Who won the local elections in Richmond-upon-Thames?
Getty ImagesWhat happened in Richmond-upon-Thames in the 2026 council election, and who won?
The Liberal Democrats won the election on 7 May 2026 and retained control of Richmond-upon-Thames council.
The results were:
Lib Dems: 54 seats (+6)
Greens: 0 seats (-5)
Conservatives: 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 Richmond and who lives there?
The London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames is in south-west London and is bordered by five London boroughs: Hounslow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Kingston upon Thames, and Merton.
It is also bordered by the Surrey borough of Elmbridge.
What's it like? Richmond-upon-Thames is a leafy residential borough with protected views of London's skyline. It has extensive parklands and waterways, with 57% of the borough being open space.
Neighbourhoods: The borough includes Barnes, East Sheen, Hampton, Kew, Mortlake, Richmond, Teddington and Twickenham.
Places of interest: Richmond-upon-Thames is home to the Unesco-listed Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium and Richmond Park, which has free-roaming deer.
Pub quiz fact: Richmond-upon-Thames is theonly London borough spanning both sides of the River Thames.
Demographics: According to the 2021 census, 80% identify as white, 8.9% as Asian, 1.9% as black, 5.5% as mixed race and 3.3% as another ethnic group.
Average property price: According to the ONS, the average house price in Richmond upon Thames in December 2025 was £777,000.
Average monthly rent: The ONS reported that the average monthly rent in January 2026 in Richmond upon Thames was £2,254.
Council tax: Band D council tax in the borough for 2026/27 is £1,975.59.
Transport: Richmond-upon-Thames has two Tube stations, two London Overground stations and approximately 490 bus stops, according to Transport for London. It also has 14 National Rail stations.
Getty ImagesWhat is Richmond's local history?
The area of Richmond was long popular with the royals and gained its name by royal command in the reign of Henry VII, who was Earl of Richmond in Yorkshire. He had Richmond Palace built in the area in the early 16th Century.
The borough is also home to Hampton Court Palace, the Grade I listed former home of Henry VIII, Mary II and other royals from around 1500 to the first half of 18th Century.
Kew Gardens was founded in 1759 by Princess Augusta, mother of King George III, and grew to become a national botanical garden in 1840. It became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003.
In the mid-18th Century, a bridge was built across the Thames at Kew, later followed by a bridge at Twickenham. The population rose significantly from this point, and continued into the 19th Century, when railways arrived.
The borough was established in its current form in 1965 with the merging of Barnes, Richmond and Twickenham.
What is Richmond's electoral history?
From its creation in 1965 until 1982, Richmond was a Conservative-run borough.
It then fell into no overall control and since 1986 it has been either Lib Dem (previously the Liberal/SDP Alliance) or Conservative controlled. The Lib Dems have been in charge since 2018.
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