London local election results 2022 live: Latest news on who won council elections - Labour wins Westminster

Westminster City Council is the first of our big battleground seats to declare, which is likely to be around 3am.

This would be a seismic shock if it went to Labour, having been controlled by the Conservatives since its creation in 1965.

In 2018, the Tories won 41 councillors while Labour won just 19.

YouGov polled the council ahead of the elections, and placed it as “too close to call”.

And the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot has reported that the Conservatives are feeling “dicey” about Westminster, with Labour saying the data is positive.

However Britain Elects forecaster Ben Walker has said he thinks Labour won’t have enough voters in the marginal wards.

He told the New Stateman podcast: “We think they’ll fall short definitely in Westminster.

“Westminster is a hard nut to crack, basically there is a lot of Labour votes there but they’re spread in the wrong places.

“They’re not in the wards that matter, they’re not in the marginals so to speak.”

Counting is underway at the Wandsworth Civic centre.

Wandsworth has been a flagship Tory council since 1978 and is a key target for Labour this year.

Last year voter turnout was 43.62% overall and there are reports that it has been lower this year.

The first ward we expect to hear a result from is Nine Elms due to its smaller size.

19 of London’s 32 councils are counting votes overnight, which means the results will get announced in the early hours of Friday morning.

These are the estimated declaration times for overall control.

Key battleground councils are put in bold, with Labour hoping to take Barnet, Wandsworth and if they have a really good night Westminster.

The Tories will be looking to take Sutton off the Liberal Democrats, where the Lib Dems have a majority of 15 councillors.

The Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem party leaders have given their verdicts as polls close.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “I’d like to thank all those who voted in today’s local elections, and to the Conservatives’ supporters and activists across the country for their hard work to support our plan to keep council taxes low.”

While Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “Polls are now closed!

“A huge thank you to every candidate and campaigner who worked tirelessly to deliver our positive message to the country.

“Labour is on your side, and we have the plan to deliver the security, prosperity and respect that the British people deserve.”

And Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “Thank you to everyone who has been out and voted Liberal Democrat today.

“And thank you to all the Liberal Democrat members, supporters, volunteers and candidates who have campaigned so hard over the past few months. “

Counting has begun for votes for Westminster City Council.

If it’s a very good night for Labour, Westminster could turn red for the first time in its history.

YouGov pollsters put the race down as “too close to call”.

The BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service’s Hannah Neary says that the first ward to be counted will be Pimlico South.

The first ballot boxes have arrived at the Hillingdon count, the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service’s Lisa Haseldine reports.

Polling by YouGov ahead of the election expects the west London borough to remain Conservative.

Follow Lisa on Twitter for the latest updates from the Hillingdon count.

Hearing turnout was “low” among postal votes, Barnet Labour sources tell me.

They hope that could mean a chunk of Conservative voters have stayed home, rather than vote for their own or any other party.

But at this stage of the night, it’s very much still anyone’s game.

Polls in all the elections across London have now closed.

The counting will now begin with results filtering in overnight and during the day tomorrow.

Is there any better phenomenon on election day than dogs at polling stations?

We’ve collated our favourite pictures of pooches heading out with their owners to vote here.

Send in your own photos of dogs to [email protected]

There is less than 10 minutes until the polls close in all 32 boroughs.

Turnout is usually between 30% to 40% for local elections, which is much lower than for general elections.

Then the wait begins for the results to come in.

Croydon Council is expected to declare first at around 2am on Friday, while Tower Hamlets Council election is unlikely to be revealed until 5pm on Saturday.