England's Major Local and Mayoral Elections Set for May 7
Polling stations across England will open on May 7 for a significant electoral event, marking the most substantial test for political parties since Labour's general election victory in July 2024. Voters will cast ballots in elections for 136 local councils, alongside six mayoral contests, shaping the political landscape at the grassroots level.
Candidate Numbers and Party Dynamics
Nearly 25,000 candidates are vying for more than 5,000 seats on councils throughout England. Reform UK has fielded approximately 4,800 candidates, placing it close behind Labour, which has just under 4,900, and slightly ahead of the Conservatives, with around 4,750. The Greens are contesting with almost 4,500 candidates, while the Liberal Democrats have just under 4,000. Additionally, over 2,000 candidates represent minor parties, independents, or residents' groups, highlighting a diverse electoral field.
Labour faces a challenging defence of about 2,300 seats, posing potential difficulties for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer if the party experiences significant losses. The Conservatives are defending 1,236 seats, the Liberal Democrats 706, the Greens 194, and Reform UK only 83, largely due to by-election wins or defections since the last council elections.
Election Logistics and Timelines
Polling stations will operate from 7am to 10pm on May 7. The first results are anticipated within hours, with the final declarations expected by the evening of Saturday, May 9. However, elections in wards in St Helens and Bury have been postponed following the deaths of candidates.
Mayoral elections will take place in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, and Tower Hamlets in London, as well as Watford in Hertfordshire. All mayoral counts are scheduled for Friday, May 8, with specific declaration times noted below.
Estimated Declaration Times for Councils
Based on information compiled by the Press Association, the following estimated declaration times are provided for councils. These times are approximate and subject to delays from ballot verification, recounts, or turnout issues. Most councils will declare on Friday, May 8, except for four that will announce on Saturday, May 9, due to mayoral count scheduling.
- Adur: 6pm
- Barking & Dagenham: 5pm
- Barnet: 5pm
- Barnsley: 4.30pm
- Basildon: 3am
- Basingstoke & Deane: 4pm
- Bexley: 5am
- Birmingham: 6pm
- Blackburn: 12.30pm
- Bolton: 3am
- Bradford: 4pm on Saturday May 9
- Brent: 5pm
- Brentwood: 3am
- Bromley: 7pm
- Broxbourne: 1am
- Burnley: 1pm
- Bury: 4.30pm
- Calderdale: 8.30pm
- Cambridge: 5pm
- Camden: 6pm
- Cannock Chase: 3pm
- Cheltenham: 2pm
- Cherwell: 7pm
- Chorley: 2am
- Colchester: 3.30am
- Coventry: 5pm
- Crawley: 4pm
- Croydon: 4pm on Saturday May 9
- Dudley: 3.30am
- Ealing: 4.30am
- Eastleigh: 5am
- East Surrey: 6pm
- East Sussex: 6pm
- Enfield: 5pm
- Epping Forest: 3pm
- Essex: 5pm
- Exeter: 3am
- Fareham: 4am
- Gateshead: 4pm
- Gosport: 4am
- Greenwich: 4pm
- Hackney: 5pm
- Halton: 1am
- Hammersmith & Fulham: 5.30am
- Hampshire: 4am
- Haringey: 5.30pm
- Harlow: 1.30am
- Harrow: 4.30pm
- Hart: 2am
- Hartlepool: 2am
- Hastings: 6pm
- Havant: 4am
- Havering: 6am
- Hillingdon: 4pm
- Hounslow: 5.30pm
- Hull: 2am
- Huntingdonshire: 2.30pm
- Hyndburn: 2pm
- Ipswich: 4pm
- Isle of Wight: 3pm
- Islington: 3pm
- Kensington & Chelsea: 5am
- Kingston-upon-Thames: 6pm
- Kirklees: 6pm
- Knowsley: 3pm
- Lambeth: 6pm
- Leeds: 3pm
- Lewisham: 4pm on Saturday May 9
- Lincoln: 2am
- Manchester: 12.30pm
- Merton: 5am
- Milton Keynes: 5pm
- Newcastle-under-Lyme: 4am
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne: 4.45pm
- Newham: 6pm
- Norfolk: 5.30pm
- North East Lincolnshire: 2am
- North Tyneside: 1.45pm
- Norwich: 2.30pm
- Nuneaton & Bedworth: 3.30pm
- Oldham: 5am
- Oxford: 3am
- Pendle: 2.30pm
- Peterborough: 3am
- Plymouth: 4am
- Portsmouth: 3am
- Preston: 2.30pm
- Reading: 3am
- Redbridge: 5pm
- Redditch: 1.45am
- Richmond-upon-Thames: 5am
- Rochdale: 2pm
- Rochford: 2am
- Rugby: 4pm
- Rushmoor: 3pm
- Salford: 3am
- Sandwell: 5pm
- Sefton: 5.30pm
- Sheffield: 2pm
- Solihull: 3pm
- Southampton: 6.30am
- South Cambridgeshire: 4pm
- Southend-on-Sea: 3am
- South Tyneside: 5.30pm
- Southwark: 6pm
- St Albans: 5pm
- Stevenage: 5pm
- St Helens: 2.30pm
- Stockport: 5am
- Suffolk: 4pm
- Sunderland: 4pm
- Sutton: 4.30am
- Swindon: 6pm
- Tameside: 3am
- Tamworth: 2.30am
- Three Rivers: 3pm
- Thurrock: 3pm
- Tower Hamlets: 6pm on Saturday May 9
- Trafford: 4pm
- Tunbridge Wells: 4pm
- Wakefield: 6pm
- Walsall: 5pm
- Waltham Forest: 3pm
- Wandsworth: 4am
- Watford: 5pm
- Welwyn Hatfield: 2pm
- West Lancashire: 4pm
- Westminster: 3.30am
- West Oxfordshire: 2.30pm
- West Surrey: 6pm
- West Sussex: 4pm
- Wigan: 2.30am
- Winchester: 6pm
- Wokingham: 5pm
- Wolverhampton: 4pm
- Worthing: 6pm
Mayoral Election Declaration Times
All mayoral elections will be counted on Friday, May 8. Expected declaration times are as follows: Hackney and Newham at 1pm, Watford at 2pm, Lewisham at 3pm, Croydon at 4pm, and Tower Hamlets potentially around 6pm. These timings provide voters and observers with a clear schedule for monitoring outcomes in these high-profile contests.
