What you need to know as Bromley heads into local elections

The turnout was 37.2% and there was a swing of 6% from Conservative to Labour. The Conservatives retained control of the council but lost 14 seats.

Conservative: 36 seats (-14)

Labour: 12 seats (+4)

Lib Dem 5 seats (+5)

Chislehurst Matters 3 seats (+3)

Independent 2 seats (n/c)

Boundary changes reduced the number of seats in 2022 from 60 to 58.

Since the election, two councillors have defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, and Reform UK also won a by-election.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Bromley - like its neighbour Bexley - looks as if Reform UK will do well.

He added that if we look across into Kent last year, "Reform UK did do well there, but the Conservatives are still strong in the borough, so it could well go 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 Bromley Council election will be 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 Bromley on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Bromley is in south-east London and is bordered by Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley, Southwark, Lambeth, Croydon, Surrey and Kent.

What's it like? With the most green space in London, the borough is partly urban and partly rural, with a chunk of built-up area of suburban London and the northern part of the North Downs.

Neighbourhoods: Bromley, Penge, Biggin Hill, Hayes, West Wickham, Chislehurst, Beckenham and Orpington.

Places of interest: Chislehurst Caves, Down House, Crystal Palace Park, Priory Gardens, Churchill Theatre, Crofton Wood.

Pub quiz fact: Bromley is the largest London borough by area at 59 sq miles (150 sq km).

Population (2024 estimate): 335,319 according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 76.5% identify as white, 8.3% as Asian, 7.6% as black, 5.4% as mixed race and 2.3% as another ethnic group.

Average property price in (December 2025): £535,000 reports the ONS

Average monthly rent (January 2025): £1,599

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £2,140.

Transport: There are no Tube stations in Bromley. It has three London Overground stations, five tram stops and around 1,060 bus stops. There are 26 railway stations providing links to the rest of London and to Kent.

Bromley began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement named Bromleag in the 9th century. It was also the site of one of several palatial residences for the Bishops of Rochester.

It was granted a market charter in 1205 and remained a prosperous Kentish town surrounded by farmland until the arrival of the railway in the 1850s, which turned the northern part of what is now the borough of Bromley into the suburbs of London.

During the Second World War, Biggin Hill Aerodrome was the base for RAF Fighter Command. Bromley is the birthplace of H.G. Wells, and musician David Bowie grew up at 4 Plaistow Grove.

Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington and Chislehurst were moved from Kent into London to form parts of the borough in 1965.

It has been a Conservative-run council since its creation - with the exception of 1998 to 2002 - when a Lib Dem/Labour coalition took control.

Correction 8 April: On 3 April a reference to Orpington Palace Superbowl being an attraction was removed as it has been closed for some time. We have also removed a reference to the Bishop's Palace being part of Bromley Civic Centre.

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