Key Points
- Newham recorded a turnout of 29.1% in the 2022 local elections, one of the lowest in London, with only Barking and Dagenham lower at 25.3%.
- Residents told MyLondon they feel “fed up” with politics, with some saying promises are made and not delivered.
- Newham has long faced weak electoral engagement, including a 59% turnout in the EU referendum, the lowest in London.
- A 2025 government deprivation study found Newham was London’s most deprived borough and seventh most deprived in the UK.
- Labour has controlled Newham Council since 1971, but the party’s dominance is under pressure ahead of the 2026 elections.
- PollCheck projects Labour will fall from 56 seats to 33 out of 66, leaving the council with no overall control.
- The article highlights frustration over local services, political confusion, and wider national disillusionment as possible reasons for low participation.
Newham’s (East London Times) May 6, 2026 local elections, with polling projections suggesting Labour could lose overall control of the council.
What is happening in Newham?
Newham, in East London, is heading into the 2026 local election with serious questions over public engagement and political trust.
As reported by the MyLondon piece republished by Yahoo News, the borough recorded a turnout of 29.1% at the 2022 local elections, underlining a long-running pattern of electoral apathy.
The report says residents interviewed in and around Forest Gate expressed anger, disappointment and confusion about politics, with several saying they no longer believe change follows from voting.
Why are residents staying away?
As reported by S Hussain, a Forest Gate resident who gave only his first name, the problem is not just turnout but trust, because
“Newham hasn’t changed for the last 30 years, so I don’t see anything changing this time around.”
He also said promises are routinely made before elections but not followed through afterwards, adding that residents are “fed up here”.
Another resident, travel agent Ilyas Muhammad, told MyLondon that many people simply do not know who to vote for, saying there is confusion about what the main parties stand for.
How poor is turnout in context?
The turnout figure of 29.1% in 2022 placed Newham near the bottom of London’s 32 councils, behind only Barking and Dagenham, which recorded 25.3%.
The MyLondon report also notes that Newham’s turnout at the EU referendum was 59%, the lowest in London at the time, even though the national turnout was 72.21%. That suggests local disengagement in Newham is not a one-off event but part of a longer pattern.
What role does deprivation play?
The article links lower participation to deprivation, citing research that suggests poorer communities often feel less connected to political life.
It says a 2025 government study found Newham to be London’s most deprived borough and the seventh most deprived in the UK.
Barking and Dagenham, which has often had the capital’s lowest turnout, was also identified as one of the most deprived boroughs in London in the same study.
How does Labour stand?
Newham Council has been controlled by Labour since 1971, making the borough one of the party’s longest-standing strongholds in London.
But the report says that historical dominance may not protect Labour this time because of weaker national popularity, local anger and a corruption scandal involving a council worker who fraudulently allocated social housing to ineligible people.
The piece also points to concern over Labour losing support among some Muslim voters because of the party’s position on Israel-Palestine.
What do projections say?
PollCheck’s Newham forecast says no party is projected to win a majority on the council. It predicts Labour will win 33 of 66 seats, down from 56, while the Greens are forecast to rise to 16 and other parties or independents to take 17, producing no overall control.
The projection is described as candidacy-dependent and subject to revision once nomination data is available, so it should be treated as a forecast rather than a final outcome.
Why does this matter now?
This election matters because low turnout can make local politics less representative, especially in a borough where frustration is already high.
If fewer people vote again in 2026, small shifts in support could have a larger effect on who runs the council.
That makes voter mobilisation, candidate credibility and local service issues especially important in the coming campaign.
Background of the development
Newham has struggled with turnout for years, and the current debate sits within a wider story about political disengagement, deprivation and long-term Labour dominance.
The borough has often been seen as a Labour heartland, but changing demographics, dissatisfaction with delivery and national political tensions have made its local elections more competitive.
The 2022 result, in which Labour won 64 seats and the Greens took two, showed that opposition parties can still make gains even in a heavily Labour area.
Prediction for residents
For Newham residents, the most likely short-term effect is a more competitive council race and more intense campaigning on local issues such as housing, services and trust in administration. If turnout stays low, the election may again be decided by a relatively small share of the electorate, which could widen concerns that the council does not fully reflect local views. For voters who already feel disconnected, that could reinforce the same cycle of frustration described in the report, while for politically engaged residents it may create a stronger chance of changing the borough’s direction.
