London: 32 councils compared
Ranked against other London boroughs only, which removes some of the structural differences between London and the metropolitan areas. The City of London is shown but not ranked.
Separate leagues. England, Scotland and Wales are measured differently, so a rank in one is not comparable with another. Why. England is stable; Scotland and Wales are provisional.
Data period: Oldest figures 2024-25 (DEFRA and DHSC); newest as at 2026-11 (CQC). Published by CQC, DEFRA, DHSC, DfE, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, MHCLG and Ofsted.
Data last updated: · Last checked: . Sources publish on their own schedules, so figures can be older than the last check.
Which council in London is the best?
Bexley ranks first of the 32 London boroughs we rank, on official data for service quality (60%), value for money (20%) and financial health (20%). It is 1st on service quality, 8th on value for money and 14th on financial health. Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames are second and third. Close positions depend on how the measures are weighted, so treat councils a few places apart as similar. See Bexley's figures or how the ranking works.
| RankOverall | Council | BandOverall | Band Dcouncil element | Band Dtotal bill | Control | Service qualityrank, 1 = best | Value for moneyrank, 1 = best | Financial healthrank, 1 = best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley | Top quarter | £1,855.85 | £2,366.36 | Conservative majority | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| 2 | Richmond upon Thames | Top quarter | £1,975.59 | £2,486.10 | Lib Dem majority | 2 | 30 | 9 |
| 3 | Kingston upon Thames | Top quarter | £2,098.69 | £2,609.20 | Lib Dem majority | 4 | 11 | 17 |
| 4 | Islington | Top quarter | £1,597.64 | £2,108.15 | Labour majority | 3 | 32 | 4 |
| 5 | Wandsworth | Top quarter | £517.70 | £1,028.21 | Conservative minority | 10 | 14 | 2 |
| 6 | Merton | Top quarter | £1,636.25 | £2,146.76 | Labour majority | 8 | 6 | 18 |
| 7 | Sutton | Top quarter | £1,868.13 | £2,378.64 | Lib Dem majority | 6 | 21 | 15 |
| 8 | Bromley | Top quarter | £1,629.53 | £2,140.04 | Conservative majority | 15 | 5 | 3 |
| 9 | Kensington and Chelsea | Upper middle | £1,156.14 | £1,666.65 | Conservative majority | 5 | 26 | 16 |
| 10 | Camden | Upper middle | £1,697.04 | £2,207.55 | Labour majority | 7 | 31 | 5 |
| 11 | Greenwich | Upper middle | £1,597.35 | £2,107.86 | Labour majority | 13 | 16 | 8 |
| 12 | Ealing | Upper middle | £1,628.02 | £2,138.53 | Labour majority | 16 | 2 | 12 |
| 13 | Hillingdon | Upper middle | £1,534.95 | £2,045.46 | Conservative majority | 9 | 7 | 32 |
| 14 | Westminster | Upper middle | £537.74 | £1,049.55 | Conservative majority | 12 | 28 | 6 |
| 15 | Tower Hamlets | Upper middle | £1,327.27 | £1,837.78 | Aspire mayor | 14 | 10 | 13 |
| 16 | Hounslow | Upper middle | £1,675.05 | £2,185.56 | Labour majority | 18 | 13 | 11 |
| 17 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Lower middle | £1,009.00 | £1,519.51 | Labour majority | 21 | 27 | 1 |
| 18 | Lambeth | Lower middle | £1,536.60 | £2,047.11 | Green minority | 11 | 23 | 24 |
| 19 | Barnet | Lower middle | £1,622.09 | £2,132.60 | Labour minority | 17 | 15 | 26 |
| 20 | Enfield | Lower middle | £1,757.16 | £2,267.67 | Conservative minority | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 21 | Newham | Lower middle | £1,433.72 | £1,944.23 | Labour mayor | 23 | 1 | 27 |
| 22 | Brent | Lower middle | £1,724.76 | £2,235.27 | Labour minority | 24 | 9 | 22 |
| 23 | Barking and Dagenham | Lower middle | £1,688.00 | £2,198.51 | Labour majority | 20 | 24 | 19 |
| 24 | Harrow | Lower middle | £2,000.56 | £2,511.07 | Conservative majority | 25 | 4 | 21 |
| 25 | Lewisham | Bottom quarter | £1,726.82 | £2,237.33 | Green mayor | 27 | 18 | 7 |
| 26 | Haringey | Bottom quarter | £1,803.27 | £2,313.78 | Green minority | 22 | 19 | 28 |
| 27 | Waltham Forest | Bottom quarter | £1,876.45 | £2,386.96 | Green majority | 26 | 17 | 23 |
| 28 | Hackney | Bottom quarter | £1,549.79 | £2,060.30 | Green mayor | 29 | 25 | 10 |
| 29 | Southwark | Bottom quarter | £1,456.75 | £1,967.26 | NOC · Green-led | 28 | 22 | 20 |
| 30 | Redbridge | Bottom quarter | £1,784.07 | £2,294.58 | Labour majority | 32 | 12 | 25 |
| 31 | Havering | Bottom quarter | £1,914.15 | £2,424.66 | Reform UK majority | 31 | 20 | 30 |
| 32 | Croydon | Bottom quarter | £2,089.40 | £2,599.91 | Conservative mayor | 30 | 29 | 31 |
Band D council tax for 2026-27, ranked lowest first on the council's own element (including the adult social care precept, excluding parish precepts). The total bill adds police, fire and, in London and some city regions, mayoral charges, which the council does not set. This is a price, not a score: it is not part of the overall rank, and a lower charge is not the same as better value. Full list.
No council matches that name.
Control shows who runs the council (NOC = no overall control), from Open Council Data UK (context only, not scored). Pillar columns show each council's rank out of 32. Overall weights: service quality 60%, value for money 20%, financial health 20%. Rank positions in the middle of the table are sensitive to weighting, so the bands are the more reliable guide.
- Bexley: Top quarter, rank 1
- Richmond upon Thames: Top quarter, rank 2
- Kingston upon Thames: Top quarter, rank 3
- Islington: Top quarter, rank 4
- Wandsworth: Top quarter, rank 5
- Merton: Top quarter, rank 6
- Sutton: Top quarter, rank 7
- Bromley: Top quarter, rank 8
- Kensington and Chelsea: Upper middle, rank 9
- Camden: Upper middle, rank 10
- Greenwich: Upper middle, rank 11
- Ealing: Upper middle, rank 12
- Hillingdon: Upper middle, rank 13
- Westminster: Upper middle, rank 14
- Tower Hamlets: Upper middle, rank 15
- Hounslow: Upper middle, rank 16
- Hammersmith and Fulham: Lower middle, rank 17
- Lambeth: Lower middle, rank 18
- Barnet: Lower middle, rank 19
- Enfield: Lower middle, rank 20
- Newham: Lower middle, rank 21
- Brent: Lower middle, rank 22
- Barking and Dagenham: Lower middle, rank 23
- Harrow: Lower middle, rank 24
- Lewisham: Bottom quarter, rank 25
- Haringey: Bottom quarter, rank 26
- Waltham Forest: Bottom quarter, rank 27
- Hackney: Bottom quarter, rank 28
- Southwark: Bottom quarter, rank 29
- Redbridge: Bottom quarter, rank 30
- Havering: Bottom quarter, rank 31
- Croydon: Bottom quarter, rank 32
Approximate council-centre positions, coloured by the band for the selected view. Not to scale for boundaries.
More questions
Which are the biggest London boroughs by population?
Croydon (410,085), Barnet (408,087) and Ealing (387,072) have the largest populations of the 32 London boroughs we rank (mid-year estimates). Size is shown for context and is not part of the score. Every council by population
Are London boroughs single-tier councils?
Yes. Each London borough runs almost all local services in its area itself. Strategic services such as transport, policing and fire are run for the whole of London by the Greater London Authority and its bodies. Who is ranked