Highlights
- Labour currently controls 21 of 32 London boroughs.
- Greens favoured in inner London areas like Hackney.
- Reform UK could surpass Conservatives in outer boroughs.
Labour currently controls 21 of London's 32 town halls. However, a YouGov poll suggests the party will only have the largest vote share in 15 boroughs after the elections.
Analysis from pollsters More in Common shows the Green Party and Reform UK are set to make major gains.
The Greens are heavily favoured to win inner London areas including Hackney and Lewisham.
Reform UK could leapfrog the Conservatives in outer London boroughs such as Bexley, Bromley and Havering.
Opposition parties advance
YouGov's data predicts the Greens will have the highest number of councillors in four boroughs, Reform UK in three, the Conservatives in five and the Liberal Democrats in four.
Luke Tryl from More in Common explained the shifting landscape. "The Greens will be going after inner London boroughs, the Tories will want to win back their flagship boroughs and we expect Reform to make their biggest gains in the south east of London," he said.
The elections could lead to political fights between City Hall and London boroughs over issues like major building projects and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Luke Taylor MP criticised Labour's record. "From the housing crisis and transport cuts, to the rise in neighbourhood crime, Londoners have been let down by Labour for far too long," he told The Standard.
The results will also affect London Councils, a cross-party organisation representing the capital's 32 borough councils.
On June 16, a new Chair and Executive Committee will be elected on a politically proportional basis, potentially changing the political balance Khan must work with.
Despite the challenges, Khan pledged to work with all council leaders regardless of party. "It's really important we come together as Team London to work for the common good," he told reporters last week.
