Bexley council voters went to the polls in the 2026 local elections with all 45 seats on Bexley London Borough Council up for election. The count followed overnight after polls closed at 10pm on Thursday, May 7, with results due from 5am on Friday.
Every seat on the council was contested across 17 wards, giving voters in each area a full say in who would represent them. Before the election, the council was run by the Conservatives, who held 30 seats.
Bexley wards and seats
The wards up for election were Barnehurst, Belvedere, Bexleyheath, Blackfen & Lamorbey, Blendon & Penhill, Crayford, Crook Log, East Wickham, Erith, Falconwood & Welling, Longlands, Northumberland Heath, Sidcup, Slade Green & Northend, St Mary's & St James, Thamesmead East, and West Heath. Each ward returned either two or three councillors.
That meant the contest stretched across the borough rather than concentrating on a single area or a small group of seats. For residents, the immediate issue was which councillors would represent their ward once the count was complete.
London borough count
The Bexley contest was part of elections in all 32 London boroughs, where 1,817 seats were up for grabs. London borough elections take place every four years, so the result set the makeup of the council for the next full term.
Across England, more than 5,000 council seats were contested in 136 local authorities on election day, alongside mayoral elections in six areas. In Bexley, the practical question was straightforward: whether the Conservatives could hold their 30-seat position on a 45-seat council, or whether the balance of power would change once the overnight count finished.
