Key Points
- Lambeth Council’s 2026 local election count was still underway, with results declared in 38 of 63 seats at the time of the live update.
- The Greens were in the lead on 20 seats, ahead of Labour on 10 and the Liberal Democrats on eight.
- Lambeth Council said counting was paused overnight after results were announced in 16 wards because close contests meant a number of recounts were required.
- The official results page was being hosted by Lambeth Borough Council, which said the final result would be available there.
- In 2022, Labour won 58 councillors, the Liberal Democrats won three, and the Greens won two, according to Lambeth Council’s published local election results.
- Before the 2026 vote, Labour held a strong majority on the council with 54 seats.
Lambeth (South London News) May 9, 2026 – Lambeth’s 2026 council election count was continuing on Friday night and into Saturday, with the Greens leading the early declaration and Labour facing the loss of the large majority it held before polling day.
What do the results show so far?
The live results page showed 38 of the 63 councillors declared, leaving 25 seats still to be confirmed.
At that stage, the Greens had won 20 seats, Labour 10 and the Liberal Democrats eight.
The figures pointed to a major shift from the previous council make-up, where Labour controlled the authority with 54 seats before the election.
The council itself has not yet published a final full set of results on its results page.
Why was counting paused overnight?
Lambeth Council said it paused counting overnight after announcing results in 16 wards.
The authority said the pause was because the contests were close and “a number of recounts are required”.
That meant the pace of declarations slowed, with final ward-by-ward outcomes expected to be confirmed only after recounts were completed.
The pause also explains why the live totals were still incomplete when several media outlets published updates.
How did Lambeth vote in 2022?
At the 2022 local elections, Labour won 58 councillors, the Liberal Democrats took three seats and the Greens won two, according to Lambeth Council’s own published results.
Those results came after the borough’s electoral map had been reviewed, with 63 councillors elected across 25 new wards.
The 2022 outcome gave Labour a dominant position on the council, which makes the 2026 results stand out as a major change if the Green lead holds.
The contrast between the two elections shows how sharply the balance of power has moved in the borough.
What did the live results page report?
The SW Londoner live results page listed Lambeth as “38/63” councillors declared, with the Greens on 20, Labour on 10 and the Liberal Democrats on eight.
It also noted that the page would contain confirmed councillor numbers for each London borough, broken down by party as results were uploaded.
Lambeth Council’s own official results page directed readers to the borough’s election results page rather than presenting a final breakdown on the landing page itself.
That suggests the final ward-by-ward picture was still being assembled when the live updates were published.
What could the final picture mean?
The information available so far suggests the Greens were in a strong position to become the largest party in Lambeth, although the final result was still pending when the live updates were published.
PollCheck’s projection ahead of the vote also suggested the Greens could emerge with the most seats, though it was only a projection and not a confirmed result.
That projection estimated the Greens on 30 seats, Labour on 26 and the Liberal Democrats on seven, with no overall control.
Because counting was still incomplete, the published figures should be treated as interim results rather than a final council composition.
Background of the development
Lambeth is one of London’s most politically watched boroughs because Labour had held it with a large majority before the 2026 election.
The borough’s 2022 election results gave Labour 58 of 63 seats, leaving the Greens and Liberal Democrats with only small representation.
In the run-up to 2026, several outlets described the contest as one in which the Greens could challenge Labour’s dominance.
That made Lambeth one of the boroughs where the result was expected to offer a clearer test of how local political support has shifted since the previous election.
Prediction for residents
If the Green lead is confirmed, residents could see a more balanced council where Labour no longer dominates decision-making on its own.
For voters who want a change in local priorities, a stronger Green presence could affect debates on housing, planning, environmental policy and council scrutiny.
If no party secures overall control, negotiations between parties may become more important in shaping how the council is run.
For everyday services, the most immediate effect would likely be a period of political adjustment as the new council settles into office and confirms its leadership arrangements.
