2026 Barnet London Borough Council election

2026 Barnet Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 2030 →
All 63 seats on Barnet London Borough Council 32 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Barry Rawlings Peter Zinkin Mark Shooter Party Labour Conservative Reform Leader's seat Friern Barnet Golders Green Hendon Last election 41 seats, 43.0% 22 seats, 35.1% Did not contest Seats before 40 19 2
Council control before election Labour Subsequent council control TBD

The 2026 Barnet London Borough Council election will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 63 members of Barnet London Borough Council will be elected. The election will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

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]

Barnet has been controlled by the Conservative Party for most of the council's existence, with Labour Party leading during a period of no overall control between 1994 and 2002, and Labour having an outright majority on the council since 2022. In the most recent prior election in 2022, Labour won 41 seats and the Conservatives won 22, with Labour receiving 43.0% and the Conservatives receiving 35.1% of the overall vote. Although neither won any seats, the Green Party won 9.9% of the vote across the borough and the Liberal Democrats won 9.4%. The incumbent leader of the council is Labour's Barry Rawlings, who has held the role since 2022.

Council term

Four councillors have switched allegiance during the council term, with Labour's Linda Lusingu leaving the party in January 2023 and the Conservative Laithe Jajeh leaving in March 2024. ^{[4] [5]} Conservative councillor Mark Shooter defected to Reform UK in November 2024, and was joined in Reform by the former Conservative council leader Dan Thomas in June 2025. ^[6]

Electoral process

Barnet, 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 election			Before 2026 election			After 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	41		Labour	40
	Conservative	22		Conservative	19
				Reform	2
				Independent	2

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. Boothroyd, David (27 January 2023). "Labour scale Keppel's Column". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
5. "The Dream shall never Dye | LocalCouncils.co.uk". www.localcouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
6. "Reform claims "powerful endorsement" as ex-council leader Dan Thomas defects". Barnet Post. 30 June 2025.
7. "How the elections work | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.