When and where are the May local elections and who can vote?

Voters in some parts of England will elect councillors and mayors on Thursday 1 May.

These are the first local elections since the general election was held in July 2024.

Elections are taking place in 23 councils across England.

All seats will be contested in:

• 14 county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire
• 8 unitary authorities: Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, County Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire
• 1 metropolitan district: Doncaster

Six mayoral elections are also happening: in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster and – for the first time – in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.

In addition, council elections are taking place in the Isles of Scilly.

On 5 February, the government announced that some local elections would not take place as planned.

Elections in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will be delayed until 2026 as part of a wider shake-up of local government.

Voters in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency will also elect their new MP on 1 May.

The former Labour MP Mike Amesbury announced he was standing down after his conviction for assaulting a constituent.

No routine elections are taking place in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

There are three ways to vote:

• in person at your local polling station on election day between 0700 BST and 2200 BST
• by postal vote
• by nominating a proxy – someone to vote on your behalf

To vote in local elections you must be:

Voters in some areas may have several ballot papers for the different elections taking place.

In council elections, voters generally have one vote for each available seat in an election area – known as a ward or division. However, some large wards have several seats.

As in general elections, whoever receives the most votes wins. If, for example, there are three seats available, then the top three candidates win.

Mayors are also elected under this system, known as first-past-the-post.

EU citizens cannot vote in the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election.

The deadline to register to vote in person in England and Wales on 1 May has passed.

The deadlines to request a postal vote or to to apply for a proxy vote for the May elections have also passed.

If you are on the electoral register and plan to vote in person you will receive a polling card with details of your polling station through the post.

You must not take selfies or any other photographs inside a polling station.

With the exception of assistance dogs, animals are not usually allowed in polling stations, but can be admitted at the discretion of the local authority.

You are welcome to bring your children but they must not mark your vote on the ballot paper.

Writing implements are provided but you can bring your own pen or pencil.

You can wear political clothing but you must not discuss any of the candidates inside the polling station.

In the May 2024 local elections, when different councils were up for election, Labour won more than 1,000 of the 2,660 seats being contested.

The Conservatives lost almost as many councillors as they held and ended up in third place behind the Liberal Democrats.

In total, 20 councils changed hands, with Labour gaining 10 and losing two.

Labour also won nine out of the 10 mayoral contests, with the Conservatives winning the other.

Different types of councils are responsible for a variety of local services. These include:

• care for the elderly and disabled
• fixing potholes on some roads
• collecting rubbish and recycling
• housing
• education

Many councils are facing a funding crisis, and have cut services.

Voters in the May elections will have seen their council tax increase in April.

Six mayors will be elected on 1 May:

• two single authority mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside
• four metro mayors in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire

A single authority mayor is the political leader of the council. They are responsible for delivering local council services.

Metro mayors are regional leaders who chair combined authorities, which are groups of several local councils.

They set out plans to boost their local economy, and have some powers over housing and transport.

Some local election results will be announced overnight into Friday 2 May, including three of the mayoral results.

Most of the council seats will be counted on Friday, and no results are expected over the weekend.

It is not clear when the result of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election will be announced. At the general election in July 2024, the outcome was known fairly early – at around 02:25.

Detailed BBC election guidelines are written and published for each election, setting out the approach it has to take on polling day.

The BBC, like other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or local election issues on TV, radio or online on polling day between 06:00 and 22:00, when voting closes.

While polls are open, it is a criminal offence to report any exit polls, which aim to predict election results on the basis of surveys of how people say they have voted.

References to the local elections on the day are normally restricted to uncontroversial factual accounts, such as the appearance of politicians at polling stations, the weather, or practical information about how to vote.

Once the polls have closed at 22:00, the election guidelines no longer apply.

However, the BBC must still report the results with the impartiality required both by Ofcom and the BBC’s own Editorial Guidelines.