The 2026 Bexley London Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2026, as part of the 2026 United Kingdom local elections. All 45 members of Bexley London Borough Council were up for election. The election took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs.

The Conservatives maintained control of the council, having held control since 2006, losing four seats. Labour remained the largest opposition party despite losing three seats, and Reform UK won its first seven seats.

History

The thirty-two London boroughs were established in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. They are the principal authorities in Greater London and have responsibilities including education, housing, planning, highways, social services, libraries, recreation, waste, environmental health and revenue collection. Some of the powers are shared with the Greater London Authority, which also manages passenger transport, police, and fire.

Bexley has generally been controlled by the Conservatives since its creation, except for the elections of 1964, 1971 and 2002 which resulted in Labour councils, and the 1994 council election which resulted in no overall control. In the 2022 election, the Conservatives won 33 seats with 50.8% of the vote across Bexley, whilst Labour won 10 seats with 44.0% of the vote.

Council term Daniel Francis, sitting Labour councillor for Belvedere, was elected to the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency at the 2024 general election. The resulting by-election saw Labour hold the seat with a reduced vote share.

In November 2025, the Conservatives selected councillor David Leaf to be the new council leader. The previous leader Teresa O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bexley had served as council leader for 17 years from 2008 to 2025, when she announced her decision to stand down to focus on her work in the House of Lords.

During the term, two Conservative councillors left to sit as independents: Felix Di Netimah for Crayford, and Nigel Betts for Falconwood and Welling. James Hunt, councillor for Blackfen and Lamorbey, left the Conservatives after they did not select him to stand again, saying they "had lost its way both in Parliament and in Bexley." He joined Reform UK but sat as an independent on Bexley Council, and contested the 2026 elections as an independent.

During the 2025 Kent County Council elections, all six seats in neighbouring Dartford were won by Reform UK on 41% of the vote, with the Conservatives losing all four of their seats and dropping from 53% to 30% of the vote; and Labour losing their single seat and dropping from 31% of the vote to 18%.

Campaign David Leaf, the new leader of the majority Conservative group on the council, attacked the Labour government saying the council has faced "brutal cuts" and that they were "forced to put council tax up" by 4.99%. Leaf said "what's important for us is investing in the services that matter to our residents - whether it's supporting the thousands of residents who are elderly who benefit from social care, the hundreds of vulnerable children we protect and keep safe every day, or investing in ensuring our streets are clean."

Stefano Borella, leader of the opposition Labour group, focused on the "50,000 renters in Bexley" and defending the government's Renters' Rights Act. He said that Bexley needed more affordable housing, more council housing, and more investment in roads and pavements. In the House of Commons, the 2024-intake Bexleyheath and Crayford Labour MP Daniel Francis stated that he wanted to ensure the £895,000 of government-funded pothole repair is well spent, including on Mayplace Road East in Barnehurst.

Reform UK launched its London election campaign on 29 March, with party leader Nigel Farage saying "we are seriously competitive in Croydon, in Bromley, in Bexley, in Havering, and maybe two or three others." On 8 April, Farage campaigned in Welling. Reform candidate Miles Jones said the party would cut wasteful spending, save money, fix potholes, and conduct a "real audit of council finances". However, some compare a potential Reform administration in Bexley to Kent County Council, which Reform took majority control of in 2025 including winning all six seats in neighbouring Dartford, promising not to raise tax but then raising it by 3.99% at their first budget. Nigel Farage previously led UKIP, which won 3 seats on Bexley Council in 2014.

Polling Dates conducted Pollster Sample size Con Lab LD Ref Grn Lead 7 Apr – 29 Apr 2026 More in Common 2,646 30.7% 19.8% 11.0% 30.4% 6.1% 1.9% 0.317 Apr – 27 Apr 2026 JLPartners 2,022 29% 17% 8% 35% 8% 3% 627 Mar – 21 Apr 2026 YouGov 4,548 30% 19% 9% 29% 12% 1% 1 style="background:#e9e9e9;" 2022 election50.8%44.0%3.4%0.7%0.7%0.5%6.8

Electoral process Bexley, as is the case all other London borough councils, elects all of its councillors at once every four years, with the previous election having taken place in 2022. The election takes place by multi-member first-past-the-post voting, with each ward being represented by two or three councillors. Electors will have as many votes as there are councillors to be elected in their ward, with the top two or three being elected.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in London aged 18 or over are entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations takes place from 7:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters are able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

Candidates This election is set to break numerous records. 192 candidates will be standing across 17 wards to compete for 45 seats. This is 71% higher than the 112 candidates standing in the 2022 election. Taking into account the changes in Bexley Council's size over the years, this election will see the highest number of candidates per seats available ever, having 4.27 candidates per seats compared to the second highest 2010 which had 3.38 candidates per seat (213 candidates for 63 seats).

Three parties are standing in all 45 seats up for election: the Conservatives, Labour, and Reform UK. This will be the 16th time for the Conservatives, who have stood candidates for every seat in every election except 1964; the 17th time for Labour, who have stood candidates for every seat in every election if you include a Labour and Co-operative candidate in 1986; and the first time for Reform UK, who stood for the first time in 2022 with four candidates. Reform UK will be the first third party to stand the maximum number of candidates since 1994 when the Liberal Democrats stood a full house.

The Liberal Democrats (UK) are standing 28 candidates (in 62.2% of seats), their highest number since 2010 when they stood 40 candidates (in 63.5% of seats). The Green Party of England and Wales are standing 24 candidates (in 53.3% of seats), their highest number ever, beating their previous record of 7 candidates (in 11.1% of seats) in 2014. Five separate political parties (Conservatives, Labour, Reform, Liberal Democrats, and the Greens) will be standing at least one candidate in every ward for the first time, and standing in over half of the available seats for the first time.

Previous council composition

After 2022 election Before 2026 election After 2026 election Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats 33 30 29 12 12 9 3 7 Changes 2022-2026: April 2023: Felix Di Netimah (Conservative) leaves party to sit as an independent May 2024: Nigel Betts (Conservative) leaves party to sit as an independent September 2024: Daniel Francis (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2024 October 2024: Jeremy Fosten (Labour) wins by-election February 2025: James Hunt (Conservative) leaves party to sit as an independent

Results summary

Ward results Statements of persons nominated were published on 9 April. Incumbent councillors are marked with an asterisk (*). Those elected are in bold. Election results available on the Bexley Council website

Barnehurst

Belvedere

Bexleyheath

Blackfen and Lamorbey

James Hunt was formerly a conservative councillor who sought re-election as an independent.

Blendon and Penhill

Crayford

Crook Log

East Wickham

Erith John Panetta stood for Reform UK, but withdrew their nomination.

Falconwood and Welling

Longlands

Northumberland Heath

Sidcup

Slade Green & Northend

St Mary's & St James

Thamesmead East Geoff Williams stood for Reform UK but later had their nomination withdrawn.

West Heath

References