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Residents of London may be wondering why no elections are being held in any of the city’s boroughs this year.
Local council elections in the UK are held at least once every four years. Depending on the area, all councillors may be elected at once every four years, half may be elected every two years, or one-third may be elected annually for three years with no election in the fourth year.
In London, the last full set of borough elections occurred in 2022, when every council seat was contested. As a result, the next round of borough elections in the capital is scheduled for 2026.
That said, the City of London Corporation held its own election on March 20, where all 100 Common Council seats across the 25 wards were contested. Of those, 78 seats were won by independent candidates.
This year’s local elections are taking place in 24 of England’s 317 councils. These include 14 county councils—12 of which are currently under Conservative control—as well as eight unitary authorities, only one of which is not led by the Conservatives. Additionally, all 55 seats on Doncaster City Council are being contested.
Voters will also choose mayors for Doncaster and North Tyneside, as well as leaders of combined authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the West of England, Hull, West Yorkshire, and Greater Lincolnshire.
The most recent election for the Mayor of London was held in May 2024, and since the position is contested every four years, the next mayoral election will take place in 2028.
Anyone planning to vote in the upcoming elections must be registered and may need to present valid photo ID at their polling station.
