What you need to know as Hillingdon heads into local elections

The turnout was 35.4% and there was a 3.9% swing from Conservatives to Labour.

Conservative: 30 seats (-14)

Labour: 23 seats (+2)

Boundary changes had reduced the amount of seats from 65 seats to 53.

Since the 2022 election, five Labour councillors left to form the Hayes Independent Party group. One Labour councillor was suspended and then switched to the Greens. There is also a vacant seat.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said: "The Conservatives have reasonably strongly control, but with Labour not far, and they have won parliamentary seats in recent times.

"But this was also an area that voted Leave in the 2016 referendum, so there are likely to be big Reform UK gains in Hillingdon, but probably not quite enough to win the borough.

"It could well become a no overall control borough with the Conservatives, Reform UK and Labour all having seats on the council."

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 Hillingdon 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 Hillingdon on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough of Greater London, bordering Hounslow, Ealing, Harrow, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

What's it like? Hillingdon is the second-largest London borough by area, and is also one of London's greenest boroughs. It is a distinctive shape, being 13 miles from top to bottom on the western edge of Greater London.

Neighbourhoods: Uxbridge, Hayes, Ruislip, Ickenham, Eastcote, Northwood and Northwood Hills, West Drayton, Yiewsley, Harlington, Harmondsworth and Sipson.

Places of interest: Heathrow Airport, the Battle of Britain bunker, Eastcote House Gardens, Colne Valley Regional Park and Uxbridge Lido - a Grade II listed outdoor swimming pool.

Pub quiz fact: Hillingdon has one of England's oldest and largest surviving medieval barns. Ruislip's Great Barn dates back to about 1280.

Population: (2024 estimate) 329,185

Demographics:According to the 2021 census, 48.2% identify as white, 33.3% as Asian, 7.8% as black, 4.4% as mixed race and 4.8% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Hillingdon in December 2025 was £478,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Hillingdon was £1,548.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £2,045.46.

Transport: According to Transport for London, there are 15 London Underground stations, five Elizabeth line stations and about 770 TfL bus stops in Hillingdon.

Hillingdon has roots stretching back to the 11th Century, when it was recorded as a parish in Middlesex.

The arrival of the Metropolitan Railway in the early 20th Century changed a largely rural area into commuter suburbs.

In 1946, the opening of Heathrow Airport boosted population growth and the local economy.

The borough has strong links to the military, and has been home to RAF Northolt since 1915.

During World War Two, the underground bunker at RAF Uxbridge served as the command centre during the 1940 Battle of Britain.

Hillingdon has switched control between the Conservatives, Labour and no overall control eight times since its formation in 1965. However, the Tories have run the borough continuously since 2006.

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