London's local elections have finally come to a head with voting having ended and ballot boxes making their way to counting hubs. Several London boroughs are counting their votes overnight while others are doing it tomorrow, so we expect the first results to come through in the early hours of Friday morning.
Follow our live updates below as we bring you news from all the overnight counts including Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Westminster. MyLondon has four reporters at overnight counts and we'll keep tabs on what's happening elsewhere too. Will the predictions of a bloodbath for Labour, and a Green and Reform surge come true? Stick with us and you'll be the first to know.
Where Our Reporters Are Based Tonight
We've got four Local Democracy Reporters (LDRs) at overnight counts tonight. They are:
- Ealing (Philip James Lynch)
- Hammersmith & Fulham (Ben Lynch)
- Wandsworth (Charlotte Lillywhite)
- Westminster (Katherine Gray)
LDRs are reporters funded by the BBC but managed by other media outlets. Their job is to report on and hold to account councils across the country. MyLondon has 10 of the 13 LDRs in the capital, covering 23 London boroughs plus the City of London.
Which Councils Are Counting Tonight?
A number of London's councils are counting votes overnight so before many people wake up they could have a new party in charge of their local council. Here's which councils are counting tonight and what time declarations are expected:
- Bexley: 5am
- Ealing: 4.30am
- Hammersmith & Fulham: 5.30am
- Havering: 6am
- Kensington & Chelsea: 5am
- Merton: 5am
- Richmond-upon-Thames: 5am
- Sutton: 4.30am
- Wandsworth: 4am
- Westminster: 3.30am
Leader of Ealing Council Cllr Peter Mason is among those awaiting results.
Polls Closed
Good evening and welcome to our live blog. I hope you've got a hot drink and snacks at the ready. Polls have just closed after a day of voting across London and these local elections are seen as a test of public opinion for Labour nationally, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. However they also determine who's in charge of collecting your rubbish and fixing your roads, and we could see some councils changing hands tonight.
Labour currently hold 21 of London's 32 borough councils while the Conservatives have six, Liberal Democrats have three, the Aspire Party holds Tower Hamlets and Havering Residents Association are in charge of Havering. So strap in, it could be a busy night!
