradigm shifts across the capital. In major statistical milestones, the Green Party and Reform UK have taken control of London councils for the first time.
Green Party and Reform UK Breakthroughs
The Greens swept to power in Hackney and Waltham Forest, whilst also winning their first directly elected local mayors in Hackney and Lewisham. Reform UK achieved a landmark majority in Havering.
Labour Faces Significant Challenges
Meanwhile, Labour faced significant challenges, losing overall control of long-held strongholds like Haringey and Newham where they had enjoyed majorities since 1971. In South West London, the Liberal Democrats broke records by securing every single one of the 54 seats in Richmond-upon-Thames - a first for any party in the capital.
Full Results by Borough
Barking and Dagenham
Labour retained control of the council with 38 of the 51 seats, despite significant breakthroughs for Reform UK and the Green Party. Reform secured nine seats and the Greens increased their representation to four.
Bexley
The Conservatives maintained strong control of the council with 29 of the 45 seats, extending their 20-year reign. Reform UK and Labour took seven seats each, with a recount still pending in one final ward.
Brent
Labour lost control of the council, leaving it under no overall control with just 24 out of 57 seats. The Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, and Green Party made significant gains, securing 11, 10, and 9 seats respectively.
Bromley
The Conservatives maintained control of the council with 35 seats, defying predictions of a Reform takeover. Labour remained the official opposition with eight seats, while Reform and the Lib Dems took six each.
Camden
Labour retained control with an overall majority of 30 seats, though this was a significant drop of 17 from the previous election. The Green Party surged to 11 seats to become the largest opposition group, followed closely by the Lib Dems with 10.
Ealing
Labour retained control for a historic fifth consecutive term, winning 46 seats despite losing 13. The Liberal Democrats saw a surge to 13 seats, while the Green Party and Conservatives secured five each.
Enfield
Labour lost overall control of the council, shifting the borough into no overall control. The Conservatives became the largest party with 31 seats (just one short of a majority), while Labour dropped to 27 and the Greens gained five.
Greenwich
Labour retained control and kept its majority despite losing 12 councillors to a surging Green Party. The Greens became the new opposition group with 13 seats, while the Conservatives won six and Reform took one.
Hackney
The Green Party made history by taking control of the council, crushing Labour's long-held dominance by securing 42 out of 57 seats. Labour was left with just nine seats, and Green candidate Zoe Garbett also successfully won the mayoral race.
Hammersmith and Fulham
Labour comfortably retained control of the council, returning a total of 38 members from the 50 available seats. The Conservatives formed the opposition by winning the remaining 12 seats, while other parties failed to make inroads.
Haringey
Labour lost its majority after a political seismic shift, leaving the council under no overall control. The Greens surged to win 28 seats—wiping out Labour in key wards like Noel Park—while Labour fell to 20 seats and the Lib Dems to eight.
Harrow
The Conservatives maintained control of the council, returning a total of 42 councillors out of 55 available seats. Labour's presence halved to 12 seats as they formed the official opposition, and the new party Arise secured one seat.
Havering
Reform UK made history by taking full control of the council, marking their first-ever London borough victory. The historic shift saw traditional parties pushed out, with party leader Nigel Farage celebrating the results.
Hillingdon
The Conservatives retained control for a sixth consecutive term, winning 30 seats to secure their majority. Labour comfortably remained the official opposition with 16 seats, while Reform UK gained four and the Greens took one.
Hounslow
Labour narrowly retained control with 32 seats, giving them a razor-thin majority of just one. The Conservatives gained seven seats to reach 17, while Reform UK made a breakthrough with eight new councillors.
Islington
Labour held onto the council with a commanding 32 seats, despite losing multiple wards to the Green Party. The Greens made deep inroads across the borough, gaining 16 seats to take their total tally to 19.
Kensington and Chelsea
The Conservatives retained strong control, maintaining their majority with 34 out of 50 seats. Labour increased its presence to 13 seats to form the opposition, while the Liberal Democrats secured the remaining three.
Kingston upon Thames
The Liberal Democrats retained control, securing an easy victory for a third term in a row with a super-majority of 44 out of 48 seats. The Kingston Independent Residents Group and the Conservatives both held onto two seats.
Merton
Labour retained control of the council, securing a clear majority with 32 out of 57 seats. The Liberal Democrats improved their result to secure 19 seats as the main opposition, while the Conservatives suffered significant losses.
Newham
Labour lost overall control of the council, managing to hold onto just 26 seats in the historically Labour-dominated borough. Independent candidates surged to take 24 seats, and the Green Party secured 16.
Redbridge
Labour retained control and maintained an overall majority with 43 seats, despite dropping eleven from their previous total. Independents made the biggest gains with nine seats, the Greens won five, and the Conservatives held steady at five.
Richmond upon Thames
The Liberal Democrats retained control in a historic landslide, winning a clean sweep of all 54 seats on the council. The Green Party lost all five of its seats, leaving the Lib Dems with no official opposition.
Southwark
The Labour Party lost its majority in Southwark, resulting in the council falling to no overall control after the party dropped 23 seats. Although predictions suggested a significant Liberal Democrat surge, the party only managed to gain a single seat to reach a total of 12. The Green Party emerged as the biggest winner of the night, surpassing expectations by gaining 22 seats and capturing nearly all of the positions lost by Labour.
Sutton
The Liberal Democrats swept to a commanding victory to retain control, winning 51 out of 55 seats. The Conservatives were wiped out entirely, leaving Reform UK as the main opposition with just two councillors.
Waltham Forest
The Green Party made history by taking control of the council, unseating Labour by winning 31 seats. Labour lost 29 seats overall, dropping to a mere 15 in what was a massive political shift for the borough.
Wandsworth
Labour lost control of the council after just one term, shifting the borough into no overall control. The Conservatives won the most seats with 29 (one short of a majority), while Labour dropped to 28 seats and one Independent retained their spot.
Westminster
The Conservatives took back control of the council from Labour in a knife-edge result. The Tories secured 32 seats to form the new majority, compared to Labour's 22, with no other parties winning any representation.
National Context
These results are part of a broader pattern across England. Labour has lost power at a number of councils that it had previously controlled for decades. In Essex, the Conservatives lost their majority for the first time since 2001, with Reform making enough gains to take overall control. In Hampshire, the Tories lost their majority for the first time since 1997, again losing seats to Reform, though no party ended up with enough councillors to take full control. The Lib Dems also won both of the new authorities of East Surrey and West Surrey, which will replace Surrey county and district councils from 2027.
The Prime Minister said responding to “tough” results, which saw Labour lose more than a thousand councillors in England and reduced from government to a single-figure rump in Wales, would mean “being assertive in our values” and “unifying rather than dividing”.
