Local elections are taking place across the UK this week
A ballot box at a polling station. (Image: Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
Voters across England are preparing to head to the polls next week for the 2026 local elections.
With over 5,000 council seats up for grabs, this set of elections is being viewed as a critical mid-term test for the major political parties and a pulse-check on the national mood.
With Labour facing increasing pressure with Sir Keir Starmer as their leader in light of the Peter Mandelson scandal, and the Greens winning a hotly-contested by-election in the Gorton and Denton constituency in February, the upcoming day at the polls could really shake things up in Westminster.
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When is the local election?
The local elections will take place on Thursday, 7 May. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.
As long as you are in the queue by 10pm, you will be permitted to vote.
Where are elections being held?
Elections are taking place in 136 local authorities across England. This includes:
- All 32 London Boroughs: Every seat in the capital is up for election.
- 32 Metropolitan Boroughs: Including major hubs like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle.
- 18 Unitary Authorities: Such as Milton Keynes, Swindon, and Portsmouth.
- 6 County Councils: Including Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire.
- 48 District Councils: Covering various regions across the country.
Additionally, voters in several areas – including five London boroughs and Watford – will be directly electing local authority mayors.
The 2026 election cycle has been marked by significant drama.
Earlier this year, the government attempted to delay elections in 29 areas due to ongoing local government reorganisations. However, following legal challenges and advice that a postponement could be unlawful, the government reversed its decision in February.
This means a full slate of elections is proceeding as originally scheduled.
What do I need to vote?
The most important thing to remember is the Voter ID requirement. To vote in person, you must show a valid form of photo identification. Accepted forms of ID include:
- Passport (UK, EU, or Commonwealth)
- Driving Licence (including provisional)
- Blue Badge
- Older Person’s Bus Pass
- Voter Authority Certificate (for those without other ID)
Note: If your ID has expired, you can still use it as long as the photograph still looks like you.
The deadline for registration has now passed, so if you haven’t completed by now you won’t be able to have your say this time around.
Full list of councils where elections are taking place
County councils
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Hampshire
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
- West Sussex
Metropolitan boroughs
- Barnsley
- Birmingham
- Bolton
- Bradford
- Bury
- Calderdale
- Coventry
- Dudley
- Gateshead
- Kirklees
- Knowsley
- Leeds
- Manchester
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- Oldham
- Rochdale
- Salford
- Sandwell
- Sefton
- Sheffield
- Solihull
- South Tyneside
- St Helens
- Stockport
- Sunderland
- Tameside
- Trafford
- Wakefield
- Walsall
- Wigan
- Wolverhampton
Unitary authorities
- Blackburn with Darwen
- East Surrey
- Halton
- Hartlepool
- Hull
- Isle of Wight
- Milton Keynes
- North East Lincolnshire
- Peterborough
- Plymouth
- Portsmouth
- Reading
- Southampton
- Southend-on-Sea
- Swindon
- Thurrock
- West Surrey
- Wokingham
District councils
- Adur
- Basildon
- Basingstoke & Deane
- Brentwood
- Broxbourne
- Burnley
- Cambridge
- Cannock Chase
- Cheltenham
- Cherwell
- Chorley
- Colchester
- Crawley
- Eastleigh
- Epping Forest
- Exeter
- Fareham
- Gosport
- Harlow
- Hart
- Hastings
- Havant
- Huntingdonshire
- Hyndburn
- Ipswich
- Lincoln
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Norwich
- Nuneaton & Bedworth
- Oxford
- Pendle
- Preston
- Redditch
- Rochford
- Rugby
- Rushmoor
- South Cambridgeshire
- St Albans
- Stevenage
- Tamworth
- Three Rivers
- Tunbridge Wells
- Watford
- Welwyn Hatfield
- West Lancashire
- West Oxfordshire
- Winchester
- Worthing
London boroughs
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Camden
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Greenwich (Royal Borough)
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Haringey
- Harrow
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Lambeth
- Lewisham
- Merton
- Newham
- Redbridge
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Sutton
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
Mayoral
- Croydon
- Hackney
- Lewisham
- Newham
- Tower Hamlets
- Watford
