𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Millions of voters head to the polling stations on Thursday for elections in England, Scotland and Wales that will have huge implications for all the major political parties. More than 5,000 council seats will be contested when voters across England head to the polls on Thursday.

Elections are being held in 136 local authorities on May 7, including some of the country’s biggest cities and every borough in London. Voters will also choose councillors in a mix of urban authorities, rural districts and several county councils. The election could prove to be a significant moment in the premiership of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with reports aplenty that MPs within his party might seek his resignation should Labour perform as poorly as polling suggests.

There are almost 5,000 seats up for grabs on about 136 councils, plus six mayoral elections and seats on parish councils across the country.

This includes elections in 30 councils that will now go ahead after the Government abandoned previously-announced plans to delay them.

More than half of the seats being contested this year are currently held by Labour, reflecting the party’s strength in London and metropolitan boroughs. Just over a quarter are being defended by the Conservatives.

It marks a shift from last year’s local elections, when the Tories were defending the largest number of seats because most contests were in county councils, where the party has traditionally been strongest.

Local councils are responsible for providing many of our public services. For example:

• Social Care
• Fixing potholes on some roads
• Rubbish collection
• Planning applications
• Marriage and death certification

Local councils are partly funded by central government, but they can also raise their own revenue through:

• council tax – a compulsory charge on properties set by local councils
• business rates – a tax put on properties used for commercial purposes

In some areas, local government is split between county and district councils, while others are run by a single unitary authority.

The Government is moving more areas towards the unitary model, including Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

Parish and town councils are the lowest tier of local government, handling local services and community projects. In some areas, councils also work together through combined authorities, often led by a mayor, to oversee transport, infrastructure and economic schemes.