2026 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council election

2026 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 2030 →
All 50 seats on Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council 26 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Stephen Cowan Jose Afonso Trey Campbell-Simon Party Labour Conservative Green Leader's seat Grove Parsons Green & Sandford Walham Green Last election 40 seats, 57.1% 10 seats, 29.1% 0 seats, 3.0% Seats before 37 10 2
Council control before election Labour Subsequent council control TBD

The 2026 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council election will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 50 members of Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council will be elected. The election will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

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]

Since its formation, Hammersmith and Fulham has been under Labour control, Conservative control or no overall control. The council has had a Labour majority since the 2014 election. In the most recent election in 2022, Labour extended their majority to 40 seats with 57.1% of the vote, while the Conservatives won 10 seats with 29.1% of the vote. The incumbent leader of the council is the Labour councillor Stephen Cowan, who has held that position since 2014.

Electoral process

Hammersmith and Fulham, like other London borough councils, elects all of its councillors at once every four years. The previous election took place in 2018. The election took place by multi-member first-past-the-post voting, with each ward being represented by two or three councillors. Electors had 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 were entitled to vote in the election. People who lived at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, were entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. ^[4] Voting in-person at polling stations took place from 7:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters were able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election. ^[4]

Previous council composition

After 2022 election			Before 2026 election			After 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	40		Labour	37
	Conservative	10		Conservative	10
				Green	2
				Independent	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.