What you need to know as Lewisham heads into local elections

The turnout was 33.5% and there was a 2% swing from Labour to the Greens. All seats on the council were won by Labour.

Labour: 54 seats (no change)

Since the election, three councillors have defected from Labour to the Greens and another was suspended by Labour and later joined the Greens, so the Greens now have four councillors.

There will also be an election for the mayor of Lewisham on 7 May.

The borough's directly-elected mayor has significant powers over local services such as housing, including local regeneration schemes and affordable housing targets, planning and waste collection.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Lewisham used to be a Conservative/Labour marginal borough, now it is pretty strongly Labour-controlled.

But it's another borough like Hackney where the Greens have real hopes and they've been campaigning hard, so it's hard to see Labour controlling anything like the number of seats they have now.

They will probably remain the biggest party but with significant Green incursions.

At the moment, Labour are dominant in London - they have 21 of its 32 councils, a record-equalling high.

The Conservatives run just five - having lost their former "crown-jewel" councils of Wandsworth and Westminster to Labour at the last borough elections in 2022.

The Liberal Democrats run three councils in south-west London and will be looking to gain Merton from Labour.

The Aspire Party run Tower Hamlets and two boroughs are currently in no overall control.

Nick Bowes, insight director from the London Communications Agency, said: "These are likely to be the most consequential elections in London, certainly for the past 20 years - possibly since the first borough elections in 1964."

He added: "The ways things are fragmenting in the polls it's very difficult to predict exactly what's going to happen but it does look like being a very bad night for Labour and the Conservatives in London."

More than six million Londoners can vote in the council elections on Thursday 7 May 2026.

All 32 London boroughs are up for election.

There are also elections for the mayor in five boroughs: Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

All candidates in the Lewisham Council election are listed on the borough's website.

Use our tool to see what elections are being held in your area.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April 2026.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00 BST - you must be registered to vote before you can receive a postal vote.

The deadline to change existing postal or proxy voting arrangements is also Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Photographic voter ID is required to vote at a polling station - if you do not have valid Voter ID, the deadline to apply for photo ID to vote (called a Voter Authority Certificate) for this election is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Election Day: Thursday 7 May 2026 from 07:00 to 22:00.

You can find more information about voting in Lewisham on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Lewisham is in south-east London and is bordered by Southwark, Bromley, Greenwich and the River Thames.

What's it like? Lewisham is a mix of urban areas and leafy conservation hubs, with good transport links, busy markets and a growing arts scene. A 15-year transformation plan is under way in Lewisham town centre, introducing new homes, shops, and community facilities.

Neighbourhoods: Blackheath, Deptford, Brockley,Ladywell, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Catford, New Cross, Lewisham and Hither Green.

Places of interest: Horniman Museum and Gardens, Beckenham Place Park, Rivoli Ballroom, Brockley Market, Deptford Market Yard, Hilly Fields, Broadway Theatre, the Catford Cat sculpture and the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art.

Pub quiz fact: Lewisham has the largest purpose-built police station in Europe - it has one of the Met Police's largest custody suites, stables for horses, and a multi-storey car park.

Population(2024 estimate): 301,255.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 51.5% of residents identify as white, 26.8% as black, 9% as Asian, 8% as mixed race and 4% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Lewisham in December 2025 was £499,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Lewisham was £1,806.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 20206/27 is £2,237.

Transport:TfL reports there are eight London Overground stations, two DLR stations and around 620 bus stops in Lewisham. There are also more than a dozen railway stations in the borough.

More information about Lewisham can be found here.

Lewisham began as a Saxon village named Levesham along the River Ravensbourne, that was later held by the Abbey of Ghent in the Middle Ages, known for its watermills and leather and steel production.

Historically part of Kent, the area shifted from rural estates to suburban housing and increasing industrialisation after the railways arrived in 1849.

In 1900, the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham was created, which included Lee and parts of Sydenham, Forest Hill and Catford.

The area was heavily bombed during World War Two and post-war saw the arrival of new citizens from the Commonwealth and large-scale housing developments such as the Pepys Estate.

The current London Borough of Lewisham was created in 1965, with the merger of the metropolitan boroughs of Lewisham and Deptford.

Lewisham has been a Labour-controlled borough for most of its history, with the Tories in charge from 1968 to 1971 and a period of no overall control from 2006 to 2010, when the Lib Dems won 17 seats and the Greens won six. It has been a one party council since 2018.

Labour has also held the post of directly elected mayor of Lewisham since it was created in 2002.

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