Local elections profile: Newham

Ahead of the local elections on Thursday 7 May, we have produced short guides to London's 32 boroughs.

Where is it? The London Borough of Newham is in east London and is bordered by Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

What's it like? Newham is a fast-growing borough with a young population, where the majority of residents are from black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities.

The borough is largely urban with Victorian terraced streets, 1960s and 70s estate regeneration, and modern, high-density developments.

Neighbourhoods: Areas include Canning Town, Stratford, West Ham, Plaistow, Beckton, East Ham and Forest Gate.

Places of interest: Newham is home to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London Stadium, the IFS Cloud Cable Car, Westfield Stratford City, and Royal Victoria Dock.

Pub quiz fact: Trebor mints were invented in what is now the London Borough of Newham.

Population: (2024 estimate) An estimated 374,523 people lived in Newham in 2024.

Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 42.2% identify as Asian, 30.8% as white, 17.5% as black, 4.7% as mixed race and 1.6% as another ethnic group.

Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Newham in January 2026 was £402,000.

Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Newham was £1,910.

Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £1,944.23.

Transport: Newham has six Tube stations, five Elizabeth line stations, three Overground stations, 20 DLR stations and about 530 bus stops, Transport for London says.

Local history: Newham is a historically industrial borough with various trades dating back centuries.

The Royal Docks operated from the mid-19th Century until 1981. It was also home to the Stratford Works, a busy train-building site. The area produced well-known brands including Trebor Mints and Lyle's Golden Syrup in Silvertown.

The borough's docks and industries were heavily targeted during World War Two bombing.

Following the war, large-scale rebuilding began, in combination with new residential areas in North Woolwich, West Ham and Canning Town, where poor quality worker housing was cleared.

More recently, Newham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

What is the borough's electoral history? Newham – which came about with the merger of East Ham and West Ham in 1965 – has only ever been controlled by the Labour Party. For long periods Labour was the only party represented on the council, with occasional wins for the Conservatives, Residents groups or the Lib Dems.

What happened in 2022? The turnout was 28.8% and there was a 10.2% swing from Labour to the Greens.

Labour: 64 seats (+4)

Green: 2 seats (+2)

Boundary changes had increased the number of seats from 60 to 66.

Since the election, one Labour councillor has defected to the Greens, one Labour councillor has defected to the Newham Independents and three Labour councillors are now sitting as independents. The Newham Independents Party has also won three by elections from Labour.

There will also be an election for the mayor of Newham on 7 May.

The borough's directly-elected mayor has significant powers over local services such as housing, including local regeneration schemes and affordable housing targets, planning and waste collection.

The mayor is the political leader of the council and they appoint a cabinet made up of elected councillors who are given specific portfolios such as finance, community safety and children's services.

This is different from the mayor of London, currently Sir Sadiq Khan who was elected in 2024. The mayor of London has responsibility for police, fire and rescue, Transport for London and strategic matters that affect all 32 London boroughs.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said: "Newham is a borough which has for many years, most of the time, had all its councillors as Labour. Remarkable. And it's never not been controlled by Labour up until now.

"But factionalism, fragmentation within the Labour Party, means there's a big hope there for Independents, Greens, possibly others.

"So it looks as if - although it's to be very close that Newham - could be lost to no overall control."

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