And we have our first result...

Jennifer McKiernan
Reporting from Havering

Havering Green election candidate Angelina Leatherbarrow, standing in the Rush Green and Crowlands ward, tells me she has mixed emotions about the night.

"I think we'll potentially come second and third in a couple of wards, because I think a lot of the Labour vote will come over to Green.

"If Reform sweep the board, and it looks like they're going to have a strong night, people in Havering and in Romford are going to need an opposition, they're going to need an alternative," she says.

Harry Low
Reporting from Merton

Labour's hopes of holding on to Merton Council have just received a boost.

They've gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats - who have high hopes of seizing overall control - in the ward of Wandle.

This part of south-west London could be bucking the national trend for Labour.

In Abbey ward, however, the Lib Dems have pinched a seat from Labour in what is quickly proving to be a topsy-turvy contest.

For this vote, the first-past-the-post system was used in a change from the last last local elections in London.

The candidates with the most votes in each ward will be declared the winner and become councillors.

Most councils have wards that are represented by three councillors but in some it is two.

Jennifer McKiernan
Reporting from Havering

There’s an unusual amount of glitz and glam at the Havering borough count in the City Pavilion.

On the counting floor, staff are busy adding up votes and turnout is higher than in previous elections, sitting at above 50% in half a dozen wards.

Let's hope the glamour of the occasion can carry us through this morning, as the expected declaration time has already been pushed back to 07:30 BST here.

On top of that unusually high turnout, we're being told there are a lot of mixed votes, where one person is voting for more than one party.

This makes it more challenging to tally up the votes. Another thing is that people at the count are saying the votes are close, raising the possibility of a recount.

Barry Caffrey
Reporting from Westminster

Lindley Hall is where the count is taking place for Westminster City Council. The hall sits on a small leafy square, not far from Victoria station.

This morning there’s a real buzz inside the hall and counting is well under way.

I have been speaking to Conservative and Labour councillors who tell me they think the Tories will regain control of the council.

Of course, one of the big local issues here is the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. The scheme was only approved after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan obtained government permission to assume planning powers, following Westminster City Council’s rejection of the proposals.

Westminster City Council’s Conservatives accused the mayor of "pressing on regardless" with the plans despite strong local opposition.

And privately, some Labour supporters say it would be easier for Labour to retain control of the council had the mayor of London not seized control of Oxford Street.

The Conservatives are obviously very keen to regain control of the council here, having lost it to Labour in 2022. We are not expecting a result here in Westminster before 0430.

Sarah Morris
Reporting from Wandsworth

There's lots of emotion among Labour supporters here at Wandsworth.

We've heard cheers and clapping in the last few minutes as Labour took Shaftesbury and Queenstown.

So far it's a pretty even split between Tories and Labour and people are saying this borough is an old-fashioned two-horse race.

Harry Low
Reporting from Merton

A short time ago one of the Liberal Democrat candidates, wearing a bright yellow tie, collapsed here at Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham.

A Reform UK candidate, who is a doctor, sprung into action to help and make sure he was OK.

Having been up since 04:00 BST, the candidate has now headed home.

Susana Mendonca
BBC Radio London political reporter in Bexley

I'm at the Bexley Count at Crook Log Leisure centre in Bexleyheath… there’s a strong smell of chlorine in the air - one of the joys of covering election counts in a building that’s usually a place where local people go swimming.

But who will make a splash here?

This traditional Conservative stronghold is one of Reform UK's top London targets.

I’ve just been speaking to a Conservative London assembly member, who told me that he thinks his party will manage to hold Reform off.

But Reform UK’s election agent just told me told me he thinks his party will take the council.

So they’re all talking up their chances.

Counting has begun here but it’s too early to tell. And polls have suggested this council could go either way.

And we have just had confirmation of the turnout across Bexley - 45.7%. That is a big jump from the last election in 2022 when turnout was 32.8%

Harry Low
Reporting from Merton

Turnout in London borough of Merton is 45.2%, officials here say, a rise of 4.9% on four years ago.

Harry Low
Reporting from Merton

The count here is in full swing here in south-west London.

The Liberal Democrats are hoping to remove Labour, who have run Merton Council since 2014.

If the Lib Dems succeed, it will be the first time they have run four London councils simultaneously, alongside Kingston, Sutton and Richmond.

Senior figures say they're confident of adding to the 17 seats they won in 2022 but whether they can reach the magic number of 29 (out of 57) remains to be seen.

Tony Grew
BBC London

Ten London councils are counting votes overnight. Results are expected from around 04:30 BST.

They are: Bexley, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Havering, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Wandsworth and Westminster.

Labour, who currently control 21 councils, are facing challenges on several fronts: from the Greens in several inner London boroughs, from Reform UK in outer boroughs, from the Conservatives in Westminster and the Lib Dems in Sutton.

And we are hearing early reports that turnout is up significantly on the last elections in 2022.

All 32 London councils are up for election along with mayoral contests in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Stay with us on BBC London online, and on social media channels, TV and radio throughout the day for results and analysis from across the capital.

Throughout the next two days we will have BBC reporters out across London bringing the latest news from various counts.

We'll bring you the declarations as they're announced.

You can also catch up on results in your area by using the BBC's postcode checker which will update as councils are declared.

Image source, EPA

Hello and welcome to our live coverage for the 2026 local elections in London.

With counting in some boroughs well under way, the first results are expected soon.

We have reporters at counts across the capital and will be bringing you the latest news and analysis as we find out what happens in each of the 32 boroughs.

You can also follow live coverage on BBC Radio London by clicking the play button above, while at 05:00 BST we'll have a special visualised coverage from the newsroom.