Voters in Islington will be heading to the polls on Thursday for the 7 May council elections.
Islington has long been a Labour stronghold, with the party controlling the town hall since 2010, but growing support for the Greens is set to challenge their dominance.
Here is our guide for everything you need to know ahead of this week’s election…
Where is Islington?
Islington sits between two other north London boroughs with longstanding Labour majorities, Camden and Hackney.
But despite currently controlling 21 of 32 London councils, Labour’ strong position across the capital is predicted to weaken.
What happened in the last election?
Labour lost two seats to the Green Party in Islington in the 2022 elections, after boundary changes increased the number of seats from 48 to 51.
Labour: 48 (+1)
Green: 3 (+2)
The polling stations saw a 36% voter turnout.
Four councillors elected as Labour representatives in 2022 have since defected, collaborating to establish Islington Community Independents (ICI).
According to their website, the ICI, founded in 2024 by Ilkay Cinko-Oner, Phil Graham, Matt Nathan and Asima Shaikh, is a collective of independent councillors and residents standing for election.
The ICI oppose Labour’s treatment of local representatives, the party’s stance on the need for change within the NHS, and on the conflict in Gaza as the collective have been working closely with campaign group Islington Votes Palestine.
On their defection, the ICI say on their website: “At the heart of that decision was a belief that the [Labour] party was no longer aligned with the socialist values on which they had built their political lives.”
There are eight members of the ICI standing in the 7 May elections, across six wards.
One such candidate, Amu Gib, is standing for election in Finsbury Park while being held at HMP Bronzefield for allegedly breaking into RAF Brize Norton and damaging aircraft it was claimed aided Israel in the war in Gaza.
What are the key issues for Islington residents?
Housing is a central concern across the borough, with almost all candidates and local party manifestos addressing it as such.
The first of Islington Labour’s five core missions is to ensure residents have access to genuinely affordable, decent and secure housing.
They intend to achieve this by investing £388 million in existing council housing before 2030, enforcing standards for landlords, among other policies.
Meanwhile, Islington Liberal Democrats pledge to address housing repairs, particularly for council tenants, urging that all lifts over thirty years old be repaired and replaced if necessary.
Other relevant issues include crime, road safety, the environment, youth services and the need to protect green spaces.
Islington Conservatives have committed to scrapping the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme that they believe has increased traffic, delayed public transport and worsened air quality.
On the need to invest in young people, Islington Green Party intend to campaign for more youth clubs, mental health support and accessible family activities.
Reform UK have not released a local branch manifesto, though their national policies include tackling the cost-of-living crisis, illegal immigration and crime levels across Britain.
Independent candidates Rupert Wilkinson, Sharon Matthew and Sadiq Yusuf are endorsed by Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn and Your Party, though the outfit is not standing its own candidates for election to the town hall.
Wilkinson has criticised funding cuts made to local councils by those in Westminster, promising to fight future budget restrictions.
National and international issues also continue to affect local ballot papers.
Abi Caple, 25, said: “As someone who is new to the area, the national party each candidate represents holds a lot of sway in who I vote for, but it is also important that they are dedicated to the local community.”
A full list of candidates can be found on Islington Council’s website.
What might happen this time?
Modelling from YouGov and PollCheck suggests Labour will continue to hold the majority in Islington , but the Greens are expected pose a significant threat.
PollCheck forecasts Labour to win 37% of the vote, down from 54.7% in 2022.
The Green Party is projected to win 34%, Liberal Democrats 13%, Reform 7.9%, Conservative 5.2% and other candidates 3.8%.
While all wards bar Highbury saw Labour victory in 2022, PollCheck predicts that the Greens will win in Highbury, Tufnell Park and Arsenal this time around, with very close margins against Labour in Canonbury and Clerkenwell wards.
The Liberal Democrats are projected to win St Mary’s and St James’ ward.
Interesting facts about Islington
Islington is home to a population of 223,024, according to Office for National Statistics estimates in 2024.
The 2021 census revealed that 62.2% of Islington residents describe their ethnicity as White, while 13.3% self-describe as Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African, 9.9% as Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh, 7.5% as Mixed or having multiple ethnic groups, and 7.1% as other.
Notable North London landmarks including Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium, the Union Chapel, Camden Passage, and the Almeida and Sadler’s Wells theatres, fall within the local authority’s boundary.
Author and journalist George Orwell published Animal Farm and began writing Nineteen Eighty-Four while living in Canonbury Square.
Featured image credit: Jess Winstanley
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