What you need to know as Havering heads into local elections

The turnout was 35% and there was a 7.6% swing from Conservative to HRA.

HRA: 20 seats (+1)

Harold Wood Hill Park RA: 3 seats (no change)

Conservatives: 23 seats (-2)

Labour: 9 seats (+4)

The number of seats had increased from 54 to 55 due to boundary changes.

The council was run by a coalition between HRA and Labour, before moving to an HRA minority administration from 2024.

Since the election, there have been defections from the Tories to Reform UK, who now have three councillors, and to HRA, who have 25 councillors.

The Conservatives now have 14.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Havering has long been the home of no overall control, with Labour and Conservative councillors, but lots of ratepayers, independents and residents.

Given what we can see in other parts of London and the South East, it's a really good chance for Reform UK.

They will be hoping to win it outright and indeed if they don't it will suggest that their claim on London is weaker, even than they thought.

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 Havering 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 Havering on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Havering covers parts of east and north-east London, forming the easternmost part of the capital. It borders Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge, and the Essex districts of Epping Forest and Brentwood, as well as Thurrock across its eastern boundary.

What's it like? Havering is one of London's most rural boroughs. It is made up of historic villages, 20th Century suburbs and bustling town centres. Many families pride themselves on having lived in the area for generations.

Neighbourhoods: Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row, Harold Hill, Rainham, Gidea Park, Emerson Park, Cranham, Havering‑atte‑Bower, Noak Hill, Harold Wood, Squirrel's Heath, South Hornchurch, Wennington.

Places of interest: Upminster Windmill, Harold Wood, historic Romford Market, which has been functional since 1247, and Havering‑atte‑Bower - the site of the medieval royal Havering Palace.

Pub quiz fact: Havering has one of the world's only listed skate parks. The Rom in Hornchurch is considered a technically significant example of 1970s shotcrete skate park construction.

Population:(2024 estimate): 276,274.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 75.4% identify as white, 10.7% as Asian, 8.2% as black, 3.7% as mixed race and 2% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Havering in December 2025 was £452,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Havering was £1,560.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £2,424.66

Transport: Havering has four Tube stations, three Elizabeth line stations, three London Overground stations, approximately 870 bus stops, and 36 day bus routes according to Transport for London.

It also has six National Rail stations: Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Rainham, Romford and Upminster.

The modern London Borough of Havering was created in 1965 after the reorganisation and creation of the 32 London boroughs. Formerly part of Essex, it was formed from the old borough of Romford and the urban district of Hornchurch.

The arrival of suburban railways and the District line in the 20th Century accelerated suburbanisation, which blended historic country villages with new housing estates.

The borough's history stretches back to Anglo‑Saxon times, when Havering Palace served as a royal residence as early as the reign of Edward the Confessor, anchoring the area's early settlement.

The surrounding territory became the Royal Liberty of Havering in 1465, encompassing Havering‑atte‑Bower, Hornchurch and Romford.

Romford developed as a major market town after receiving a royal charter in 1247, a tradition that continues today.

Havering has had four periods of no overall control (NOC) since its creation in 1965, with Labour in charge in the early 1970s and the Tories in control from 1978 to 1986 and from 2006 to 2014, since when it has been NOC.

The number of seats held by Labour has declined since 1998 and the Havering Residents Association (HRA) vote has risen steadily in the past decade to challenge Tory dominance.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk