Redbridge Labour finalised its historic election victory after winning all three seats in Mayfield ward.

Voting was held there yesterday (May 26), after a three-week delay following the death of Conservative candidate Iqbal Singh.

Jas Athwal was one of the three Labour councillors to be elected and is now set to serve a third term as council leader.

Vanisha Solanki, who served as the cabinet member for housing and homelessness, also won a seat as did newly-elected councillor Tanweer Khan.

Labour are believed to have secured the highest majority of any party in Redbridge electoral history, beating the Conservatives' majority of 55 out of 60 seats in 1968.

Speaking in Redbridge Town Hall, where the count was held, Cllr Athwal said Labour will work hard over the next four years and prioritise the cost of living crisis.

He added: “You never take anything for granted, you always have to earn the trust of residents.

“We will make sure the promises that we have made, we deliver, so that in four years time we don’t have to work as hard and so that residents have complete faith in us.

“We as a society are not out of the woods yet, we’ve got a lot to do.”

Cllr Athwal is expected to be formally re-elected council leader at the first post-election full council meeting on Monday, May 30.

Labour now holds 58 of Redbridge’s 63 council seats, with the shrinking Conservative group losing seats for the third election running.

The Tories recently chose Paul Canal as their new leader after the resignation of Linda Huggett in the wake of the May 5 poll.

Average voter turnout across the borough in the election was 33 per cent, six percent less than in 2018.

The highest turnout was in western wards such as Churchfields, Wanstead Village, South Woodford and Monkhams.

Turnout was lowest in south eastern wards such as Goodmayes, Valentines, Loxford and Ilford Town.

Despite winning only five seats, the Conservatives won 32pc of votes across the borough, while the Liberal Democrats won 4.9pc, Greens 2.4pc and Independents 1pc.