Local elections are again being held within the UK on Thursday 5 May, with 4,000 council seats in England being contested across 146 local authorities against a backdrop of concern over the “Partygate” scandal, fresh allegations of sleaze and sexism in Westminster and with the fee of living crisis a growing concern.
In each Scotland and Wales, 1,200 seats are up for grabs across 32 and 22 councils respectively as residents solid their vote on who should run the general public services they depend on each day, from waste collection to library and park maintenance.
Meanwhile, all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly are in contention, with five members being elected in each of the country’s 18 constituencies.
Thursday’s events may even see 4 latest councils involved for the primary time – unitary authorities in North Yorkshire, Somerset and two in Cumbria – and 7 mayoral positions up for consideration.
The general public is widely expected to solid its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership, the prime minister’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the prospect of change represented by Sir Keir Starmer – or in response to other problems with particular regional significance, from immigration to infrastructure.
To search out exactly what is occurring in your constituency this week, visit the Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode.
From there, you might be invited to substantiate your postal address, after which you might be presented with all the knowledge you wish concerning the candidates in contention and the situation and opening hours of your nearest polling station.
The Independent meanwhile has all it’s good to learn about voting, more information on the national picture by region in addition to a guide on when the outcomes might be announced.
We might be covering the local elections in depth this week and liveblogging each voting day itself and the aftermath on Friday once the outcomes have been counted and compiled.
