Polls to open for local elections in England

Voters are set to head to the polls for local and mayoral elections being held in some parts of England on Thursday.

There are local elections to 24 of England’s 317 councils and six mayoral authorities on 1 May.

A by-election in Runcorn and Helsby will also decide who becomes the new MP for the constituency in Cheshire.

Polling stations will open at 07:00 BST and close at 22:00 on Thursday, with results to be declared through the night and on Friday.

It is the first big set of polls since Labour’s landslide victory in last year’s general election.

About 1,650 seats will be contested on 14 county councils, eight unitary authorities, one metropolitan district and in the Isles of Scilly.

The six mayoral elections are taking place in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Doncaster, North Tyneside and – for the first time – in Hull and East Yorkshire, and Greater Lincolnshire.

The by-election in Runcorn and Helsby was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury following his conviction for assaulting a constituent.

Elections to all 21 county councils in England had been due to take place.

But the government announced elections would be postponed in nine areas, where local authorities are being reorganised.

The areas where there are elections to county councils include: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The other elections are to the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, plus Doncaster Metropolitan Council and the Isles of Scilly, which has a unique governance structure.

Most of the results are expected to be declared by Friday evening.

There are no local elections scheduled in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

People who want to vote in person will be asked to show photo ID to do so.

There are more than 20 acceptable forms of ID, including passports, driving licences and – from 1 May – Armed Forces Veteran Cards.

The BBC has published detailed election guidelines outlining its approach to covering polling day.

Like other broadcasters, the BBC is not allowed to report details of campaigning or local election issues on TV, radio or online on polling day until 22:00, when voting closes.