What you need to know as Greenwich heads into local elections

The turnout was 33.4% and there was a small swing from the Conservatives to Labour.

Labour: 52 seats (+10)

Conservatives 3 seats (-6)

Boundary changes increased the number of seats from 51 to 55.

Since the election, the Greens won a seat in a by-election and another through a defection from an independent who was formerly Labour.

Two other Labour councillors now sit as independents and the Tories won a by-election from Labour.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said Greenwich, where Labour are currently strongly in control, is one of the boroughs where the Greens are hoping to do well - but perhaps not as well as elsewhere.

It looks as if Greenwich will be a hold for Labour but with a reduced majority.

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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich on the borough's website.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is located in south-east London, on the south bank of the River Thames. It is bordered by Lewisham, Bromley and Bexley.

What's it like? Greenwich is famous for its naval and military connections and its green spaces. The wider borough contains a mixture of different types of suburban housing.

Neighbourhoods: The borough comprises the areas and historic towns of Greenwich, Charlton, Woolwich, Plumstead, West Thamesmead, Shooters Hill, Kidbrooke, Eltham and Abbey Wood.

Places of interest: Greenwich Park, including the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, and the Old Royal Naval College. Greenwich Pier has the tea clipper Cutty Sark.

Pub quiz fact: The UK's first McDonald's restaurant was opened on Powis Street in Woolwich in November 1974.

Population (2024 estimate): 289,100 people - of those 62.5% identify as white, 11.7% as Asian, 19.1% as black, 4.8% as mixed race and 1.9% as another ethnic group, according to the 2021 Census.

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

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported private rents rose to an average of £1,943 in February 2026.

Transport:According to Transport for London, Greenwich has oneTube station, two Elizabeth line stations, four DLR stations and around 715 bus stops.

More information about Greenwich can be found here.

Greenwich was recorded as Grenewic in the year 964, and it appears as Grenviz in Domesday Book (1086). Woolwich was written as Uuluuich in 918 and Hulviz in 1086.

Greenwich was a fishing village as well as a farming settlement.

It has historic associations with the Tudor dynasty. Three monarchs were born in Palace of Placentia, also known as Greenwich Palace - Henry VIII and his daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I.

In 1884 the meridian (the line running north to south) through Greenwich Observatory was chosen as the international meridian from which longitude is calculated. It divides the eastern and western hemispheres and serves as the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

After a brief spell of Tory control, Greenwich has been held by the Labour party since 1971 and it has been seen as safe for the party.

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