2030 Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council election

The 2030 Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council election will take place on 2nd May 2030. It will take place alongside local elections for all other London Boroughs. All seats will be up for election. The Labour Party currently controls the council with a majority, having won the 2026 election. Reform UK won 9 seats and the Green Party won 4 seats, becoming the first opposition on the council since 2006. The Conservative Party has not won a seat on Barking and Dagenham council since 2006.

Background

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.

Barking and Dagenham has been controlled by the Labour Party since its establishment. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, British National Party, independents and residents associations have also held seats on the borough. Reform UK and the Green Party currently make up the opposition.

Electoral process

Barking and Dagenham, 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.

Depending on the ProgresS of Government Legislation, 16 and 17-year-olds May Be able to vote in the 2030 election.

Previous council composition

Summary