2026 Camden London Borough Council election

2026 Camden London Borough Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 2030  →
All 55 seats to Camden London Borough Council 28 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Richard Olszewski Tom Simon Party Labour Liberal Democrats Leader's seat Fortune Green Belsize Last election 47 seats, 56.6% 4 seats, 17.6% Seats before 45 6   Third party Fourth party   Leader Steve Adams Lorna Russell Party Conservative Green Leader's seat Frognal Highgate Last election 3 seats, 19.2% 1 seats, 5.1% Seats before 3 1
Council control before election Labour Council control after election TBD

The 2026 Camden London Borough Council election will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 55 members of Camden 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 council 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]

Since its formation, Camden has variously been under Labour control, no overall control and Conservative control. Only Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green councillors have been elected to the council. The council has had an overall Labour majority since the 2010 election; the most recent election in 2022 saw Labour win 47 seats with 56.6% of the overall vote. The Liberal Democrats won four seats with 17.6% of the vote, the Conservatives won three seats with 19.2% of the vote, and the Greens won one seat with 5.1% of the vote. The incumbent leader of the council is the Labour councillor Richard Olszewski, who has held that position since 2024.

Electoral process

Camden, 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. ^[4] 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. ^[4]

Council composition

After 2022 election			Before 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	47		Labour	45
	Liberal Democrats	4		Liberal Democrats	6
	Conservative	3		Conservative	3
	Green	1		Green	1

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. "How the elections work | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.