What you need to know as Sutton heads into local elections

The turnout was 40% and there was a 0.3% swing from the Conservatives to the Lib Dems.

Lib Dem: 29 seats (-4)

Conservative: 20 seats (+2)

Labour: 3 seats (+3)

Sutton Independent Residents: 3 seats (no change)

Boundary changes increased the number of seats from 54 to 55.

Since the election, the Tories won a by-election from Labour, while one Lib Dem resigned and sits as an independent.

Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics said Sutton has been controlled continuously by the Liberal Democrats since 1986.

This time they face a threat from Reform UK.

There are parts of the borough which voted Leave in the 2016 referendum, which could well be won by Reform, but probably not to the extent that the Liberal Democrats lose power.

So - Lib Dems to lose seats but probably just about to retain control.

At the moment, Labour are dominant in London - they have 21 of its 32 councils, a record-equalling high.

The Conservatives run just five - having lost their former "crown-jewel" councils of Wandsworth and Westminster to Labour at the last borough elections in 2022.

The Liberal Democrats run three councils in south-west London and will be looking to gain Merton from Labour.

The Aspire Party run Tower Hamlets and two boroughs are currently in no overall control.

Nick Bowes, insight director from the London Communications Agency, said: "These are likely to be the most consequential elections in London, certainly for the past 20 years - possibly since the first borough elections in 1964."

He added: "The ways things are fragmenting in the polls it's very difficult to predict exactly what's going to happen but it does look like being a very bad night for Labour and the Conservatives in London."

More than six million Londoners can vote in the council elections on Thursday 7 May 2026.

All 32 London boroughs are up for election.

There are also elections for the mayor in five boroughs: Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

All candidates in the Sutton Council election are listed on the borough's website.

Use our tool to see what elections are being held in your area.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April 2026.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00 BST - you must be registered to vote before you can receive a postal vote.

The deadline to change existing postal or proxy voting arrangements is also Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 17:00.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Photographic voter ID is required to vote at a polling station - if you do not have valid Voter ID, the deadline to apply for photo ID to vote (called a Voter Authority Certificate) for this election is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 17:00.

Election Day: Thursday 7 May 2026 from 07:00 to 22:00.

You can find more information about voting in Sutton on the borough's website.

The London Borough of Sutton is in south London and is bordered by Merton, Croydon, Kingston and Surrey.

What's it like? Sutton is regarded as a safe and family‑friendly borough with strong local schools, plenty of green space and fast rail links into central London.

Neighbourhoods: Sutton Central, Sutton South, Sutton North, Sutton Common, Cheam Village, Cheam North, Carshalton Central, Carshalton Beeches, Carshalton on the Hill, Wallington North, Wallington South, Worcester Park, Belmont, Hackbridge, Beddington, St Helier, Rose Hill, Stonecot.

Places of interest: Sutton is home to attractions including Mayfield Lavender Farm, Honeywood Museum, Whitehall Historic House, Nonsuch Park, Sutton Ecology Centre and the historic Carshalton Ponds.

Pub quiz fact: The Cheam Charter Fair is traditionally believed to date back to 1259, when King Henry III granted a charter to make Cheam a town.

Population (2024 estimate): 214,525

Demographics: In 2021, 68.3% of Sutton residents identified as white, 17.5% as Asian, 5.9% as black, and 4.8% as mixed or multiple ethnic groups.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Sutton in December 2025 was £451,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Sutton was £1,544.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough in 2026/27 is £2,378.64

Transport: Sutton has nine train stations, two nearby tram stops and about 365 bus stops.

More information about Sutton borough can be found here.

The London Borough of Sutton has a rich heritage, with many of its oldest places - such as Beddington Church, Cheam Village, Wallington and All Saints Church in Carshalton - recorded in the Domesday Book.

Beddington was once home to a Roman villa and later a deer park visited by Henry VIII, while the River Wandle powered industry from the Middle Ages and became known as one of the hardest‑working rivers in the world.

Sutton's landscape holds traces of its past, from possible Roman roads to former gallows sites, and by the 19th Century Carshalton was the borough's largest village.

Sutton has 181 nationally listed buildings, including Carew Manor's great hall and Cheam's historic Whitehall.

Its history features vivid stories, from the demolition of Nonsuch Palace to Derby-day scandals.

From its creation in 1965 until the mid-1980s, Sutton was a Conservative-run borough with Labour in second place. The Liberals won no seats in 1968, two in 1978 and three in 1982.

The Liberal/SDP Alliance (later the Lib Dems) began their rise in 1986 when they won 28 seats, becoming the largest party with the council having no overall control.

In 1990 the Lib Dems won a majority and have controlled Sutton Council ever since, with the Conservatives as the opposition and Labour a distant third, or with no councillors at all from 2006 until the last election.

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