On the ballot: British Somalis and the battle for the town hall
Today's local elections decide who runs the services that shape British Somali lives most. That makes this the most important vote of the year for our communities.
Polls opened at 7am across England for the largest set of local elections in the cycle. More than 5,000 council seats are being contested in 136 authorities, including every one of London's 32 boroughs. That matters for British Somalis: the 2021 Census found that more than six in ten people identifying as Somali live in the capital.
On ballot papers from Brent to Tower Hamlets, and in cities beyond London, British Somali candidates are standing for Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, as independents and for others. BSPAC supports none of them. We do support what they share: the decision to put themselves forward.
Why the town hall matters more than Westminster
For most families, the decisions that land hardest are made by councils. They allocate social housing, which the ONS found is home to 72% of people identifying as Somali in England and Wales. They run admissions for community schools, commission youth services and manage temporary accommodation. They work with the police on community safety and set the priorities for local grants.
When a community is heavily concentrated in social housing and in some of the country's most crowded homes, the housing committee is not a distant institution. It shapes daily life.
A young electorate, still arriving
Nearly half of those identifying as Somali in the 2021 Census were under 21. A generation of British-born Somalis is reaching voting age. Turnout in local elections is often low, and the young vote least of all. That gap is where the influence of any community is won or lost.
What we will be watching
When the results are declared, we will look at how many British Somalis sit in council chambers, and for which parties. There is no official count. Councils do not record the heritage of elected members, and we will not guess. We would rather build an accurate record slowly than publish a convenient number quickly.
For today, the message is simple. If you are registered, vote. Bring accepted photo ID if you are voting in person. Whoever you choose, choose.
Sources
seat totals as reported by BBC and Sky, May 2026; ONS, Census 2021.
Corrections
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