What you need to know as Newham heads into local elections

The turnout was 28.8% and there was a 10.2% swing from Labour to the Greens.

Labour: 64 seats (+4)

Green: 2 seats (+2)

Boundary changes had increased the number of seats from 60 to 66.

Since the election, one Labour councillor has defected to the Greens, one Labour councillor has defected to the Newham Independents and three Labour councillors are now sitting as independents. The Newham Independents Party has also won three by elections from Labour.

There will also be an election for the mayor of Newham 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: "Newham is a borough which has for many years, most of the time, had all its councillors as Labour. Remarkable. And it's never not been controlled by Labour up until now.

"But factionalism, fragmentation within the Labour Party, means there's a big hope there for Independents, Greens, possibly others.

"So it looks as if - although it's to be very close that Newham - could be lost to no overall control."

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 Newham Council election are listed on the council'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 Newham on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Newham is in east London and is bordered by Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

What's it like? Newham is a fast-growing borough with a young population, where the majority of residents are from black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities.

The borough is largely urban with Victorian terraced streets, 1960s and 70s estate regeneration, and modern, high-density developments.

Neighbourhoods: Areas include Canning Town, Stratford, West Ham, Plaistow, Beckton, East Ham and Forest Gate.

Places of interest: Newham is home to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London Stadium, the IFS Cloud Cable Car, Westfield Stratford City, and Royal Victoria Dock.

Pub quiz fact: Trebor mints were invented in what is now the London Borough of Newham.

Population: (2024 estimate) An estimated 374,523 people lived in Newham in 2024.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 42.2% identify as Asian, 30.8% as white, 17.5% as black, 4.7% as mixed race and 1.6% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Newham in January 2026 was £402,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Newham was £1,910.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £1,944.23.

Transport: Newham has six Tube stations, five Elizabeth line stations, three Overground stations, 20 DLR stations and about 530 bus stops, Transport for London says.

Newham is a historically industrial borough with various trades dating back centuries.

The Royal Docks operated from the mid-19th Century until 1981. It was also home to the Stratford Works, a busy train-building site. The area produced well-known brands including Trebor Mints and Lyle's Golden Syrup in Silvertown.

The borough's docks and industries were heavily targeted during World War Two bombing.

Following the war, large-scale rebuilding began, in combination with new residential areas in North Woolwich, West Ham and Canning Town, where poor quality worker housing was cleared.

More recently, Newham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Newham – which came about with the merger of East Ham and West Ham in 1965 – has only ever been controlled by the Labour Party.

For long periods Labour was the only party represented on the council, with occasional wins for the Conservatives, Residents groups or the Lib Dems.

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