When are the local elections? Where are they taking place? What does it mean for Labour and Conservatives?
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- 04 Apr 2021
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There may not be a general election this year but this May sees a crucial round of council elections.
The political temperature will be taken when voters go to the polls in hundreds of councils in England.
A bad set of results for either Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn could change the dynamics of what happens in Westminster.
The Lib Dems will want to show they are not treading water under Vince Cable, while UKIP is fighting for its political survival.
Here is you guide to this year's local elections.
When are the local elections?
Voters go to the polls on Thursday 3 May in England at 150 councils, including all 32 London boroughs.
Elections are also taking place for directly-elected mayors in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Watford.
The Sheffield City region will also elect its first metro mayor.
Polls are open from 7am to 10pm and results will come in throughout the night and on Friday 4 May.
What happens in each area?
Elections for councils in England take place in four-year cycles. In London every single council seat is up for grabs.
In 30 of the 34 metropolitan boroughs a third of the seats are in play. In the other four, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, all the council seats are being contested
In the 67 non-metropolitan councils, 54 have a third of seats up for election, six have half their seats (Adur, Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Nuneaton & Bedworth and Oxford), and seven have all-up elections: Eastleigh, Harrogate, Hastings, Huntingdonshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Cambridgeshire and South Lakeland.
Of the 17 unitary authorities just two have all-up elections (Blackburn with Darwen and Kingston-upon-Hull) with remaining 15 having a third of their seats up.
Which are the main battlefields?
Elections are taking place in most of England’s major cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Livepool, Sheffield, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.
In last year’s local elections the Tories defied expectations to 563 seats, while Labour lost 382.
This took place against a backdrop of Labour infighting and were fought in shire seats that traditionally vote Conservative.
This year’s polls are taking place in metropolitan areas which Labour regards as home turf.
Labour is expected to retain control of Birmingham, though the boundary changes make the result harder to predict.
It would take a political earthquake to dislodge Labour from Manchester and Liverpool.
A good night for Labour would see them take Trafford, which currently has 34 Tory councillors, 26 Labour and three Lib Dems, and win overall control in places such as Dudley and Stockport and Walsall.
What will happen in London?
The Conservatives are braced for heavy losses in the capital.
Veteran pollster Robert Hayward says the Tories could lose more than 100 seats, paving the way for its worst result since 1994.
Nearly 1,850 seats in London’s 32 boroughs are up for grabs. The last round of elections in 2014 saw Labour win 1,060 seats and win control of 20 councils while the Tories won 615 and nine councils.
The Tories are hoping to retain control of Westminster and Wandsworth councils but could lose Barnet in north London.
Hillingdon, last held by Labour in 1994, could be beyond Labour’s reach as is Kensington & Chelsea, despite the Grenfell disaster.
However, there are fears that Jeremy Corbyn’s problems with anti-Semitism and the infighting in some local parties could dent Labour’s chance of making major gains.
Will Brexit be a factor?
Unlike in general elections EU nationals are able to vote in local elections. There are an estimated 2.8million EU nationals of voting age in the UK and they could use the polls to voice their views on Brexit.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the 1million EU nationals in London to “punish” the government for the Brexit “chaos”.
He has also warned Tory MPs in London they should expect a backlash unless they soften their opposition to a hard Brexit.
What will results mean for the main parties?
A poor set of results could cut both ways for Theresa May. If the Tories take a drubbing then it could speed up the Prime Minister’s departure.
But it could also focus the minds of Tory rebels as they approach key votes on Brexit.
They are less likely to rock the boat if they believe it could open the door to Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.
Mr Corbyn will want to show that his party is continuing to build on the gains made at last June’s general election .
The Lib Dems will seek evidence they still have a strong grassroots network and UKIP will be pleased if they hold a single council seat.
The near extinction of Nigel Farage’s party could be one of the stories of the night.
