2026 Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council election

Last updated

2026 Barking and Dagenham Council election
  2022 7 May 20262030 

All 51 seats on Barking and Dagenham Council
26 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
'
'
'
LeaderDominic TwomeyMoin Quadri
Party Labour Green Conservative
Leader since18 Sep 202415 Sep 2025
Last election51 seats, 79.7%0 seats, 1.3%0 seats, 17.4%
Seats before4730

Council control before election


Labour

Subsequent council control

TBD

The 2026 Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. The election will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs. [1] All seats will be up for election. [2]

Contents

Background

Result of the 2022 borough election Barking and Dagenham UK local election 2010 map.svg
Result of the 2022 borough election

The thirty-two London boroughs were established in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. They are the principal authorities in Greater London and have responsibilities including education, housing, planning, highways, social services, libraries, recreation, waste, environmental health and revenue collection. Some of the powers are shared with the Greater London Authority, which also manages passenger transport, police and fire. [3]

Barking and Dagenham has been controlled by the Labour Party since its establishment. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, British National Party, independents and residents associations have also held seats on the borough. In the most recent four elections in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, all fifty-one seats were won by the Labour Party. [4] The incumbent leader of the council is the Labour councillor Dominic Twomey, who has held that position since 2024. [5]

In September 2025, three Labour councillors left the party to join the Green Party of England and Wales. [6]

Electoral process

Barking and Dagenham, as is the case all other London borough councils, elects all of its councillors at once every four years, with the previous election having taken place in 2022. The election takes place by multi-member first-past-the-post voting, with each ward being represented by two or three councillors. Electors will have as many votes as there are councillors to be elected in their ward, with the top two or three being elected.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in London aged 18 or over are entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. [7] Voting in-person at polling stations takes place from 7:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters are able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election. [7]

Previous council composition

After 2022 electionBefore 2026 electionAfter 2026 election
PartySeatsPartySeatsPartySeats
Labour 51 Labour 47
Green 3
Independent 1

Notes

      References

      1. 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.
      2. "Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
      3. "The essential guide to London local government | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
      4. Horton, Tom (4 May 2018). "Labour sweep to victory in Barking and Dagenham Council elections by taking all 51 seats". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
      5. Reporter, Ruby Gregory | Local Democracy (19 September 2024). "New council leader revealed for Barking and Dagenham".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
      6. Burford, Rachel. "London Labour councillors quit party over 'Gaza and anti-immigration rhetoric' and defect to Greens". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
      7. 1 2 "How the elections work | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.