Millions of people are expected to take part in local elections across England when polling stations open at 07:00 BST. About 8,000 councilors are being elected in 230 councils, as voters choose who they want to run services in their local area. Voters in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield, and Middlesbrough will also elect mayors. Polling stations will close at 22:00, with all results announced on Friday. The first results are expected just after midnight on Friday morning, with 65 councils counting votes overnight. The rest will begin counting on Friday morning, with results coming in throughout the day, including for the four mayoral races.
The final result is forecast to be announced around 20.00 BST on Friday, although this could be later depending on factors such as recounts. Elections are not taking place in London, Wales or Scotland. Council elections in Northern Ireland have been moved back to Thursday 18 May because of the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. Most of the councils up for election in England are district councils, responsible for services including bin collections, parks, public housing and planning applications. Other services in these areas such as roads, schools, social and care services are managed by county councils which are elected at a different time.
The rest of the councils being elected on Thursday are a mixture of metropolitan and unitary councils – single local authorities that deal with all local services. The elections mark the first time in England that voters will be required to show ID to cast their ballot in person. Passports, driving licences, and older or disabled person’s bus passes are among the documents that will be accepted at polling stations. Those without the right ID were encouraged to apply for a new free voter certificate, the deadline for which closed last week.
The BBC, like other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are open. On polling day, the BBC does not report on any of the election campaigns from 00:30 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio or bbc.co.uk. The BBC, however, is still able to report on other political events and stories which are not directly related to the elections.
