Voters across England are going to the polls for local elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election today in the first major test for Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
They will also be an important test for Nigel Farage and Reform UK to see if their high poll ratings since last summer translate into real votes.
The Tories are also set for a difficult day defending more than 900 council seats across the country while lagging behind both Labour and Reform in most polls.
A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs in 23 local authorities across England, with the Tories defending 954 of them.
A key test for all parties will be in the six mayoral contests for the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.
And maybe the biggest test of all will be the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, called because of the departure of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury after his conviction for assault.
Polls will be open from 7am until 10pm.
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KEYPOINTS
- Polls open with voters to cast ballots in crunch local elections
- Where are council seats and mayoralties up for grabs in England?
- When will local election results be announced?
- Key seats to watch in the 2025 local elections
Dogs at polling stations tradition in good health
11:31
,
Andy Gregory
The age-old tradition of dogs at polling stations shows no sign of abating today. Here are some of the latest pictures:
The warmer weather means an earlier walks, called in to vote on our way back.#dogsatpollingstations #schnauzergang pic.twitter.com/nB5mTOwbDs
— Nat (@nats148) May 1, 2025
Chester's first #dogsatpollingstations pic.twitter.com/MgiC9Cf0bX
— Steff Easom (@Steff_Easom) May 1, 2025
It's important to have your say today, just ask Jeeves (the dog)! #LocalElections2025 #dogsatpollingstations pic.twitter.com/cyi8LgyelI
— Maddy Baillie (@Mercury_Maddy) May 1, 2025
Analysis | How a win for Reform could reshape the political landscape
10:39
,
Andy Gregory
In an analysis piece for The Independent, Hannah Bunting, director of the University of Exeter’s Elections Centre, writes:
These elections in 23 English local authorities are about selecting the representatives that will serve communities, both in day-to-day essential operations, and during council reorganisations amid plans for decentralisation of British democracy.
Yet attention is also being paid to the challenge Reform have set themselves – can they continue the transition from anti-establishment outsiders to a winning party engine?
There are 1,641 local councillor vacancies up for election this week, in 1,401 wards. Reform are contesting more seats than any other party. In fact, there’s only a handful without their candidate on the ballot, amounting to 99.3 per cent coverage.
This is a major step forward for the party. Ukip contested 80 per cent of this set of seats near the height of its popularity 12 years ago.
Read more analysis here:
Ask our chief political commentator John Rentoul anything in exclusive Q&A
10:13
,
Andy Gregory
With dozens of councils, mayoralties and a high-stakes parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby up for grabs, the results could reshape the political map in ways that will reverberate far beyond Thursday night.
So, which seats really matter? How much trouble are the Tories in? Can Reform turn headlines into votes? And how fragile is Labour’s new electoral coalition?
Join The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul live at midday tomorrow as he answers your questions on all the key contests, party strategies, and what the results tell us about Britain’s fast-changing political landscape:
Watch: Starmer and Badenoch clash on eve of elections
09:47
,
Andy Gregory
When were these council seats last elected?
09:22
,
Andy Gregory
Most of the seats were last contested in May 2021, at a time when the then-Conservative government, led by former prime minister Boris Johnson, was enjoying a spike in popularity following the successful roll-out of the first Covid-19 vaccines.
At the 2021 local elections the Tories made a number of gains while Labour and the Liberal Democrats, both of whom had recently elected new leaders – Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Ed Davey respectively – fared less well.
As a result, the Conservatives held more than half of seats across the 23 local authorities, as of 31 March, while Labour held 17 per cent, the Lib Dems held 13 per cent, and Reform held just 1 per cent.
Badenoch insists Tories deliver ‘better services for lower taxes’
08:58
,
Andy Gregory
In her final message to voters, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “If you want a great council, don't just hope for it, vote for it.
“Vote Conservative because Conservative councils deliver better services for lower taxes across the board.”
Pictured: Polling stations open across the country
08:41
,
Andy Gregory
Here are the scenes as polling stations open across the country:
What will happen when polls close at 10pm?
08:28
,
Andy Gregory
When polls close in England at 10pm on Thursday, most councils will not begin counting the results of the local and mayoral elections until the following day – though a handful of key declarations are due overnight.
At 10pm, counting will begin in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election and in four of the six mayoral contests: Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, North Tyneside and West of England.
Four of the 23 local authorities holding elections will also start counting at 10pm: Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Staffordshire.
Only one, Northumberland, is due to report all its results overnight; the other three will announce some results overnight, with the rest of the seats being declared later on Friday.
Read this hour-by-hour guide of what to expect:
Labour insists government’s plan ‘already starting to deliver’
08:14
,
Andy Gregory
In a final message to voters ahead of the polls opening at 7am, Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves insisted the government's plan was “already starting to deliver”.
She said: “As voters head to the polls today, there's a clear choice between Labour with a plan for change to deliver the security working people deserve and renewal for our country, or more of the same chaos voters rejected last year with the Tories and Reform.”
Mapped: Where are the local elections taking place?
08:07
,
Andy Gregory
Here is a map showing the areas in which people are heading to the polls today:
What ID do I need to vote?
08:07
,
Andy Gregory
Voters heading to the polls today will need to bring a form of ID in order to cast their ballots – and will already need to have registered to vote.
There are more than 20 types of photographic ID which are valid, such as passports, driving licences, older and disabled persons’ bus passes, armed forces veteran cards, and Oyster 60+ cards.
How many seats are currently held by the main political parties?
07:54
,
Andy Gregory
More than half of seats across the 23 local authorities are currently held by the Conservatives.
As of 31 March, the Tories held 954 of the 1,736 seats – or 55 per cent – according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Labour held 295 (17 per cent), the Liberal Democrats held 222 (13 per cent), Independents held 173 (10 per cent), the Greens held 42 (2 per cent) and Reform held 23 (1 per cent). Other parties held 16 seat and 11 seats were vacant.
Ian Jones reports:
Polls open with voters to cast ballots in crunch local elections
07:00
,
Tara Cobham
The polls have officially opened, with voters set to cast their ballots in crunch local elections.
The contests mark the first major electoral test for political parties since Labour's general election victory in July 2024.
Mapped: Every council where local elections have been postponed
06:45
,
Tara Cobham
As voters head to the polls on Thursday there are four regional mayoralties and 1,750 council seats up for grabs.
But controversy hangs over the contests after elections were delayed in nine areas amid an overhaul of local government in England.
Nigel Farage has said “five and half million people in this country are being denied their vote”, but deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has defended the postponements.
The areas where elections that had been due in May will be postponed are listed below:
The 23 local authority elections and six mayoral contests happening across England
06:30
,
Tara Cobham
Of the 23 local authorities holding elections, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Polls are also taking place in eight unitary authorities: Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire.
In addition, one metropolitan council, Doncaster, is holding an election.
A key test for all parties will be in the six mayoral contests for the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.
Every council and mayoral election taking place this week
06:15
,
Tara Cobham
Here is a full list of the local and mayoral elections due to take place on Thursday May 1 2025, as well as details of the elections that have been postponed until 2026:
Tories defending large number of seats across much of country
06:00
,
Tara Cobham
Over 1,600 council seats are being contested across 23 local authorities, alongside elections for four regional mayors and two local mayors.
The majority of these council seats were last up for grabs in May 2021, during a period of heightened popularity for the then-ruling Conservative party under Boris Johnson, following the initial success of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
This means the Tories are defending a large number of seats across much of the country: they currently control 19 of the 23 local authorities holding elections on May 1, either as the majority party or a minority administration.
A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs in 23 local authorities across England, with the Tories defending 954 of them.
What time will polls be open and when will local election results be announced
05:45
,
Tara Cobham
Voters will be casting their ballots in local elections held across the country today.
Polls will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday 1 May.
All estimated declaration times are for Friday 2 May.
Analysis: Key seats to watch in the 2025 local elections
05:30
,
Tara Cobham
England’s local elections on 1 May represent a key test for all the major parties.
In what could be a new era of multi-party politics, Labour and Reform are almost neck-and-neck in the latest national opinion polls, with the Tories lagging behind.
Here are the key seats to look out for in the early hours of Friday morning and beyond – and why they matter:
Everything you need to know about the local elections
05:15
,
Tara Cobham
Elections are being held in England on May 1 to choose hundreds of councillors, a handful of mayors and a new MP for the constituency of Runcorn & Helsby.
Here, we check out the locations, timings and key numbers behind this year’s contests:
Local election polls to open in Starmer’s first major ballot box test as PM
05:00
,
Tara Cobham
The local elections are set to get underway as Sir Keir Starmer faces his first major test at the ballot box since becoming prime minister.
Voters are heading to the polls in 23 council areas across England and six mayoral contests across devolved regions today.
A by-election is also being held in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency, which was triggered by the resignation of former MP Mike Amesbury after his conviction for punching a man. The contest will be watched closely as Labour faces a battle against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK despite winning with 53 per cent of the vote less than a year ago.
The PM has not visited the area – but allies have insisted he has been campaigning ahead of the local contests. However, Sir Keir accepted the results could be tough for the incumbent government, with so many of the elections in traditional Tory heartlands.
But then Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives also fear losing ground across England, with the Tory vote being squeezed by both Reform and the Liberal Democrats.
Voters to cast ballots in these 23 council areas and six mayoral contests across England
Wednesday 30 April 2025 19:32
,
Tara Cobham
Of the 23 local authorities holding elections, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Polls are also taking place in eight unitary authorities: Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire.
In addition, one metropolitan council, Doncaster, is holding an election.
A key test for all parties will be in the six mayoral contests for the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.