Who won the local elections in Kensington and Chelsea?
Getty ImagesWhat happened in Kensington and Chelsea in the 2026 council election, and who won?
The Conservative Party won the election on 7 May 2026 and retained control of Kensington and Chelsea council.
The results were:
Conservatives: 34 seats (-1)
Labour: 13 seats (+1)
Lib Dems: 3 seats (+1)
Greens: 0 seats (-1)
When were the 2026 local elections in London?
More than six million Londoners were eligible to vote in the council elections on Thursday 7 May 2026.
All 32 London boroughs were up for election.
There were also elections for the mayor in five boroughs: Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
Getty ImagesWhere is Kensington and Chelsea and who lives there?
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is in west London. It is bordered by Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and the River Thames.
What's it like? The UK's most expensive borough, it is characterised by immense wealth, world-class museums and exclusive residential squares. There are also significant pockets of deprivation, particularly in North Kensington which contains some of London's highest concentrations of social housing.
Neighbourhoods: Ladbroke Grove, Portobello Road, Earl's Court, Holland Park, Kensington, parts of Knightsbridge, Fulham Road, Notting Hill, King's Road, Brompton.
Places of interest: Natural History Museum, Portobello Road market, Kensington Palace, Harrods, Victoria and Albert Museum.
Pub quiz fact: Kensington and Chelsea is the smallest London borough by area at just 4.65 square miles (12 sq km).
Population (2024 estimate): 144,518.
Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 64% of residents identify as white, 11.9% as Asian, 7.9% as black, 6.6% as mixed race and 9.9% as other groups.
The borough has a significant international population, with more than 50 nationalities and 80 languages spoken.
Average property price: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in December 2025 it was £1.18m, the highest price of any London borough.
Average monthly rent: The ONS says the average rent in Kensington and Chelsea was £3,628 in February 2026.
Transport:TfL says the borough has 12 Tube stations, on five London Underground lines: the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Piccadilly. There are also around 270 bus stops.
You can find more information about Kensington and Chelsea here.
Getty ImagesWhat is Kensington and Chelsea's local history?
The borough was created in 1965 with the merger of the old metropolitan boroughs of Chelsea and Kensington.
It inherited Kensington's royal borough status, granted by Queen Victoria who was born in Kensington Palace in 1819 and lived there until her accession in 1837.
The new borough was originally intended to be called Kensington, but after protests from thousands of Chelsea residents, it became the only borough in the new 1965 London local government divisions to include an "and" - though others followed in later years.
What is Kensington and Chelsea's electoral history?
Kensington and Chelsea has been under Conservative control since it was created in 1965.
The Tories took 50% or more of the popular vote in 12 out of 16 elections so far.
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