List of Greater London boundary changes

This is a list of boundary changes occurring in the London region of England, since the re-organisation of local government following the passing of the London Government Act 1963.

Administrative boundaries

Adjustments permitted by the London Government Act 1963

Greater London was created by combining whole existing units of local government and it was anticipated that this might provide an arbitrary boundary in some places. The London Government Act 1963 Section 6 provided a mechanism for communities on the edge of Greater London to petition for transfer to a neighbouring county. The legislation required the petition to be submitted between 1965 and 1970, to be signed by more than 300 local electors and for the area to be transferred to have no more than 10% of the borough's local electors. These were completed in 1969 as the transfers of Knockholt to Kent, and of Farleigh and Hooley to Surrey. Section 6 of the act allowed for transfers between Greater London and neighbouring counties where there was consensus for the change between all the relevant local authorities. This power was used to exchange two islands on the River Thames that were connected to the river bank by bridges on the opposite side of the river to their respective counties. Thames Ditton Island was transferred to Surrey from Greater London and Platts Eyot was transferred the other way.

Date	Statutory Instrument	Effect
1 April 1965	London Government Act 1963	Greater London created from the County of London, most of Middlesex and parts of Essex, Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire
1 April 1969	The Greater London, Kent and Surrey Order, 1968	Changes to the Bromley /Sevenoaks Rural District boundary Croydon /Godstone Rural District boundary Croydon /Banstead Urban District boundary Transfer of Knockholt to Kent; Farleigh and Hooley to Surrey
1 April 1970	The Greater London and Surrey Order, 1970	Changes to the Richmond upon Thames /Esher Urban District boundary Thames Ditton Island from Greater London to Surrey and Platts Eyot from Surrey to Greater London

Principal Area Boundary Reviews

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England was established by the Local Government Act 1972 to review the administrative boundaries of every local authority in England. Between 1974 and 1992 they completed a series of Principal Area Boundary Reviews; reviewing the administrative boundaries of local authorities at their request.

Date	Statutory Instrument	Effect	LGBCE Report
1 April 1982	The Greater London and Buckinghamshire Order 1981	Changes to the Hillingdon /South Bucks boundary	January 1981

Mandatory Reviews of non-Metropolitan Counties, Metropolitan Districts and London Boroughs

In 1985, the Commission began the first full administrative review of all non-metropolitan counties. Their reviews of metropolitan counties and Greater London began in 1987 and both reviews were completed in 1992.

Date	Statutory Instrument	Effect	LGBCE Report
1 April 1993	The Greater London and Kent Order 1992	Changes to the Bexley /Dartford boundary	January 1991
1 April 1993	The Greater London and Hertfordshire Order 1992	Changes to the Barnet /Hertsmere boundary Harrow /Hertsmere boundary	January 1991
1 April 1993	The Greater London and Hertfordshire Order 1992	Changes to the Harrow /Hertsmere boundary Ealing/Harrow boundary Harrow/Hillingdon boundary	October 1991
1 April 1994	The Barnet, Camden and Westminster Order 1993	Changes to the Camden/Barnet boundary Camden/Westminster boundary	June 1992
1 April 1994	The Bexley and Greenwich Order 1993	Changes to the Bexley/Greenwich boundary	January 1992
1 April 1994	The Bromley and Greenwich Order 1993	Changes to the Bromley/Greenwich boundary	May 1992
1 April 1994	The Bromley and Lewisham Order 1993	Changes to the Bromley/Lewisham boundary	May 1992
1 April 1994	The Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark Order 1993	Changes to the Bromley/Croydon boundary Bromley/Lambeth boundary Bromley/Lewisham boundary Bromley/Southwark boundary	April 1992
1 April 1994	The City and London Borough Boundaries Order 1993	Changes to the City of London/Camden boundary City of London/Hackney boundary City of London/Islington boundary City of London/Tower Hamlets boundary City of London/Westminster boundary	April 1992
1 April 1994	The Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark Order 1993	Changes to the Lambeth/Croydon boundary Lambeth/Southwark boundary	February 1992 February 1992
1 April 1994	The Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Hounslow Order 1993	Changes to the Ealing/Hammersmith and Fulham boundary Ealing/Hounslow boundary Hounslow/Hammersmith and Fulham boundary	August 1992
1 April 1994	The Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow Order 1993	Changes to the Hillingdon/Ealing boundary Hillingdon/Hounslow boundary	September 1992
1 April 1994	The East London Boroughs Order 1993	Changes to the Barking and Dagenham/Havering boundary Barking and Dagenham/Newham boundary Barking and Dagenham/Redbridge boundary	June 1992
1 April 1994	The East London Boroughs Order 1993	Changes to the Newham/Hackney boundary Newham/Redbridge boundary Newham/Tower Hamlets boundary Newham/Waltham Forest boundary	June 1992
1 April 1994	The Essex and Greater London Order 1993	Changes to the Waltham Forest/Enfield boundary Waltham Forest/Hackney boundary Waltham Forest/Haringey boundary Waltham Forest /Epping Forest boundary Enfield /Epping Forest boundary Re-alignment to the modern course of the River Lea	February 1992
1 April 1994	The Essex and Greater London Order 1993	Changes to the Havering/Barking and Dagenham boundary Havering /Brentwood boundary Havering /Epping Forest boundary Havering /Thurrock boundary Some alignment to the M25 motorway and transfer of part of Great Warley from Greater London †	June 1992
1 April 1994	The Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire Order 1993	Changes to the Enfield/Barnet boundary Enfield /Broxbourne boundary Enfield /Hertsmere boundary Enfield /Welwyn Hatfield boundary Enfield /Epping Forest boundary Some alignment to the M25 motorway	August 1992
1 April 1994	The Greater London and Surrey Order 1993	Changes to the Croydon/Bromley boundary Croydon /Reigate and Banstead boundary Croydon /Tandridge boundary †	November 1991
1 April 1994	The Greater London and Surrey Order 1993	Changes to the Richmond upon Thames/Wandsworth boundary Richmond upon Thames /Spelthorne boundary †	Report No. 647: Richmond upon Thames May 1992
1 April 1994	The Greater London and Surrey Order 1993	Changes to the Sutton/Croydon boundary Sutton /Epsom and Ewell boundary Sutton /Reigate and Banstead boundary Croydon /Reigate and Banstead boundary
1 April 1994	The Greater London and Surrey Order 1993	Changes to the Hounslow/Richmond upon Thames boundary Hounslow /Spelthorne boundary Richmond upon Thames /Spelthorne boundary	August 1992
1 April 1994	The Greater London, Kent and Surrey Order 1993	Changes to the Bexley /Sevenoaks boundary Bromley /Sevenoaks boundary Bromley /Tandridge boundary Southern tip of Bromley at Tatsfield to Surrey †	February 1992
1 April 1994	The Greenwich and Lewisham Order 1993	Changes to the Greenwich/Lewisham boundary	June 1992
1 April 1994	The Hackney and Tower Hamlets Order 1993	Changes to the Hackney/Tower Hamlets boundary	April 1992
1 April 1994	The Hackney, Haringey and Islington Order 1993	Changes to the Hackney/Haringey boundary Hackney/Islington boundary	July 1992
1 April 1994	The Haringey and Islington Order 1993	Changes to the Haringey/Islington boundary	April 1992
1 April 1994	The Heathrow Airport Order 1993	Changes to the Hillingdon/Hounslow boundary Hillingdon /Spelthorne boundary Hillingdon /South Bucks boundary Some alignment to the M25 motorway and Heathrow Airport brought entirely within Greater London †	July 1992
1 April 1994	The Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster Order 1993	Changes to the Kensington and Chelsea/Westminster boundary	Report No. 666: Westminster August 1992
1 April 1994	The Lambeth, Merton and Wandsworth Order 1993	Changes to the Wandsworth/Lambeth boundary Wandsworth/Merton boundary Merton/Lambeth boundary	August 1992
1 April 1994	The Lewisham and Southwark Order 1993	Changes to the Lewisham/Southwark boundary	April 1992
1 April 1994	The North and Central London Order 1993	Changes to the Brent/Ealing boundary Brent/Harrow boundary Brent/Kensington and Chelsea boundary Brent/Westminster boundary	May 1992Report No. 687: Brent October 1992
1 April 1994	The North London Boroughs Order 1993	Changes to the Haringey/Barnet boundary Haringey/Camden boundary Haringey/Enfield boundary
1 April 1995	The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey Order 1994	Changes to the Slough /South Bucks boundary Slough /Spelthorne boundary Giving Greater London and Berkshire a new common boundary	August 1988
1 April 1995	The Croydon, Merton and Sutton Order 1993	Changes to the Merton/Croydon boundary Merton/Sutton boundary
1 April 1995	The Essex and Greater London Order 1993	Changes to the Redbridge /Epping Forest boundaryTransfer of area around Grange Hill tube station to Greater London	May 1992
1 April 1995	The Greater London and Surrey Order 1994	Changes to the Kingston upon Thames/Richmond upon Thames boundary Kingston upon Thames/Sutton boundary Kingston upon Thames /Elmbridge boundary Kingston upon Thames /Epsom and Ewell boundary Kingston upon Thames /Mole Valley boundary Sutton /Epsom and Ewell boundary †	August 1992
1 April 1995	The Redbridge and Waltham Forest Order 1993	Changes to the Redbridge/Waltham Forest boundary	May 1992
1 April 1996	The Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham Order 1995	Changes to the Kensington and Chelsea/Hammersmith and Fulham boundary	September 1992

† = also altered the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District
Other mandatory meviews of non-metropolitan counties, metropolitan districts and London boroughs

May 1992

The table below summarises the overall changes in area and population.

Date	Area lost	Area gained	Net gain/loss	Pop. lost	Pop. gained	Net gain/loss
1 April 1993			−	1,678	463	−1,215
1 April 1994			−	410	739	+329
1 April 1995			+	138	1,058	+920
Total:	'	'	−	2226	2260	+34

Electoral boundaries

First periodic review

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England was established by the Local Government Act 1972 to review the electoral boundaries of every local authority in England. In 1973, there were early reviews of the electoral boundaries of Bexley and Kensington and Chelsea which needed minor boundaries redrawn in time for the 1974 local elections. In 1974, they began the first full electoral review of all metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts, completing it in July 1980. Their reviews of the county councils were completed in 1984.

Date	Statutory Instrument	LGBCE Report
2 May 1974	The London Borough of Lewisham Order 1973	n/a
2 May 1974	The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Order 1973	October 1973
2 May 1974	The London Borough of Bexley Order 1974	December 1973
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Barking Order 1977	February 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Barnet Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Bexley Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Brent Order 1977	July 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Bromley Order 1977	October 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Camden Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Croydon Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Ealing Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Greenwich Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Hackney Order 1977	July 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Hammersmith Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Haringey Order 1977	September 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Havering Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Hillingdon Order 1977	June 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Hounslow Order 1977	April 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Islington Order 1977	June 1977
4 May 1978	The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Lambeth Order 1977	October 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Lewisham Order 1977	April 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Merton Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Newham Order 1977	April 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Redbridge Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Order 1977	May 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Southwark Order 1977	April 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Sutton Order 1977	March 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Waltham Forest Order 1977	August 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Wandsworth Order 1977	September 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Harrow Order 1978	October 1977
4 May 1978	The London Borough of Tower Hamlets Order 1978	August 1977
4 May 1978	The City of Westminster Order 1978	July 1977
6 May 1982	The London Borough of Enfield Order 1980	September 1977 February 1978
	The Inner London Education Area Order 1988	March 1987

Second periodic review

The Local Government Act 1992 established the Local Government Commission for England as the successor to the LGBCE. In 1996, they began the second full electoral review of English local authorities. After the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum held on 7 May 1998 resulted in a yes vote, the LGCE drew the electoral boundaries for the new Greater London Authority and London Assembly. On 1 April 2002 the Boundary Committee for England took over the functions of the LGBCE and carried on the review, completing it in 2004.

Date	Statutory Instrument	LGCE Report
4 May 2000	Greater London Authority Act 1999	August 1998 November 1998
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Barnet Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Bexley Order 2000	2 March 1999 27 July 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Brent Order 2000	3 August 1999 5 January 2000
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Bromley Order 2000	29 June 1999 30 November 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Camden Order 2000	29 June 1999 30 November 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Croydon Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Ealing Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Enfield Order 2000	3 August 1999 5 January 2000
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Greenwich Order 2000	3 August 1999 5 January 2000
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Hackney Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Order 2000	3 August 1999 5 January 2000
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Haringey Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Harrow Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Havering Order 2000	2 March 1999 27 July 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Hillingdon Order 2000	29 June 1999 30 November 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Hounslow Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Islington Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Order 2000	29 June 1999 30 November 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Lambeth Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Lewisham Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Merton Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Newham Order 2000	29 June 1999 30 November 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Redbridge Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Order 2000	2 March 1999 27 July 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Southwark Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Sutton Order 2000	29 June 1999 5 January 2000
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Tower Hamlets Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Waltham Forest Order 2000	26 January 1999 22 June 1999
2 May 2002	The London Borough of Wandsworth Order 2000	2 March 1999 27 July 1999
2 May 2002	The City of Westminster Order 2000	23 March 1999 7 September 1999

Further electoral reviews by the LGBCE

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England was established by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2010 as the successor to the BCfE. It continues to review the electoral arrangements of English local authorities on an ‘as and when’ basis.

Date	Statutory Instrument	LGBCE Report
22 May 2014	The Hackney Order 2013
22 May 2014	The Tower Hamlets Order 2013
22 May 2014	The Kensington and Chelsea Order 2014
3 May 2018	The Croydon Order 2017	14 March 2017 4 July 2017

Proposed changes

Expansion

In 2004, following a poll, a move was mooted by the London Assembly to entirely align the Greater London boundary to the M25 motorway. In 2005, then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, suggested that the neighbouring areas of Dartford, Thurrock and Watford could be given the opportunity to vote on joining Greater London in local referendums. When asked about a possible expansion to include Epsom in Surrey, Livingstone said he would be "happy to take large chunks of Surrey as well". In 2007, Livingstone said that there was "a real case for London's boundary being extended along the Thames estuary, they're all Londoners anyhow, no more than a generation removed". He said that the absorption of Dartford and Thurrock in the Thames Gateway would support the regeneration of these areas and provide benefits to their residents, such as Greater London's free bus travel for under-18s. He held meetings with government ministers to discuss the proposal, but no referendums would ever be held.
In 2010, it was reported that an extension of the boundary to include Elmbridge was being considered by Livingstone's successor Boris Johnson. A spokesperson for Johnson said that there were no plans to expand the boundary into Elmbridge or other areas. In 2015, it was proposed that a new borough be created by reclaiming land to form an archipelago in the River Thames to deal with the housing crisis in the city.
Slough Borough Council proposed joining Greater London amid reforms to local government and devolution in February 2025. Sadiq Khan indicated he was open to such an endeavour the following month. In June 2025, the former Slough mayor Mewa S. Mann called for the proposal to go ahead, and discussed possible economic benefits. In August 2025, Slough's Labour MP Tan Dhesi said he was discussing the proposal with local stakeholders in London and Berkshire and pushing for a consultation on the move, stating that he was "seriously" considering the matter and pointing to the borough's close cultural links with London.

Reduction

Several proposals have been made for Greater London's boundaries to revert to London's pre-1965 borders. Supporters of this idea argue that Greater London is too big, with the outer London boroughs remaining culturally, geographically and ethnically distinct from inner London and maintaining closer links to their historic counties than London. Local opponents of Greater London policies like the Ultra Low Emission Zone also feel that their concerns are ignored by the Greater London Authority, which they see as dominated by inner London. It is argued that by re-joining their former counties, the outer boroughs may see benefits such as stronger civic pride and a greater sense of belonging, as well as a greater say and influence in local governance.
In 2023, residents in the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley organised a petition for their boroughs to leave Greater London and re-join Kent, in response to the expansion of the ULEZ to London's outer boroughs. The petition was organised after the residents said they felt the Greater London Authority was "ignoring the community of the outer boroughs", with the organisers arguing that it would be better for Bromley and Bexley to re-join Kent because of a lack of transport connections to the rest of the capital.
In 2017, Havering London Borough Council voted on a motion for the borough to negotiate with the Greater London Authority to leave Greater London, become an independent unitary authority and possibly re-join Essex, a proposal known as "Hexit". Supporters argued that the residents of Havering felt a stronger affinity to its historic county of Essex rather than London, and that such a move would enable the borough to "take back control" from Greater London and make its own independent decisions on issues such as planning. The motion was voted down by the council, but the idea regained traction with the expansion of the ULEZ in 2023 and the changes to local government from 2024. Local newspaper The Havering Daily ran a poll in May 2025 which purported to show that 68% of over 1,500 residents from the borough supported such a move. Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, launched a campaign for Havering to leave Greater London and join the new Greater Essex Combined County Authority in 2025. James McMurdock, the Reform UK MP for the Essex constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock, endorsed the proposal.