2026 Bexley London Borough Council election

2026 Bexley Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 2030 →
All 45 seats on Bexley London Borough Council 23 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader David Leaf Stefano Borella Party Conservative Labour Leader since 2025 2021 Leader's seat Blendon and Penhill Slade Green and Northend Last election 33 seats, 50.8% 12 seats, 44.0% Seats before 30 12
Council control before election Conservative Subsequent council control TBD

The 2026 Bexley London Borough Council election will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 45 members of Bexley London Borough Council will be elected. The election will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Result of the 2022 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]

Bexley has generally been controlled by the Conservatives since its creation, except for the elections of 1964, 1971 and 2002 which resulted in Labour councils, and the 1994 council election which resulted in no overall control. In the 2022 election, the Conservatives won 33 seats with 50.8% of the vote across Bexley, whilst Labour won 10 seats with 44.0% of the vote.

Council term

In November 2025, the Conservatives selected councillor David Leaf to be the new council leader. The previous leader Teresa O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bexley had served as council leader for 17 years from 2008 to 2025, when she announced her decision to stand down to focus on her work in the House of Lords. ^[4]

Electoral process

Bexley, 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. ^[5] 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. ^[5]

Previous council composition

After 2022 election			Before 2026 election			After 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Conservative	33		Conservative	30
	Labour	12		Labour	12
				Independent	3

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. "New leadership for the London Borough of Bexley". bexley.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
5. "How the elections work | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.