Labour's Hackney Stronghold Faces Unprecedented Green Challenge
Less than two years after securing a landslide general election victory, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party is confronting significant internal turmoil and declining national poll numbers. As the critical local elections approach on May 7, 2026, speculation is intensifying that Labour's traditional London heartlands may no longer be secure bastions of support.
The Green Ambition to Seize a Labour Bastion
This political uncertainty has turned attention toward Labour's strongholds, particularly Hackney Council. Green Party leader Zack Polanski has publicly declared his ambition to seize control of this specific London borough. Currently, Labour dominates Hackney Council with 44 councillors, having controlled the authority for all but seven years since 1965.
Despite holding just three elected members and not even being the largest opposition party, the Greens' ambitions appear grounded in recent electoral trends. During the 2022 elections, the Green vote surged dramatically in areas including Stoke Newington, Dalston, and Hackney Wick. This momentum continued with the party capturing the Stoke Newington ward seat from Labour in a 2024 by-election.
The most recent General Election further demonstrated Green strength, with the party significantly increasing its vote share in Hackney South and Shoreditch, where their candidate garnered nearly 10,000 votes. Polanski is reportedly considering whether to contest the borough's parliamentary seat in the future.
Two Critical Races in Hackney's May Elections
This year's elections feature two distinct contests in Hackney. The borough is one of only five London authorities that elect a Mayor as executive leader alongside separate ward councillors. Labour has maintained control of the mayoralty since Hackney adopted this system in 2002.
Incumbent Mayor Caroline Woodley, first elected in a 2023 mayoral by-election following her predecessor's resignation, faces a renewed challenge from Zoë Garbett, who co-leads the small Green opposition on Hackney Council.
Professor Tony Travers, a specialist in local and regional government at the London School of Economics, suggests that overturning Labour's substantial majorities in many wards would require a "massive" electoral swing. He believes it might be "probably easier" for Garbett to capture the mayoralty than for her party to secure enough wards to control the entire council.
Such an outcome would mirror Croydon's 2022 local election results, where the Conservative Party won the mayoralty without securing enough councillors for overall control. In a borough with two Labour MPs and long considered "rock solid" Labour territory, losing the mayoralty would represent "a big shock," according to Professor Travers.
Labour's Response and Internal Challenges
The official Labour response has maintained a business-as-usual approach. When questioned about whether national government difficulties were affecting Hackney voters, a local party source emphasized that residents remain primarily concerned about "bread-and-butter" issues like fly-tipping, park maintenance, and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
A former Labour cabinet member with experience during Tony Blair's premiership noted similarities in political context, recalling significant pushback over the Iraq War while acknowledging the council's strong performance against substantial challenges. She emphasized that translating national sentiment to the local level remains difficult across London.
However, these local issues have presented challenges for the Labour-run council. A damning investigation last year by the social housing watchdog identified Hackney as an "outlier" compared to other councils regarding the scale of its housing failures. Ombudsman Richard Blakeway noted that the local authority's positive mindset had resulted in "multiple missed opportunities" to address fundamental problems.
Mayor Woodley has attributed housing stock conditions and disrepair levels to "prolonged" austerity measures, estimated to have cost Hackney over £150 million in funding since 2010. Nevertheless, one Labour source acknowledged that the report had disillusioned the party's natural supporters, particularly those living on estates suffering from decades of maintenance failures.
The Green Ground Game and Strategic Alliances
To fracture Labour's stronghold, the local Green group is leveraging the national party's soaring membership, which has more than doubled since 'eco-populist' Polanski assumed leadership. Between January 2025 and January 2026, Hackney Greens' membership surged from approximately 650 to 2,800 members.
Local press officer Anne Whitehead acknowledged that this growth has brought "a lot of growing pains with tactics and strategy," but has also delivered numerous energetic and "talented" local volunteers ready to campaign across the borough and capital.
Polanski's strategy to court younger voters through social media is prominently displayed in Hackney. Among the Greens' 2026 candidates is 19-year-old Dylan Law, running as Garbett's second-in-command despite deputy mayors being appointed rather than elected. Born and raised in Hackney, Law promotes his ability to attract support from his generation, frequently criticizing council policies to his 3,500 TikTok followers.
The Opposition Pact That Could Reshape Hackney Politics
Should the Greens achieve an electoral upset, they will have been significantly aided by an alliance forged in opposition. This partnership includes three former Labour councillors who resigned from the party in 2023 over perceived abandonment of progressive values.
Together with the Greens, this new Independent Socialist group forms one half of the two opposition blocs, alongside the council's six Conservative councillors. For the upcoming elections, both parties have established an electoral pact to stand aside for each other, ensuring their "alternative left progressive slate" candidate can defeat Labour in specific contests. They have also declared support for Garbett's mayoral candidacy.
When questioned about potential Green-Independent ruling coalitions, Independent Socialist councillor Penny Wrout indicated that such conversations "haven't really" taken place yet. She emphasized that current efforts focus on aligning policies and campaigning styles to complement each other, while noting that their opposition partnership demonstrates how the groups could collaborate as an "effective administration."
The Broader Implications for Local Government
Local parties have not yet released manifestos or formally announced complete candidate lists for specific wards. Regardless of whether Labour maintains control or sees its safe seats fall, Professor Travers believes the election results will illustrate the fundamental predicament facing local councils nationwide.
"If there were a change in political control, exactly the same problems would be there four years from that happening," he observes, "because there is no magic money tree and none to be found. It's a bit bleak, really."
Hackney's mayoral and council elections will occur on Thursday, May 7, 2026, potentially marking a significant realignment in one of London's most historically Labour-dominated boroughs.
