2026 Westminster City Council election

2026 Westminster City Council election

←  2022 7 May 2026 2030 →
All 54 seats on Westminster City Council 28 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Adam Hug Paul Swaddle Party Labour Conservative Reform Leader's seat Westbourne Regent's Park Last election 31 seats, 48% 23 seats, 40.3% 0 seats (did not contest) Seats before 28 24 2
Council control before election Labour Subsequent council control TBD

The 2026 Westminster City Council election will take place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 54 members of Westminster City Council will be elected. The election will take place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs.

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 formation, Westminster City Council was run by the Conservative Party until the 2022 election, which marked both the first ever Labour administration of Westminster and the first ever non-Conservative administration.

Changes since 2022

By elections in West End Ward in September 2024 and Vincent Square Ward in February 2025 both resulted in Conservative gains from Labour, reducing Labour's council group to 28 seats. ^{[2] [3]}

Two Conservative councillors, Laila Cunningham in Lancaster Gate Ward and Alan Mendoza in Abbey Road Ward, defected to Reform UK in June 2025 and November 2025 respectively. ^[4]

After 2022 election			Before 2026 election			After 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	31		Labour	28
	Conservative	2		Conservative	24
	Reform	0		Reform	2

Wards

1. Abbey Road
2. Bayswater
3. Church Street
4. Harrow Road
5. Hyde Park
6. Knightsbridge & Belgravia
7. Lancaster Gate
8. Little Venice
9. Maida Vale
10. Marylebone
11. Pimlico North
12. Pimlico South
13. Queen's Park
14. Regent's Park
15. St James's
16. Vincent Square
17. West End
18. Westbourne

References

1. "The essential guide to London local government | London Councils". www.londoncouncils.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
2. Burford, Rachael (28 February 2025). "Labour loses by-election in prestigious Westminster ward as Reform sees surge". The Standard. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
3. Baston, Lewis (28 February 2025). "Tory Westminster by-election gain may not mean Labour doom". OnLondon. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
4. Burford, Rachael (19 November 2025). "Another Tory on flagship council defects to Reform as Farage eyes gains in London". The Standard. Retrieved 19 November 2025.