What you need to know as Hammersmith and Fulham heads into local elections

The turnout was 33.3% and there was a 3.6% swing from the Conservatives to Labour.

Labour: 40 seats (+5)

Conservative: 10 seats (-1)

Boundary changes had increased the number of seats from 46 to 50.

Since the election, two Labour councillors have defected to the Greens and one councillor elected as Labour now sits as an independent.

Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics said Hammersmith and Fulham used to be a Conservative/Labour marginal borough, but the Labour Party has embedded itself there in recent years.

On the basis of what we can see in other parts of the city and in polling, Labour will probably hold on to Hammersmith and Fulham.

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 Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Hammersmith and Fulham on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is in west and south-west London and is bordered by Kensington and Chelsea, Brent, Ealing, Hounslow and the River Thames.

What's it like? There are an abundance of tree-lined residential roads and the borough is home to some of the capital's best restaurants. It also has thriving riverside communities.

Neighbourhoods: Chelsea Harbour, Fulham, Hammersmith, Parsons Green, Shepherd's Bush, West Kensington and White City.

Places of interest: Fulham Palace, BBC Television Centre, Ravenscourt Park, Olympia, Hammersmith Apollo, Westfield London, Shepherd's Bush Market, Wormwood Scrubs, the Ark building.

Pub quiz fact: Hammersmith and Fulham has three professional football clubs within its boundaries: Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, and Queens Park Rangers FC.

Population (2024 estimate): About 183,200.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 63.2% of residents described themselves as white, 12.3% as black, 10.5% as Asian, 6.7% as mixed and 7.3% of residents described themselves as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Hammersmith and Fulham in December 2025 was £730,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 was £2,701.

Transport:According to TfL there are 15 Tube stations, three London Overground stations, about 290 bus stops in the borough.

Hammersmith was originally a chapelry of the parish of Fulham, but became a fully independent parish in 1631.

The first people known to have settled in the area were Neolithic tribes living by the riverside 5,000 years ago. Over the years, the original woodland was replaced by farmland and, near the river, the good soil encouraged the farmers to grow fruit and vegetables.

During the 17th Century and, in particular, the 18th Century, Fulham became a popular retreat for the wealthy and a number of large country villas were built.

The last farm to function in Fulham was Crabtree Farm, which closed at the beginning of the 20th Century.

There is now a Crabtree Estate, where houses line leafy roads and the architecture is protected as a conservation area.

Hammersmith and Fulham has changed between Tory control, Labour control and no overall control six times since its creation in 1965. Labour has had a majority since 2014.

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