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 powers are shared with the Greater London Authority, which also manages passenger transport, police, and fire.[5]
Since its formation, Haringey has been continuously under Labour control, apart from a period of Conservative control from 1968 to 1971. Since 2002, only Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have been elected. In the most recent council election in 2022, Labour won 50 seats with 59.9% of the vote and the Liberal Democrats won 7 seats with 24.0% of the vote. The Green Party received 8.6% of the vote and the Conservatives won 6.9% of the vote, though neither party won any seats. The incumbent leader of the council is the Labour councillor Peray Ahmet, who has held that role since 2021.[6]
Council term
Since the previous election Labour have lost six seats to defections and by-election losses. In July 2025, two Green councillors and two independent councillors formed the Green Socialist Alliance group on the council.[2] One seat is vacant going into the 2026 election due to the resignation of Labour councillor Mike Hakata.[7]
Electoral process
Haringey, 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.[8] 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.[8]
