Spotlight on Residency of Senior Labour Councillor
Andrew Jones yet to confirm accuracy of his claim to live in the borough
Cllr Andrew Jones. Picture: H&F Council
June 8, 2026
A Hammersmith & Fulham councillor has been urged to explain where he lives after it stated on his nomination form for the local elections that he resides in the borough.
Checks by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) suggest a property owned by Labour councillor Andrew Jones in the SW6 postcode is not currently being lived in. The long-standing representative in H, who is a Cabinet member, indicated on his nomination form ahead of the May 7 elections that he lived in the borough.
This particular qualification, one of several which candidates can rely on to stand in elections, requires the individual to have lived in the relevant borough for the entirety of the preceding 12 months.
The LDRS has been unable to identify a property that appears to satisfy this requirement, and repeated requests to explain where in Hammersmith and Fulham he had lived for those 12 months in order for the nomination form to be accurate have been batted away by the local Labour group. Cllr Jones refused to speak to the LDRS.
Knowingly making a false statement on a nomination form is an electoral offence which may be a criminal matter for the police to consider. There is no criminal investigation into Cllr Jones and it is unclear whether the indication he lives in the borough was inadvertent, or is untrue.
However Cllr Jose Afonso, Leader of the Conservative opposition group, has called on Cllr Jones to “come clean” about whether his form was accurate.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Labour spokesperson said Cllr Jones is a registered electoral voter and council taxpayer in the borough and that he was “fully qualified” to stand in the election, though would not confirm if he lives locally when asked.
Cllr Jones has served on Hammersmith and Fulham Council continuously since 2010, four years before Labour took the local authority from the Conservatives.
A Professor, Vice-Chancellor and President at Brunel University of London, he is seen as integral to the Labour administration’s widely-heralded Upstream London industrial programme.
Ahead of the recent May elections, which were won comfortably by Labour in Hammersmith and Fulham, he was again chosen as one of the party’s candidates in White City.
Despite being seen as a potentially fruitful ward for the Green Party, Cllr Jones and his two fellow Labour candidates took all three of the seats available. Cllr Jones was returned with particular gusto, receiving more votes than anyone else standing.
Questions have, however, been asked about his nomination form and the statements effectively made.
According to The Electoral Commission there are a number of requirements potential candidates must meet in order to stand. They must be at least 18 years old, hold certain citizenship rights, and tick off at least one of four qualifications.
These are: being a registered local government elector for the area, occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises locally for the preceding 12 months, had their main place of work in the borough, or lived in the borough, again for the previous 12 months.
On his nomination form, seen by the LDRS, Cllr Jones stated he met three of the four qualifications, with only one, his main place of work, not applicable.
The form requires candidates to identify which of the four options apply, and Cllr Jones indicated three did, including him living in the borough.
This was also reflected in the Statement of Nominated Persons published by the council, which listed his home address as “in Hammersmith and Fulham”.
It is not uncommon for candidates to withhold the exact address, with the majority listing their address as simply within the borough. However, Cllr Jones has been urged to state where he was living in the qualifying period.
The LDRS has spent time looking into two properties owned by Cllr Jones, one in Hammersmith and Fulham and another in Islington. We were unable to identify any other premises he may have bought or be living in.
The LDRS has been told the premises in Hammersmith and Fulham appears to have been empty for around 18 months and that prior to that it was rented out.
We have also been told the Islington property is thought to have been unoccupied for around two years due to construction works, though prior to that Cllr Jones had reportedly lived there.
During the period of the construction works the LDRS understands he has been renting a separate place nearby, and not in Hammersmith and Fulham, while the works are ongoing.
Cllr Jones was contacted early on in our enquiries though passed our email to the local Labour group. All of the above points were put to Labour with a number of questions asking for clarification as to whether Cllr Jones lives in the borough or not.
None of these were directly addressed. We were told by Labour our information is “false” though with no evidence indicating why.
The spokesperson said: “Cllr Jones is a registered electoral voter and a council taxpayer in Hammersmith and Fulham. He was fully qualified to stand as a candidate in the local election.
“He has led Hammersmith and Fulham to have London’s fastest economic growth, created over 17,000 new jobs and produced more spin-out new businesses than anywhere else in Britain. We’re extremely lucky to have him.”
While not living in the borough for the whole 12 months would not disqualify him from standing by virtue of his being a registered voter and owning a property, Cllr Afonso called on Labour to explain whether the form was entirely accurate as voters could have been misled by it if it wasn’t.
He said: “We took running a clean campaign very seriously, setting out a positive vision for the borough.
“Labour, on the other hand, used every trick in the book, making up stories about backroom deals with Reform, scaring the most vulnerable in our borough into believing we’d demolish their homes, and only publishing what they’d actually do until they were sure they’d won. Rules, or safeguarding the democratic process, didn’t matter.
“Cllr Jones is an experienced and sophisticated councillor. It’s time for him and the Labour Party to come clean on whether his form was potentially incorrect. The people of White City deserve better.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter