The most recent London borough elections took place on 6 May 2010. More than 6,000 candidates contested 1,861 seats across the 32 boroughs


How the elections work

The current 32 London boroughs were established in 1964 and replaced the old governance system from 1 April 1965. The old metropolitan borough system had governed London since Victorian times. ‘All-out’ elections (which means that elections take place for every seat throughout London on the same day) are held every four years.

All UK, European Union and Commonwealth citizens resident in London boroughs, who are aged 18 or over on 6 May 2010 were eligible to vote in their local election.

Electors could vote in one of three ways – in person, by post or by getting another person to vote on their behalf (this is known as a proxy vote). Anyone can apply for a postal vote, with no reason required. Proxy votes are available to voters who can provide a reason why they are unable to vote in person (this is usually illness or overseas absence). Both postal and proxy votes must be applied for in advance - the deadlines for application are shown as part of the below timetable.

Borough elections are broken down to individual wards, which are each represented by three councillors. Each elector may vote for up to three candidates in their home ward, and the main parties usually put forward three candidates in each ward. The Electoral Commission publishes information on rules regarding who is eligible to stand as a candidate in UK local elections.

While 29 boroughs use a governance system in which the councillors elect a council leader from among their numbers, four boroughs (Lewisham, Newham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets) have a different system, in which a mayor is directly-elected by the voters to lead the council. Three of the mayoral elections took place on 6 May 2010, with Tower Hamlets voting for their mayor in October 2010.

These elected mayors have overall political authority within the borough, and can appoint their own cabinet. They work closely with councillors, who continue to perform key roles in agreeing and scrutinising policy.

The Mayors are elected by the ‘supplementary vote’ system, with each elector asked to choose their first and second preference for the position.  Voters' first preferences are counted and if one candidate gets 50% of the vote, then he or she is elected.  If no candidate gains 50% of the vote, the two highest scoring candidates are recounted to determine the winner, this time including secondary votes from all other (eliminated) candidates.

People are able to voted at local polling stations between 7am and 10pm; polling stations are in well-known community facilities such as schools or churches. Electors need to provide their name and address in order to vote; a poll card may be shown but is not required in order to receive a ballot form. 

Each elector marks their vote in polling booths provided to allow privacy. There will often be people standing outside the polling station asking voters for their electoral register number. These are 'tellers' working on behalf of the candidates to record the number of electors who have voted. Tellers, who are usually volunteers, can then identify likely supporters who have not voted so that they can urge them to vote before the close of poll. Tellers have no official status, and voters are under no obligation to pass their details to tellers if they are asked.

When the poll closes, votes are collected in boxes and sent to central counting stations in the borough. They are first subject to a process of verification, and all returned postal votes must by law be checked and mixed in with votes cast at polling stations. The following count involves sorting votes cast between different candidates and removing any incorrectly completed ballot papers.

The count is undertaken by paid staff, usually drawn from amongst existing borough officers. Overall legal responsibility for the fair and accurate organisation of the count lies with a designated local returning officer. In the borough elections, this will typically be the chief executive of the council. The count goes on throughout the night of the election and the following morning until all votes have been counted, subject to the satisfaction of all candidates.

Key dates on the next page >>



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