It’s amazing, isn’t it? The london borough map shows how one of the world’s most famous cities is cleverly split into 32 unique areas, or districts as some people call them. I find it fascinating! These boroughs were officially set up way back on 1st April 1965, thanks to something called the London Government Act 1963. They’re basically the backbone of how local stuff gets run across our capital. Lots of visitors know big names like Westminster, but I bet many don’t realise just how different each of these districts can be.
You see, these 32 London boroughs are divided into two main groups: 12 Inner London boroughs and 20 Outer London boroughs. Each one has its own special character and its own set of borders. When you look at the list of London boroughs, you’ll see they vary a lot in size – some are as tiny as 12 square kilometres, while others stretch out to 150 square kilometres! And the number of people living in them can be anywhere from 150,000 to 400,000. It’s also interesting that the City of London is its own separate thing; it’s not officially a London borough, but for counting purposes, it’s often grouped with Inner London.
In this guide, I’m going to take you through the complete london borough map. We’ll have a good look at what makes Inner and Outer London districts different. I’ll give you the key facts about each borough’s size, how many people live there, and its official status. Plus, I’ll dive into how the london borough map (and specifically the London borough boundaries map) has changed since it was first drawn up, and what all that means for us living here, or for anyone visiting in 2025.
Image Source: London Hut
I think it’s really handy to get your head around how Greater London is set up. It’s quite a complex place, but understanding the london borough map is key. The whole city is divided into 32 separate boroughs, and then there’s the unique City of London too. Knowing this structure really helps whether you live here or are just visiting. It makes it easier to figure out local services, how the city is run, and what makes each neighbourhood so different.
What is a London borough?
So, what actually is a London borough? Well, I’ve learned that a London borough is basically a specific area within Greater London that looks after its own local government stuff. These were set up by an official act way back in 1963. Think of them as single-tier councils, and they’re in charge of delivering really important services to us. This includes things like social care for people who need it, keeping our environment clean, looking after public health, collecting our rubbish, and making decisions on local planning. When you look at the london borough map, you’ll see these boroughs are pretty big places compared to similar areas in other countries. Most of them have between 150,000 and 400,000 people living in them!
At the end of the day, each borough acts like its own mini-council, a bit like what they call Metropolitan Districts in other parts of the UK. They’re there to represent what local people and neighbourhoods need. London has a two-level system of government, and these boroughs handle the local side of things, balancing what the community needs with the bigger picture for the whole of London. It’s a bit like trying to organise a big family day out – you need someone in charge of the snacks for each car (the boroughs) and someone overseeing the whole trip (the Greater London Authority). For example, if you’re looking at schools or curious about local planning, getting to know your specific part of the london borough map is essential. It can even be as important as finding out about Are You Eligible for Council Tax Reduction? UK Guide 2025 (Low Income Help) if you’re trying to manage your household bills.
How the 32 boroughs are organized
When you look at the london borough map, you’ll see it splits the capital into two main types: there are 12 Inner London boroughs and 20 Outer London boroughs. I’ve found that Inner London is usually much more packed with people and the areas themselves are smaller. Outer London, on the other hand, is made up of bigger districts that aren’t quite so densely populated. This can really affect what it’s like to live there, so if you’re looking into the 13 Best Places to Live in London in 2025 (Local Expert Picks), understanding this Inner/Outer distinction on the london borough map is super helpful.
Each of these 32 boroughs is run by an elected council. Most of the time, this council is led by a cabinet. This cabinet is a smaller group of elected councillors, usually chosen from the political party that has the most members, or sometimes a mix if no single party is in charge. However, four of the boroughs – Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, and Tower Hamlets – do things a bit differently. They have a system where the mayor is directly elected by the people living there.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about it, but these boroughs, when you add them all together, actually manage about twice the amount of money as the main Greater London Authority! This really shows just how important their job is in running London. It’s a system with lots of power at the local level, which I think helps make sure local voices are heard while still keeping the whole massive city working together.
The role of the City of London
Now, the City of London – you might know it as “The Square Mile” – is a bit of a special case on the london borough map. It’s not like the other 32 boroughs. This is the historic financial heart of London, and it was around long before the modern borough system was even thought of! It operates as a “unique authority” and its history goes all the way back to Anglo-Saxon times. Can you imagine?
The City of London has its own way of doing things, run by something called the City of London Corporation. This system has been pretty much the same since the medieval period! Instead of a normal council like the other boroughs, the City has a Common Council with 100 members, plus 25 Aldermen, and it’s all headed up by the Lord Mayor.
What’s more, the City of London even has its own police force! This is separate from the Metropolitan Police Service that covers the rest of Greater London. The City’s own force looks after “The Square Mile.” The Corporation also manages some really iconic places like the Barbican Centre and the Old Bailey courts. And get this – they even look after big green spaces that are outside their own boundaries, like Hampstead Heath (one of the great 17 Best Parks in London for Families & Nature Lovers (2025)) and Epping Forest.
So, when you look at the bigger picture of the london borough map, you’ve got this interesting two-level system: the 32 boroughs looking after their local patches, and the City of London with its unique, ancient role. Then you have the Greater London Authority providing that city-wide coordination. I think it’s a pretty clever way to manage one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, making sure that both local needs and London-wide plans are taken care of.
Inner vs Outer London on the Map: Spotting the Key Differences
Image Source: ResearchGate
When you start looking at any london borough map, one of the first things you’ll notice is the split between Inner and Outer London. It’s a really basic part of how the city is structured. But I’ve learned this division is about much more than just lines on a map; it shows big differences in how dense areas are, their economies, and even their overall vibe across the capital. If you’re planning to explore some 15 Unusual Free Things to Do in London: Beyond Big Ben, knowing if you’re in an Inner or Outer borough might even change how you plan your travel!
Which boroughs make up Inner London?
So, which areas are we talking about when we say ‘Inner London’? Well, the official definition comes from that London Government Act of 1963. It lists twelve boroughs as being part of Inner London. These are:
- Camden
- Greenwich (which is a Royal Borough, pretty posh!)
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea (another Royal Borough, darling!)
- Lambeth
- Lewisham
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets
- Wandsworth
- Westminster (which actually has City status, a bit special!)
It’s interesting because the City of London itself isn’t officially called an Inner London borough, but most people class it as an inner London local council area. And just to make things a tiny bit more confusing, sometimes the definitions change depending on who’s counting! For things like the census, I’ve seen that Haringey and Newham are sometimes counted as Inner London, and Greenwich occasionally gets shifted to Outer London for statistical reasons. So, when you’re looking at a london borough map or data, it’s always good to check which definition they’re using!
And which are the Outer London boroughs?
Following that same 1963 Act, there are twenty boroughs that are officially classed as Outer London. These are:
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Haringey (see, sometimes it’s Inner, sometimes Outer for stats!)
- Harrow
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
- Kingston upon Thames (another Royal one!)
- Merton
- Newham (again, can pop up in Inner London stats sometimes!)
- Redbridge
- Richmond upon Thames
- Sutton
- Waltham Forest
Because of these slight differences in how areas are classified for different purposes, it can sometimes be a bit puzzling if you’re trying to compare stats about London or plan services across the london borough map.
How do Inner and Outer London compare in size and population?
The differences between Inner and Outer London are really quite big when you look at the numbers. I discovered that Outer London is actually home to about 60% of all Londoners, and around 40% of all jobs in London are based there. That’s a huge chunk! The 2021 Census found that Inner London had about 3.4 million people, while Outer London had nearly 5.4 million.
Even though more people live in Outer London, it covers a much, much bigger area on the london borough map. Inner London is only about 319 square kilometres (that’s 123 square miles). Outer London, in comparison, spreads out over 1,254 square kilometres (484 square miles)! This means that Inner London is more than twice as densely populated as Outer London. You can really feel that difference when you travel between them.
Way back in 1911, Inner London actually had its highest ever population, with nearly 5 million people living there! But after that, especially from World War I onwards, the number of people living in Inner London started to drop as more people moved outwards to the newer, developing Outer London areas. The biggest drop happened after World War II and the Blitz. By 1981, Inner London’s population was down to just 2.55 million. Thankfully, since the 1990s, both Inner and Outer London have seen their populations grow again.
When it comes to money, Inner London had a slightly higher average income (£40,812) than Outer London (£38,453) back in 2022. I read that Wandsworth actually had the highest average income of all the boroughs at a whopping £47,901 – that was a big jump of nearly 29% from 2012! On the other end of the scale, Barking and Dagenham had the lowest average income in London in 2022, at £33,454. Understanding these economic differences across the london borough map can be really useful if you’re thinking about your finances, perhaps even looking into things like how to How to Improve Your Credit Score: Secret Tips Banks Don’t Tell You.
How the London Borough Map Came to Be: A Bit of History
Image Source: A London Inheritance
I find it really interesting how the modern london borough map actually came about. It wasn’t always like this, you know! The way London is set up now, with its distinct boroughs, is all down to a huge shake-up of the city’s government that happened in the middle of the 20th century. This massive reorganisation completely changed how London works as a city.
The Big Reorganisation of 1965: Shaping Today’s London Borough Map
It all started back in 1957, when something called the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London was set up. That’s a bit of a mouthful, I know! This group, also known as the Herbert Commission, had the massive job of looking at how London was run. They published their big ideas in 1960, and at first, they suggested creating 52 ‘Greater London Boroughs’, each with around 100,000 to 250,000 people.
But, as these things often go, the plans changed a bit. In the end, the London Government Act of 1963 settled on 32 boroughs plus the City of London. This new structure, which gives us the london borough map we see today, officially kicked off on 1st April 1965. It’s quite amazing to think that the way we navigate our city services and local areas was largely decided back then!
Merging Old Areas: Creating the New London Boroughs
Before this big 1965 change, Greater London was a real jumble of different administrative areas. Honestly, it sounds like it was a bit of a mess to navigate! The whole metropolitan area included:
- County boroughs and municipal boroughs (sounds very official, doesn’t it!)
- Urban districts and metropolitan boroughs
- Plus, loads of different parishes scattered all over the place.
The 1963 Act basically swept away the old administrative counties of Middlesex and London (which had been around since 1889!). It also got rid of 28 metropolitan boroughs, three county boroughs, and a whole host of districts and parishes. Then, these were all mashed together to form new areas – twelve of them were named as Inner London boroughs, and twenty became Outer London boroughs. This reshuffle fundamentally created the london borough map we use.
How Boundaries Have Shifted: Tweaks to the London Borough Map Over Time
Over the years, the london borough map, specifically the london borough boundaries map, hasn’t stayed completely still; there have been a few tweaks here and there. That 1963 Act actually had a built-in way for communities right on the edge of Greater London to ask if they could be moved into a neighbouring county. It was quite specific – the request had to be made between 1965 and 1970, signed by over 300 local voters, and the area wanting to move couldn’t have more than 10% of the borough’s total voters. As a result of this, a couple of changes happened in 1969: Knockholt decided to leave Bromley and become part of Kent, and Farleigh and Hooley shifted from Croydon into Surrey.
Then, things got another look-over when the Local Government Boundary Commission for England was set up by an act in 1972. They started a big review of all of London’s boundaries in 1987. This led to a series of fairly small changes that were put into place between 1993 and 1996. Most of these were just little swaps of land between boroughs that were next to each other, or slight changes to make sure the boundaries lined up with things like the River Lea. So, while the main structure of the london borough map from 1965 is still there, it’s had a few little nips and tucks along the way!
Who’s In Charge? A Look at London Borough Councils and Governance
So, every single one of the London boroughs you see on the london borough map has its own way of being run. There’s a definite structure in place, and it’s the locally elected folks who make the big decisions that affect our daily lives. It’s quite important to know how this works, especially if you want to understand who’s responsible for what in your local area.
How are the borough councils structured?
When it comes to how the 32 London boroughs are actually run, I’ve found they mostly use one of three main models. Most of them go for a “leader and cabinet” system. This is where the councillors elect a leader, and that leader then picks other councillors to look after specific areas, like housing or parks.
Then, a smaller number use what’s called the “committee system.” In this setup, the power to make decisions is given to various committees, and these committees are made up of councillors from all different parties.
Finally, there are five boroughs – Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Croydon – that do things a bit differently. They have directly elected mayors. This means the person in charge, the mayor, is chosen directly by the votes of the people living in that borough, and they lead the council. It’s interesting to see the different approaches across the london borough map! And, as always, the City of London is unique. It’s run by a special two-part body that’s elected by local businesses as well as residents, and it’s led by a Policy Chair instead of a regular council leader.
Political control and who gets elected
The people who make up the borough councils, the councillors, are elected every four years. In most boroughs, all the council seats are up for election at the same time. It’s a big event!
Currently, after the 2022 elections, the Labour party has a pretty strong presence across London, controlling 21 of the boroughs. The Conservatives are in charge of 5 boroughs, which are Bexley, Bromley, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea, and Harrow.
The Liberal Democrats run 3 boroughs: Kingston, Richmond, and Sutton. Tower Hamlets is interesting because it’s controlled by a unique party called Aspire. And Havering is currently under no overall control, meaning no single party has enough seats to run it on its own. When you look at the total numbers, Labour holds 1,156 council seats across London, the Conservatives have 404, and the Liberal Democrats hold 180. It really shows the political landscape of the london borough map.
I think this is quite clever – many of the boroughs actually team up to share certain services. This helps them cut down on costs and often makes things run more smoothly. For example, I read that Haringey and Waltham Forest started a partnership like this back in 2010.
Another example was the “tri-borough” arrangement between Camden, Westminster, and Kensington & Chelsea, which they set up in 2011 hoping to save a cool £33.4 million! Not all these partnerships last forever, though. That tri-borough one ended in 2017 because of some disagreements. And another one between Newham and Havering, called “One Source,” had to scale back recently because it wasn’t saving as much money as it used to.
Nowadays, there’s an organisation called London Councils. This group acts as the main voice for all 32 boroughs plus the City of London. The leaders from each borough get together through the Leaders’ Committee to make joint decisions on things that affect the whole city. It’s all about working together to make London better for everyone. Understanding these collaborations gives you another layer of insight when you’re looking at the london borough map and how things get done.
The Official List: Getting to Know All 32 London Boroughs on the Map
Image Source: London Map 360
Right, if you really want to get to grips with the london borough map, it’s essential to know a bit about each of the different districts that make up this amazing mosaic of Greater London. Each one has its own story and character!
Boroughs with a Royal Touch or City Sparkle: The Special Designations
Did you know that four of London’s boroughs have a special kind of status? I think it adds a bit of extra charm! Westminster is unique because it actually holds official city status, and this recognition goes all the way back to 1540. Imagine that!
Then we have three ‘Royal Boroughs’ dotted across the london borough map:
- Greenwich got its royal title much more recently, in 2012, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
- Kensington and Chelsea inherited its fancy status from the old Royal Borough of Kensington. This was made royal back in 1901 because it was where Queen Victoria was born!
- And Kingston upon Thames is the oldest Royal Borough of the lot. It’s held this title since way back in 925 AD, all thanks to a Saxon King called Aethelstan!
It’s these little historical details that make exploring the different London districts so fascinating.
The A-Z of London Boroughs: Your Complete List
So, here they are, the complete list of london boroughs that make up our incredible capital:
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Camden
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Greenwich
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Haringey
- Harrow
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Lambeth
- Lewisham
- Merton
- Newham
- Redbridge
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Sutton
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
Phew, that’s all 32 of them! Each one is a distinct piece of the overall london borough map.
Quick Facts: Comparing Borough Sizes, Populations, and HQs
It’s amazing how much the 32 london boroughs differ from each other when you look at the stats. For instance, if you’re talking about sheer size, Bromley is the biggest borough by area, covering a huge 57.97 square miles (that’s 150.1 km²). But if you’re looking for the smallest, that title goes to Kensington and Chelsea, which is just 4.68 square miles (12.1 km²). What a contrast on the london borough map!
When it comes to how many people live in them, Croydon usually comes out on top, with around 397,741 residents counted in 2023. At the other end of the scale, Kensington and Chelsea has the smallest population with about 147,460 people. It just shows you how diverse these London districts are. Maybe you’re even considering one as a place to settle down and looking into the 13 Best Places to Live in London in 2025 (Local Expert Picks)?
Every borough also has its own main office, or headquarters, usually in a civic centre or town hall. For example, Westminster’s main office is Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street. Tower Hamlets is based at its Town Hall on Whitechapel Road. And I read that Hounslow recently moved its main operations to a new building called Hounslow House on Bath Road. It shows that even the administrative hubs on the london borough map can change and evolve over time.
Knowing these little differences really helps you appreciate how each local authority looks after its patch and serves the people living there.
Image Source: Metro
Honestly, once you get the hang of the london borough map, it really opens up a whole load of practical benefits, whether you live here, you’re just visiting, or even if you’re involved in planning things for the city. I think of it as a vital tool that helps anyone understand how all of London’s different communities are organised and how to find your way around them. It’s especially handy for figuring out which local council is responsible for services in a particular area.
How to actually read the borough boundaries on the map
When you look at a detailed london borough map for 2025, the borough boundaries should be pretty clear lines showing you where one area stops and another starts. I’ve noticed on some online maps, like Streetmap.co.uk, these main borough borders are shown as thick purple lines, while the lines for postal districts (which can be different!) are shown as thin red lines. It’s a good tip to remember that postal addresses don’t always line up perfectly with the official administrative borough divisions – that’s something that often confuses people who are new to London!
So, to really get the best out of looking at a london borough map, especially the london borough boundaries map, here are a few things I keep in mind:
- Natural features like rivers, big main roads, and railway lines are often used as the dividing lines between different boroughs.
- You’ll see that many boundary lines actually cut right through neighbourhoods. This means some communities can find themselves spread across more than one of the London boroughs!
- Transport for London (TfL) zones – you know, for the Tube and buses – often overlap with borough boundaries. This is important because it can affect how much your travel costs. If you’re planning 17 Easy Day Trips from London: 1-Hour Train Rides to Magic, knowing your starting borough and its zones can be quite useful for fare calculations.
How the map ties into planning and development zones
Each of the 32 london boroughs has its own set of local plans that outline how things like housing and new businesses are managed in their area. These plans, often called Local Development Schemes, guide all sorts of things through 2025 and beyond. So, if you’re interested in local developments, your specific section of the london borough map is the place to start.
I also found out that urban planners use some pretty clever ways to look at data across the london borough map. They sometimes use special maps called cartograms that change the size of the boroughs based on different information (like population or housing needs) rather than just their actual geographic size. It’s a smart way to spot patterns and see where resources are needed most across the different London districts.
Finding your way to local services using the borough map
Knowing which borough you’re in is super handy for finding local services, as each one runs things slightly differently. Things like:
- Public libraries
- Leisure centres
- Recycling facilities
- Housing services
- Local schools
- And even who you pay your Council Tax to (and if you might be eligible for Are You Eligible for Council Tax Reduction? UK Guide 2025 (Low Income Help))
…all tend to be managed at the borough level.
Practically speaking, having access to an interactive london borough map is invaluable. I use them all the time! Whether I’m looking up neighbourhood features before thinking about where I might want to live next, figuring out which council is responsible for local parks, or just wanting to explore the capital’s incredibly diverse communities, it’s so useful. I’ve seen some great online district guides that make planning really easy, and you can often download PDF versions of the london borough map too, which is perfect if you’re out and about and don’t have a signal.
So, That’s the London Borough Map Unwrapped!
Wow, understanding the london borough map certainly helps make sense of our amazing capital city, doesn’t it? As I’ve taken you through this guide, we’ve seen how London’s 32 boroughs, plus the unique City of London, create this intricate pattern that shapes everything from local government and services to the very feel of our communities right across the city. It’s much more than just lines on a piece of paper!
I think one of the biggest takeaways is how different Inner and Outer London are. That split really highlights the contrasts in how packed the areas are, their economic standing, and just the general character you find from one part of the london borough map to another. And then you’ve got those special boroughs with their own unique titles – Westminster as a city, and Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea, and Kingston upon Thames as Royal Boroughs. These add another layer of fascinating history to London’s administrative setup.
It’s pretty clear that since they were first set up back in 1965, these boroughs have changed a bit with boundary adjustments and shifts in how they’re governed. But their main job – acting as the fundamental building blocks of local government – has stayed the same. Each borough council, no matter which political party is in charge, is responsible for delivering those vital services that really affect our day-to-day lives.
For anyone living here, or even if you’re just visiting and trying to find your way around, the london borough map is such an essential tool. I know I find it useful all the time! Whether you’re trying to track down local services, thinking about where the 13 Best Places to Live in London in 2025 (Local Expert Picks) might be, or you’re just keen to explore London’s incredibly varied neighbourhoods, understanding the borough boundaries gives you such valuable insight. It helps explain why things like Council Tax rates, housing rules, and local facilities can be so different as you move across the capital.
So, the whole London borough system is much more than just a way to divide up the london borough map for administrative reasons. I really believe it shows how the capital tries to balance local community needs with the big, city-wide picture. It’s this balance that gives London its unique character and makes it one of the most exciting and dynamic urban centres in the entire world. Hopefully, this guide has made the london borough map a little less confusing and a lot more interesting for you!
Your London Borough Map Questions Answered (FAQs)
I get asked a lot of questions about the london borough map, so I’ve put together some quick answers to the most common ones! Hopefully, these help clear a few things up.
Q1. So, how many boroughs are actually in London?
Good question! There are 32 official London boroughs. Plus, you’ve got the special City of London, which isn’t technically a borough but everyone pretty much treats it as one when they’re looking at stats and maps of Inner London.
Q2. What’s the main difference I should know between Inner and Outer London boroughs when looking at the london borough map?
Okay, so Inner London is made up of 12 boroughs. I generally find these are the ones that are more packed with people and closer to the very centre of things. Outer London has 20 boroughs, and these are usually much bigger in terms of land area but don’t have quite as many people squished into them! It can make a real difference to the vibe of the place.
Q3. Which London borough has the most people living in it?
As of 2023, the award for the most populated London borough goes to Croydon! It had roughly 397,741 people living there. That’s a lot of neighbours!
Q4. Do all the London boroughs run things in the same way?
Not exactly, no. Most of the London boroughs use a system called “leader and cabinet” – where councillors pick a leader who then chooses a team. Some use a “committee system” where decisions are made by groups of councillors. And then there are five boroughs (Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, and Tower Hamlets) that have mayors who are directly elected by the people living there. So, there’s a bit of variety across the london borough map!
Q5. How often do we get to vote for our borough councillors in London?
Borough council elections in London usually happen every four years. In most of the boroughs, all the council seats are up for grabs at the same time, so it’s a big deal for local politics.
