Local Elections 2025 information: Full record of councils, dates and how you can vote | Politics | News | EUROtoday

On Thursday, May 1, native elections might be going down up and down the nation. Not solely will there be council and mayoral votes, however an important Parliamentary by-election might be held on the identical day – the primary elections held because the normal election in 2024.

It marks the primary massive election take a look at for Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and different celebration leaders.

Reform have beforehand been touted as contenders for 450 council seats, in the meantime the Tories stand to lose greater than 500.

Here is all the pieces you want to know for the all essential day, together with the place and how you can vote.

Where are votes going down?

Elections might be held in 14 county councils together with Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

They are additionally being held in eight unitary authorities together with Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, County Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, in addition to the metropolitan borough of Doncaster.

Elections for borough mayors are being held in Doncaster and North Tyneside. These are mayors that oversee councils.

At the identical time, elections for regional metro-mayors, who run giant mixed authorities, happen in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, West of England, Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.

The council of the Isles of Scilly can also be holding an election. Every present member of this council is an impartial.

Meanwhile, a by-election is going down to elect a brand new MP for the Runcorn and Helsby constituency in Cheshire. This shouldn’t be an area election, however is being held on the identical day. When celebration leaders and commentators take a look at the election outcomes to see how properly they’ve executed, they’ll take into account this end result in addition to the outcomes of native polls.

Enter your postcode in our useful interactive device beneath to see if there’s an election in your space:

When does voting happen?

You can vote from 7am to 10pm on Thursday, May 1.

How do I vote?

An individual can vote within the May 1 elections if they’re on the native authorities register in an space the place elections are going down, and if they’re:

• aged 18 or over on polling day
• a British citizen
• an Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen

You have to be registered to vote. Unfortunately it’s now too late to register in time for the May 1 elections. However, you don’t must register each time – should you voted in a earlier election and haven’t modified deal with, you’re in all probability nonetheless registered as we speak.

You can examine in case your space is holding an election on May 1 by coming into your postcode on the Electoral Commission web site right here. The website can even let you know the place your polling station is.

You might also obtain a polling card at your private home with particulars of your polling station.

It can also be attainable to vote by put up should you utilized for a postal vote, however remember that the deadline for functions has already handed.

If you vote in individual then you need to carry photograph ID to the polling station. Valid ID features a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK or EEA drivers’ licence; and a few concessionary journey passes, equivalent to an older individual’s bus move or an Oyster 60+ card. A full record is out there at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id.

When will the outcomes be introduced?

Many councils will begin counting votes on Friday, May 2 and announce the outcomes later that day. However counting begins for a number of the mayor votes as soon as polls shut at 10pm on May 1, and outcomes are prone to be introduced within the early hours of Friday morning. The results of the by-election can also be doubtless early on Friday morning.

What can we anticipate to occur?

Most of the council elections are going down in areas the place the Conservatives have executed properly previously as a result of many of the massive cities, the place Labour is strongest, aren’t holding votes this yr. In truth, Tories are defending round 900 seats and Labour are defending round 280.

That makes it very laborious for the Conservatives to make good points and a few consultants assume Tories might lose seats to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

For instance, elections might be held in Kent, a county council which Conservatives at present management. The query right here is whether or not they’ll achieve holding on to what they’ve, or will lose seats to the Liberal Democrats and Reform.

In an analogous method, Tories are battling to carry on to Gloucestershire County Council which they run as the most important celebration (although with out a majority). They have been hit by defections to Reform whereas Lib Dems and Greens might make good points.

In each authorities there’s no alternative to attain a surprising victory in opposition to Labour, however a really actual likelihood the Tories might endure embarrassing losses.

Meanwhile, Reform UK chief Nigel Farage hopes to make use of these elections to exhibit that he, quite than Mrs Badenoch, is the opposition politician greatest positioned to tackle Sir Keir on the subsequent normal election.

Runcorn and Helsby is normally a protected Labour seat, however the end result on this by-election may very well be shut as a result of the celebration in authorities at Westminster usually struggles in by-elections. Voters might use the election to protest in opposition to means-testing of winter gasoline funds, profit cuts or considerations in regards to the financial system. They may be offended with Labour as a result of the by-election was attributable to the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who was convicted of assaulting a constituent.