[1] In the previous election in 2017, 85 seats were won by independent candidates, 10 by Temple and Farringdon Together and the remaining five by the Labour Party.

The election was originally scheduled for 18 March 2021, but was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City's Policy and Resources Committee recommended against this, and suggested July 2021 as an alternative date should the elections need to be postponed.

[3][4] Most residents of the twenty-five wards of the City of London live in the Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Portsoken and Queenhithe.

Andrien Meyers, Tim McNally, David Sales, Mandeep Thandi and Shailendra Umradia stood together under the name "Aldgate Team".

[13] Nighat Qureishi and Luis Tilleria stood together under the slogan "Build a Better Billingsgate".

Two incumbent councillors, Munsur Ali and Jason Paul Pritchard, who were elected as Labour candidates in 2017, stood jointly.

Roger Chadwick, Marianne Fredericks, James Tumbridge and Jason Groves stood jointly as the "Tower Ward Team".