2026 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council election

2026 Richmond upon Thames Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2030 →
All 54 seats on Richmond Council 28 seats needed for a majority
Grn Con Leader Gareth Roberts Richard Bennett Paul Hodgins Party Liberal Democrats Green Conservative Last election 48 seats, 56.5% 5 seats, 5.4% 1 seat, 26.6% Current seats 49 5 0
Incumbent Leader of the council Gareth Roberts Liberal Democrats

The 2026 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2026. All 54 members of Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council will be elected. The elections will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.

The Liberal Democrats had controlled the council since the 2018 election, and increased their majority in the 2022 election, ending on 48 seats, with all Liberal Democrat candidates being elected. ^[a] The Green Party formed the largest opposition group on five seats, with the Conservative Party dropping from 11 seats to 1 seat; they would subsequently lose their final seat in a 2024 by-election.

Background

History

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. ^[1]

Since its formation, Richmond upon Thames has been under Conservative control, Liberal Democrat control, SDP–Liberal Alliance control and no overall control. The Liberal Democrats regained control from the Conservatives in the election in 2018. They won 39 seats with 46.7% of the vote across the borough while the Conservatives won 11 seats with 37.6% of the vote and the Greens won 4.5% of the vote. The Labour Party won 10.4% of the vote but did not win any seats. ^{[2] [3]} The leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Gareth Roberts, became council leader following the election. ^[4]

Council term

A by-election for Hampton North ward was held on 18 January 2024, with the Liberal Democrats gaining the seat from the Conservatives. On the same day, a by-election was held for Teddington ward with the Liberal Democrats holding the seat.

Electoral process

Richmond upon Thames, like other London borough councils, elects all of its councillors at once every four years. The previous election took place in 2022. The election will take place by plurality block 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 are entitled to vote in this 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]

Previous council composition

After 2022 election			Before 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Liberal Democrats	48		Liberal Democrats	49
	Green	5		Green	5
	Conservative	1		Conservative	0

Notes

1. Opposition councillors were elected only in wards where there were not as many Liberal Democrat councillors as seats available for that ward.

References

1. "The essential guide to London local government | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
2. Blunden, Mark (4 May 2018). "Lib Dems seize Richmond from the Conservatives". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
3. Holder, Josh. "Local council elections 2018 – results in full". the Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
4. "Election results: Leader of Liberal Democrats promises fresh start for borough". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
5. "How the elections work | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2021.